The Best Gym Bags Are the Best Bags, Period

The best gym bags are built for more than just the gym. Sure, they come with the product specs you’d expect from a bag designed to store your sweaty workout gear—water-resistant fabrics, adjustable shoulder straps, ample shoe compartments—but these aren’t bags made exclusively for exercising.

Functionality is paramount, but so is form (kind of like, uh, going to the gym). And now that you’re hitting the gym again with some regularity—or swear this is the week you’re going to start!—you’ll need a bag up to the task. A tote bag won’t do the job. A backpack feels inadequate. But a specialty gym bag (a.k.a. a duffle bag—or “duffel bag,” depending on your preference) with a generous main compartment to keep those filthy gym clothes separated from the chinos and button-up you’ll be changing into post-shower? That’s just what the doctor ordered. Especially when said gym bag comes with an abrasion-resistant laptop sleeve so you can bring your work with you wherever you go, you sick puppy, you.

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The Best Gym Bags Shopping Guide

• The Best Gym Bag, Overall: Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 40L, $159
• The Best Gym Bag With Shoe Compartment: Tracksmith Weekend Duffel, $190
• The Best Gym Bag on Amazon: Peak Design Travel Duffel, $140
• The Best Gym Bag With Laptop Compartment: Lululemon City Adventurer Large Duffle Bag, $168
• The Best Gym Backpack: Aer Fit Pack 3, $149
• The Best Waterproof Gym Bag: Rains Gym Bag, $95
• The Best Retro Gym Bag: L.L.Bean Waxed Canvas Duffel, $159
• The Best Budget Gym Bag: Nike “Brasilia” Training Duffle Bag, $52 $46
• The Need-for-Speed Gym Bag: Red Canoe Boeing Stow Duffle Bag, $109
• The C-Suite Gym Bag: Bennett Winch Weekender Holdall, $1,300
• The Best Gym Bag for Bougie Bodybuilders: Saint Laurent Ripstop Duffel Bag, $1,250
• The Best Gym Bag for Traveling: Matador Freefly Packable Duffel Bag, $85

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And don’t forget: Even the most technical gym bag can double as a slick weekender on a last-minute summer getaway or a lightweight carry-on for your first airplane trip in months—provided, of course, you invest in a style with the right accoutrement. Durability is a must, as is an easy-access side pocket to store your water bottle. A few carefully placed external pockets to hold all your small items never hurt, either. So even if you’re an expert gym-goer getting reacquainted with the day-to-day grind, it’s worth reminding yourself what a game-changer a high quality gym duffle can be, and then tracking down the best one for your routine.

Luckily, GQ Recommends unearthed 11 of the absolute best gym bags on the market right now, so you can hit your PRs—or just hop on the Hampton Jitney—in style.

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The Best Gym Bag, Overall: Patagonia Black Hole

Is there anything Patagonia’s legendary Black Hole bags can’t handle? In tote or dopp form, the waterproof 14-ounce 900 Denier nylon fabric works like an impenetrable forcefield, repelling whatever the world throws at it (and looks way better for the wear, though you can always hose it down for a makeshift factory reset). Its duffel, though, remains a standout, thanks to features like daisy chains for you to hook on an extra pair of climbing shoes or a portable speaker for your bike commute to and from the gym. The cavernous 40-liter main compartment is enough to house a weekend’s worth of outfits, and features a separate mesh pocket that’s great for keeping your sweaty gear far away from your crisp 9-to-5 standbys. Plus, its handles and straps mean you can carry it however you prefer—no more straining your biceps with extra work after a gnarly arms day.

The Best Gym Bag With a Shoe Compartment: Tracksmith Weekend Duffel

Boston’s Tracksmith needs no introduction by this point—they’ve been crafting some of the best heritage-inspired performance running gear for a decade now, not to mention whipping up dope collaborations with brands like District Vision and Brendon Babenzien’s new-look J.Crew. The Tracksmith Weekend Duffel is a mainstay in our rotation, even if we’re not headed out of town for race weekend. The bag is extremely well made and is built to last, much like the vintage pieces it draws inspiration from. It’s outfitted with a roomy shoe compartment for your stinky kicks or gym clothes, plus comes with a super handy nylon blanket to spread out on race day or in the park on a weeknight.

The Best Gym Bag on Amazon: Peak Design Travel Duffel

Sure, we already featured some other bags that you can buy on Amazon, but few are as high quality as the Peak Design Travel Duffel. Like all of the brand’s gear, it’s centered around photography and travel, but we absolutely love the 35-liter model for the gym. It has an extra long zipper that makes it easy to rummage around in, is made from heavy duty nylon that can stand up to a beating, and, maybe most importantly, is guaranteed for life against manufacturing defects and any failure that renders the bag unusable. It’s not hard to trust a product that is backed with that kind of confidence.

