A gym bag isn’t just a vessel for workout gear. It should also help keep you organized and transition seamlessly between the gym or a fitness class and the world outside. Because of this, gym bags are no longer the single-compartment duffels of the past. Now, sports and luxury brands alike have branched out to create duffels and totes that serve as all-purpose lifestyle bags.

We set out to find the best gym bag for women and were surprised by the versatility and style of the bags on the market. In the end, the Béis Sport Duffle ($88) took top honors as best gym bag for women. But there are some other bags to consider, depending on your budget and preferences.

Here’s the TL;DR on how the best gym bags stacked up:

1. Béis Sport Duffle (Top Pick)
2. Nike Gym Club Women’s Training Bag (Budget Bag)
3. Dagne Dover Landon Carryall Bag (Most Versatile)
4. Gymshark Everyday Tote
5. Sportsnew Gym Duffel Bag

The Best Gym Bags

The Béis Sport Duffle is one of the best gym bags out there. It definitely looks like a gym bag, but it’s also a lot more luxe. Because of that, it’s often sold out. If that’s the case when you go to purchase it, the the brand has a waitlist you can join so you’re notified as soon as it’s back in stock.

The Béis can be carried four different ways, including as a backpack (the straps are easily hidden on the bottom by a separate zipper compartment). It’s easy to stay organized with the bag’s many available pockets, including interior pockets that fit a water bottle. One such pocket is located on the outside of the bag; the bottom of the pocket unzips, making it a sleeve to fit onto the handle of a suitcase.

The one drawback is that this bag doesn’t provide an easy quick-reach external storage space for things like water bottles. It does, however, come with a separate bag that can carry shoes or dirty clothes, keeping your other gear (and the bag itself) clean. If the bag gets dirty, Béis instructs users spot clean and lay it flat to dry. If you’re worried about this whole process, choose the black bag over the beige color, which is apt to picking up splotches. 

I loved that the Béis has a hard bottom, which helps it hold its structure, and makes packing and unpacking much easier. The bag is lightweight and it doesn’t feel bulky when carrying it around, which is nice even on a short walk from the parking lot to the gym.

Reviewers note that because the Béis bag’s zipper pulls are made of plastic, they can easily break (though we didn’t experience this during testing). Other than that, feedback is positive, with others saying the bag was exactly what they were looking for. It got the highest score in testing and is one that seems like it will hold up for years to come.

At first glance, the Nike Gym Club Women’s Training Duffel Bag looks like a simple, two-pocket duffel bag. Take a closer look, however, and you’ll find two large interior sections and extra zipper pockets, making it a little bit easier to stay organized. This bag has ample room to fit everything you need for a trip to the gym, and every pocket is at least big enough to fit a phone, meaning there is no wasted space. 

The biggest downside of this bag is that there is no pocket or bag included specifically for shoes and/or sweaty clothes. However, even after holding sweaty clothes and shoes for 24 hours, the fabric didn’t have any lingering smell. 

While this bag is too big to fit under the seat of an airplane, it could be used as a carry-on and easily fit in an overhead bin. It comes with a shoulder strap, which is a bit uncomfortable due to a plastic adjustment piece, but the handles are durable and can easily be put over your shoulders. The bag can fit a few days worth of clothes and some toiletries, but because it only has a large interior pocket divided into two, it’s a bit harder to keep organized than other bags we tested. However, the size is sufficient and the bag is lightweight, making it a great budget option for the gym and travel. Should the bag get dirty when you’re out and about, Nike recommends spot cleaning only. 

The Nike Gym Club Women’s Training Duffel Bag is not the least expensive we tested, but it easily took top honors of best budget bag. Others agree. This bag typically makes every list of best gym bags and is highly rated in reviews (coming in at a 4.75 out of 5 stars on the Nike website). If you’re looking for a durable grab-and-go bag, this is a great option. 

The Dagne Dover Landon Carryall Bag is a luxe bag with a luxe price. However, if you’re looking for a bag that can work for the gym, office, or travel, this is the one for you. The bag comes in five different sizes—extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large. We tested the medium. This size has ample room (and pockets!) to fit everything needed for a trip to the gym and more. 

One feature that sets this bag apart is its fabric. Not only is the lining made from recycled water bottles, but the majority of the bag is constructed from neoprene. (Unlike most of the all-polyester bags we tested.) Not only does this mean the bag is water resistant, but it can also be hand washed, rather than just spot cleaned. The company provides detailed care instructions, so maintenance is a breeze.

This bag has pockets galore; this includes a laptop sleeve that can hold most 13” laptops, but can easily be used to store your gear if it’s solely used for the gym. The outside of the bag has an open pocket specifically designed to hold a phone, keeping it secure but easily accessible. In addition, interior pockets designed for water bottles and valuables help keep belongings easily organized. A separate bag—also made from recycled water bottles— is provided to store shoes and keep them separate from the rest of your clothes and gear. When traveling, this bag could be used to store an extra pair of shoes or even sweaty clothes you wish to keep separate.   

The biggest downside of the Dagne Dover Landon Carryall Bag is that my bag did not come with the detachable shoulder strap or additional air mesh pouch as advertised. This wasn’t a complete dealbreaker; the handles are long enough and can easily be worn over the shoulder (and there’s a luggage-handle sleeve to easily tote it around on a roller bag). The bag also arrived in a dust bag, which can be used when storing the bag as an added layer of protection. 

