11 best men’s gym bags for every kind of workout

Dwayne Johnson has given this 36l backpack his seal of approval, and like the man himself, this is a gym bag with a very tough exterior – from its abrasion-resistant bottom panels to a finish made from Under Armour’s storm technology (made with water resistance in mind).

The straps are configured so the bag can be carried either as a backpack or a duffel, with an ingenious zipped opening doubling as the backpack straps panel, for easy access to the main compartment.

Inside you’ll find a lined sleeve that will secure a 15in laptop, and plenty of other pockets so that you can separate your phone, car keys and headphones from the bigger items. Post workout, your shoes and laundry can then fit into a roomy, gusseted pocket placed at the bottom of the bag.

Completing a Hyrox race is an impressive achievement. If you’re part of team Hyrox and you want everyone at the gym to know you’re capable of this hardcore fitness feat, this is the bag for you.

It has a velcro section on the front where you can slap personalised patches, and comes with a couple of Hyrox ones to get you started. The zippers also have the word “Hyrox” on them – just in case anyone didn’t get the message.

Beyond the branding, it’s also a fantastic bag. As a slightly slimmed down version of Built For Athlete’s top-scoring pro rucksack, it still has plenty of pockets for stashing your valuables, lifting knick-knacks and bottles. It also boasts a hidden waterproof compartment underneath for all your sweaty gear.

The spacious main compartment easily housed our running shoes and lifters, while the padded shoulder straps and waist strap helped keep us comfortable when we carted it to the office and back. Like it’s bigger brother, it’s pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Made from the same waterproof PU material which makes up the brand’s highly effective rain coats, this 30l bag is perfect for anyone who doesn’t let a downpour get in the way of their daily workout.

Comfortable on the shoulder or in-hand, we liked the boxy, simplistic styling, which is restricted to one main compartment and a zipped front pocket.

This may not be the biggest bag going, but everything was where we needed it to be when we got to the gym and the added benefit of knowing our belongings would stay bone-dry on the wettest days gave us peace of mind too.

Best: Locker-friendly bag

Rating: 7/10

This excellent-value (especially as it’s currently reduced by 30 per cent from £30 to £21) 23l barrel will get you to the gym and back with minimum hassle. What’s more, you won’t have to battle with it if you’re storing it in a locker, thanks to its compact size and shape.

One large compartment will take care of all the bulky stuff, while the internal Velcro pocket will house the more important bits and pieces. And the supplementary shoe tunnel will come in very handy if you want to change out of your smelly trainers before work.

The bag can be carried over the shoulder as a backpack, or vertically from the end, so you’ve got plenty of portability options, too.

If you really travel light to your workout, then this canvas sack might be all you need, with a top-opening, zipped main compartment and a small zipped pocket on the outside.

It’s only 17l, but we were still able to fit all our regular kit, including trainers, water bottle and shaker inside it.

The over-the-shoulder straps are fully adjustable, and it’s a good option for lunch-break workouts, porting over the necessary kit from your bigger commuter bag and letting you get there and back with minimal fuss.

We liked the understated design of this spacious gym bag. There’s plenty of room inside the 60l duffel, with its zipped main compartment, which has another one underneath that’s really cavernous and will store two pairs of trainers with ease.

The outer pockets are good for quick-grab items and the whole bag feels very well made, especially in the areas that usually start to degrade over time, such as zips, seams and straps attachments.

Backpacks aren’t for everyone, especially if your commute is a busy one so if a duffel style is more your speed, you can’t go wrong with this sleek style from Nike.

Best: For under your desk

Rating: 7/10

There are two kinds of gym-kit packers in this world: the folders and the throwers. If you’re the former, then you’ll probably be able to get the most out of this space-saving 20l bag, which is perfect for keeping all that neatly folded kit crease-free when you hit the gym floor – just the way you like it.

There’s a two-way zip into the main compartment, which also has a divider, as well as two front pockets for easy access.

Thanks to the neat compartments, this bag was very easy to organise, and because it’s so compact, everything was right where it should be when we opened it up – even after the bag had been thrown about a bit on the way to the gym.

With a nice comfortable shoulder strap that takes the weight of a fully loaded bag, this voluminous 85l duffel has two big external pockets, which we found were ideal for used gear and trainers, and a handy slip pocket inside to store your earphones. This still left plenty of room for changes of clothes, a water bottle and protein shaker.

Considering how big this bag is, it didn’t feel unwieldy, and it’s comfortable to carry over the shoulder or in hand. The reinforced panels at the bottom and sides means that it also makes for a good weekender bag when you’re having a well-earned rest from all that training.

Although the larger dimensions do make it a bit trickier to stash when you’re travelling by bus or train so bear this in mind if you’re planning on commuting with it at rush hour.

Stylish and supremely comfortable, this canvas bag has a 21l capacity, which is plenty of room for all your workout gear, as well as a work laptop and folders. There’s plenty of functionality, too, with an internal 16in padded laptop compartment, as well as two side pockets and inner and outer zipped pockets for smaller items.

The canvas material ensures durability and breathability, and will help you stand out from the gym herd in town, too.

You’ll have to figure out how you want to segregate your sweaty socks post workout, but if you want something a little more permanent than a plastic bag, you can purchase a bundle of three different-sized packing cubes from Stubble & Co, which will add £30 to the total cost.

If you’re a heavy lifter even before you get to the gym and tend to carry a lot of kit around with you, then you’ll like this 33l carrier, which has the convenience of a backpack but with the easy access of a duffel.

Comfortable and ergonomic in backpack mode, when you put the bag down, a large zipper opening means that you can easily find what you need without having to take everything out. There’s an internal, padded, 15in laptop compartment and two external easy access pockets, as well as bottle pockets on either side of the bag.

The whole bag feels high quality too, made from waxed, water-resistant fabric, and we really liked the false bottom, which means you can dump it down on the ground when it’s really heavy and know that any hardware or valuables inside are well protected.

If your gym bag gets plenty of use, then firstly, good for you, and secondly, this 30l duffel will be able to stand up to wear and tear so could be a great investment.

It has a big main compartment, which will give easy access to training apparel, and a zipped inner mesh pocket to keep all of your tech bits and valuables separate. 

The vardag has a padded base and is constructed from G-1000 HeavyDuty eco S, Fjällräven’s hard-wearing outdoor fabric, which weathers very nicely, so the bag will only look better the buffer you get.

It also makes a great weekend bag so you can bet you’ll get plenty of use out of it and it will have your back, no matter how far you travel with it.