The Best Gym Bag With Laptop Compartment: Lululemon City Adventurer

If you tend to book it to the gym as soon as you log off, you need a bag that can hold your workout duds and your office essentials—and won’t look out of place at either. The City Adventurer is the best gym bag from Lululemon if only because it comes with plenty of storage for your sweat-wicking, four-way stretch gear along with a padded sleeve for laptops up to 16″ (you know, in case you need to bang out some emails while you wait for the bench to free up). It’s cut from a lightweight waterproof fabric and tricked out with handles, a cross-body strap, and exterior pockets, including an expandable option specifically for your sweat-soaked garms. We’re also giving it bonus points because it’s shaped like a bowling bag, which you should definitely use it for if this guy’s energy matches your own.

The Best Waterproof Gym Bag: Rains Gym Bag

Rains is famous for outerwear that laughs in the face of inclement weather. Its duffle bag harnesses the brand’s trademark waterproof tech to protect your workout gear from the worst of the elements, whether it’s raining cats and dogs or you’re the bedraggled owner of a pet insistent on slobbering all over your gym shoes.

The Best Budget Gym Back: Nike Brasilia

This one’s a no-brainer. The Brasilia is one of the most popular gym bags in Nike’s arsenal, and if you can’t trust the Swoosh to provide a spacious, heavily-zippered duffle to store all your swoosh-emblazoned gear, who can you turn to? It’s got easy-access exterior pockets for small valuables like your phone and earbuds as well as ventilated mesh side pockets to keep your sweaty clothes and dirty shoes from stinking up the main compartment. And with a durable coated bottom, you won’t have to worry about scuffs and tears.

The Best Retro Gym Bag: L.L. Bean Waxed Canvas

Not everyone is into the newfangled waterproof, anti-odor, solar-powered BS that gym bags have become. What happened to a good ol’ fashioned duffel bag? Well, L.L.Bean’s timeless duffle bag has been around for decades and isn’t showing any signs of going away. Sure, the recipe has changed a bit over several decades, but the vintage specimens that menswear geeks drool over aren’t all that different from today’s version. It’s made with full-grain leather handles and all-cotton waxed canvas that’ll repel water and look better with age (something none of the synthetic bags can say). Add to that detachable shoulder straps, convenient exterior zip pockets, a reinforced bottom, and a rugged heritage look that’ll outlast any trend and you’ve got yourself a bag that’ll see you pumping iron well into retirement.

The Best Gym Backpack: Aer Fit Pack 3

Okay, yes—Aer’s Fit Pack 3 is technically a backpack. But its fan-favorite style comes chock full of the type of product details you’d expect to see in a next-level duffle designed for heavy-duty wear and tear. Its exterior is made out of abrasion-resistant 840D nylon with Cordura side paneling, and a padded interior ensures your laptop stays secure no matter how many dirty socks you’ve wedged in there. Factor in an easy-access water bottle pocket and Duraflex hardware, and you’re looking at a formidable gym bag alternative that might convert even the staunchest duffle devotee.

The C-Suite Gym Bag: Bennett Winch Weekender

If you’re hunting for a gym bag that doesn’t look out of place in a corner office, Bennett Winch’s luxe bag is the solution. It brings the clean lines of a weekender, the functionality of a gym duffel, and craftsmanship of the tailor who makes your bespoke suits. Hand-crafted in England using top-shelf materials (full-grain leather for the handles and reinforcement areas, heavy-duty brass for the zippered pockets, and water-repellent-bonded cotton), Bennett Winch’s Weekender is all about subtle opulence. The roomy main compartment has a padded laptop sleeve and enough space for at least two outfits. Plus, the bag comes with two separate waterproof compartments—one on either end—to keep stanky shoes and sweaty clothes away from your suit and tie.

The Best Gym Bag for Bougie Bodybuilders: Saint Laurent Ripstop Duffel Bag

They say that showing up to the gym is half the battle, but for plenty of folks, it’s more like all-out war. That’s why you pay thousands of dollars a year to go to a gym jam-packed with amenities like a juice bar and a day spa—storming the beaches, or, in this case, hauling your ass to the gym, feels like way less of a struggle when you’re not slumming it to your local NYSC. Enter Saint Laurent’s ripstop bag, which took home top honors in this year’s Fitness Awards for its ability to transform your workouts into bona fide fashion moments. You’ll never have to worry about ID’ing it in the locker room, but don’t blame us if someone “accidentally” walks off with it while you’re on the treadmill. All’s fair in love, war, and lifting.

The Best Gym Bag for Traveling: Matador Freefly Packable Duffel Bag

Meet your secret to keeping up your workout even on vacation. The Matador Freefly features all the crucial gym bag amenities like water-resistant materials and dedicated compartments for large and small goods—with a superpower. The duffel rolls up into itself until it’s the size of a hamburger (and not even one of those giant restaurant monstrosities). Toss it into your luggage and you won’t have to juggle your gear on the way to the hotel gym again.

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What to Look for in a Gym Bag

Materials: These days, most gym bags are made from some form of nylon, but some of our favorites incorporate leather and canvas, too. Nylon is easiest to clean and resists odors better than other materials, but if you’re looking for something that’s going to last, make sure you figure out how thick the material is. For example, some cheaper nylon bags may end up being quite flimsy, while other bags, like the Peak Design bag we mentioned, is made from bulletproof 600D nylon that could probably be dragged behind a car without busting. Make sure you also consider the zippers—nothing is worse than a faulty zipper that stops working after a few uses.