Despite the few shortcomings, this bag is perfect for someone looking to invest in a quality gym vessel that can also be used as a commuter bag or for travel when needed. The bag has 4.8 out of 5 stars on Dagne Dover’s website—though this is for every size, not just the medium—but reviewers appreciate the “quality materials” and that it is “the perfect carry-on size.”

Another Gym Bag To Consider

The Gymshark Everyday Tote was a worthy contender for the best budget bag. However, it lacks some of the features that stood out in the Nike Gym Club bag. Most notably, though the Gymshark bag has more pockets, many of them are small and can’t hold basic items (such as a phone). 

This bag shouldn’t be completely counted out, however, if you are looking for a nice, deep tote that has space to hold a lot of gear. While it’s too big to fit under an airplane seat, the Gymshark Everyday Tote can easily fit in an overhead bin and is large enough to fit a weekend’s worth of clothes. Yogis will especially appreciate the space this bag has in its handles for a yoga mat—though not marketed this way, we tested it and it works—making this the go-to choice on our list for people who need to schlep a lot of gear.

How We Found The Best Gym Bags for Women

Meet Your Guinea Pig

I’m Ashley Lauretta, a health and fitness journalist with more than a decade of experience. I’ve been a contributing editor for running and triathlon magazines, where I got extensive experience testing gear and products in the running and fitness space. I’ve regularly attended expos to see the latest and greatest in fitness gear and enjoy trying new-to-me products. Also, I’ve interviewed fitness trainers and coaches from all disciplines for places such as WIRED, Well+Good, Parade Magazine and Runner’s World, and written for companies such as Nike, Under Armour, Livestrong.com and more. When not writing about fitness, I’ve spent time training for and running the Los Angeles Marathon (as well as a handful of half marathons) and taking fitness classes to support local gyms and studios.

Our Testing Process

When creating this guide, we zeroed in on women in the age range of 20-55—recent statistics note these are the two largest age groups for gym memberships—and the features that would be most important for that demographic. From there, I researched popular items in the product category and looked at numerous reviews, making detailed notes on specific features that make bags popular. Next, I began to make a detailed list of bags that should be considered for testing, noting things such as price, materials, and customer reviews. The Nessie purchased the top bags for testing. 

As I received each bag, I took time to inspect their construction, looking for loose threads or seams, as well as using each and every zipper on all of the bags over 50 times to make sure they didn’t stick or break with use. I then assembled gear that’s typically brought to a workout—workout clothes (shorts, tank, socks, and sports bra) and a pair of shoes, small towel, small toiletry bag, water bottle, keys, wallet, phone, and headphones—and packed the same gear in each bag to make sure it fit and could stay organized. I carried each bag to workouts to make sure the straps and handles were comfortable and didn’t slip off of my shoulder or rub against my hands.

After taking note of the types of fabric that made up each bag, I did research and combed through studies, making note of which fabrics hold onto smells and whether or not they can easily be laundered. Each bag was put through a smell test, where I put clothes and shoes loaded with sweat from doing yard work in the Florida heat in each bag for 24 hours. (That was to mimic what happens when you come home from a workout and forget to unload your gym bag overnight.)

Finally, I did a versatility test, looking at the measurements of each bag to see if they fit the specifications provided by airlines to fit under an airplane seat. I then packed three days worth of clothes, a pair of shoes, and a bag of toiletries in each bag to see if they could hold enough for a weekend trip.  
After each use—to the gym, for the smell test, and evaluation as a travel bag—I took notes on the capacity, ease of use, versatility, smell guard, and durability of each bag. I also took customer reviews into consideration. For more information on how we found the best gym bags for women, you can read the test notes.

Are Gym Bags Worth It?

You don’t need a dedicated gym bag to take you to and from the gym, workout studio, or wherever you get your sweat on. But it can definitely help, particularly if you go to the gym right before or right after work and need a spot to store your workout clothes, sneakers, water bottle, towel, and anything else you schlep to and from your exercise spot. Sure, you could use any old tote you have lying around—but a bag with zippers, compartments, and other bells and whistles will work a lot better. A great gym bag will also double as a weekend duffel, office bag, or any other kind of storage spot. 

How to Clean a Gym Bag

It’s important to pay attention to the fabric and care instructions for your gym bag, especially if you want to extend its use. Some fabrics are easier to care for than others; for example, polyester has been found to hold onto smells longer than cotton. Unless instructed otherwise, spot cleaning is the right call. For spot cleaning, you can use gentle dish soap and water on a washcloth to rub out stains (a toothbrush can work on more difficult stains) and then let the bag air dry.

A Gym Bag You Can Skip

The Sportsnew Gym Duffel Bag is the most affordable on our list. But it comes with some drawbacks. The bag arrived with a pungent, chemical odor, which may be from its plastic interior “wet pocket.” The bag didn’t hold onto any smells after having sweaty clothes inside, but the original smell didn’t dissipate or change, either. (Other customers noted this in reviews, too.)

While the fabric of this bag didn’t rip, it had a few loose strings when it arrived. During use, my keys stretched and poked the plastic of the wet pocket, which I had to use for extra storage. This bag would have ranked a bit higher had there been at least one additional interior pocket; however, its separate shoe pocket gave it a bit of a boost in scores. It wasn’t enough to make it onto the list of our recommendations—ultimately, it fell short due to the low durability and smell.