Bag it
July 16, 2012 11:44 AM Subscribe
Looking for a gym bag. Can you recommend one? Snowflake details inside.
So, I'm looking for a new gym bag, but not just any new gym bag. The problem is, I work out in the mornings and usually go directly from the gym to work, and some days I stay the night at my girlfriend's after work, then go to the gym/work again the next morning, etc. So the bag basically has to be a combination gym bag/briefcase/overnight bag; I get to/from all these places by walking or public transportation, so ideally it'd be as slim and non-bulky as humanly possible. Here's what it'd need to hold:
- gym clothes/shoes (obviously)
- my lunch
- my work clothes
- a book and/or electronic device (Kindle and/or iPad, even better, a 15-inch MBP)
- after-work clothes (eg shorts, jeans, non worky shoes)
- clothes for the next day
Do you have any ideas? Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
So, I'm looking for a new gym bag, but not just any new gym bag. The problem is, I work out in the mornings and usually go directly from the gym to work, and some days I stay the night at my girlfriend's after work, then go to the gym/work again the next morning, etc. So the bag basically has to be a combination gym bag/briefcase/overnight bag; I get to/from all these places by walking or public transportation, so ideally it'd be as slim and non-bulky as humanly possible. Here's what it'd need to hold:
- gym clothes/shoes (obviously)
- my lunch
- my work clothes
- a book and/or electronic device (Kindle and/or iPad, even better, a 15-inch MBP)
- after-work clothes (eg shorts, jeans, non worky shoes)
- clothes for the next day
Do you have any ideas? Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
I have a bag from Under Armour with a "squared-off", boxy design and ample side pockets. It's fairly rugged, and the rectangular shape gives you lots of volume and helps you stay a little organized (as opposed to traditional cylinder duffel bags or shapeless gym bags). I've used it as a carry-on when flying away on weekend trips, it fits under an airline seat as well.
posted by gimonca at 12:00 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by gimonca at 12:00 PM on July 16, 2012
In addition to or instead of a compartmented bag, get a few smaller bags (like draw-string stuff sacks) so you can keep your various clothes all separated from each other. It also reduces the risk of opening up your bag and having dirty socks fall out in front of your coworkers.
posted by rmd1023 at 12:12 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by rmd1023 at 12:12 PM on July 16, 2012
I have the CPA Briefcase from RedOxx that I use for an overnight bag primarily, but could easily hold your eletronics, lunch and clothes. I put in 2-3 days of clothes for travel in it, plus a few other sundry items and a pair of shoes (in a shoe bag). 2nding having a few smaller bags inside.
posted by chiefthe at 12:14 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by chiefthe at 12:14 PM on July 16, 2012
I still haven't figured out my perfect gym bag solution, either, but for now I carry a backpack full of packing cubes, as have already been recommended. I've been very pleased with the eBags house-brand packing cubes as well as their shoe sleeves and shoe bags. Regardless of what gym bag you end up with, packing cubes are a great way to keep everything organized, and they definitely help me make better use of the space in my backpack as well as in suitcases when I travel. They're one of those "I don't know how I lived without these before" items for me.
posted by jessypie at 12:30 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by jessypie at 12:30 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Maybe this Tom Bihn Super Ego Messenger Bag, or his Western Flyer. I also think an Osprey bag might work for you.
posted by bearwife at 12:34 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by bearwife at 12:34 PM on July 16, 2012
And I seond jessypie on trying packing cubes. I love Tom Bihn's, which keep my clohes unwrinkled and very small in terms of space used. He has clear ones too.
I use a lot of the Tom Bihn accessory pouches daily to cart things like charging cords and money/credit cards. It is slick to have everything protected and easy to find and clipped to the bag I'm using.
posted by bearwife at 12:39 PM on July 16, 2012
I use a lot of the Tom Bihn accessory pouches daily to cart things like charging cords and money/credit cards. It is slick to have everything protected and easy to find and clipped to the bag I'm using.
posted by bearwife at 12:39 PM on July 16, 2012
You request a bag that is able to hold your workout clothes and shoes, your work clothes and shoes, and your after-work clothes, as well as clothes for the next day. This creates an inference that you plan to spend a certain amount of time stark naked. The bag only needs to be able to hold three changes of clothing, not four, because you will be wearing one.
+1 on smaller internal bags to keep things separate.
posted by ambrosia at 12:53 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
+1 on smaller internal bags to keep things separate.
posted by ambrosia at 12:53 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Lo & Sons make beautiful, beautiful bags for ladies and gentlemen who deal with precisely your situation.
posted by kitkatcathy at 12:55 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by kitkatcathy at 12:55 PM on July 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Another choice could be Sears Tool Bags. They are tough and cheap, all sizes and many shapes, and there is always at least one "model" on sale every week in the stores and online. Some come with shoulder straps, some do not.
posted by caclwmr4 at 1:23 PM on July 16, 2012
posted by caclwmr4 at 1:23 PM on July 16, 2012
I'm in your situation about once a week, only I go to the gym after work, so work-gym-work-gym-home. The rest of the week it is work-gym-home. I'm still looking for my perfect gym bag, but in the meantime, have settled for this Under Armour Team Duffel. I've experimented with using a Timbuk2 messenger bag, a plain cylindrical duffel bag, and a Tom Bihn Aeronaut (my go-to bag when I travel). My main take away is that you need some internal dividers/pockets. The Aeronaut came close, but I still like the taller/narrower profile of the Team Duffel better for the gym -- you aren't unpacking from a trip, you are getting dressed/undressed standing over the gym bag. And, the Team Duffel is less than $50.
Everyone suggested packing cubes. I'll n'th this idea. I use a couple of Eagle Creek packing cubes that permanently live in the main compartment of my gym bag and an Eagle Creek packing folder for shirts/slacks. The Tom Bihn packing cubes are nice -- i've got a couple -- but you pay a slight premium, as they are sized to exactly fit Tom Bihn luggage. Whatever pair of shoes I'm not wearing goes into the end pocket sized for shoes. Wet/sweaty workout clothes go into a plastic bag in the other end pocket. Everything else goes in the main compartment.
posted by kovacs at 9:53 PM on July 16, 2012
Everyone suggested packing cubes. I'll n'th this idea. I use a couple of Eagle Creek packing cubes that permanently live in the main compartment of my gym bag and an Eagle Creek packing folder for shirts/slacks. The Tom Bihn packing cubes are nice -- i've got a couple -- but you pay a slight premium, as they are sized to exactly fit Tom Bihn luggage. Whatever pair of shoes I'm not wearing goes into the end pocket sized for shoes. Wet/sweaty workout clothes go into a plastic bag in the other end pocket. Everything else goes in the main compartment.
posted by kovacs at 9:53 PM on July 16, 2012
Sounds like you need a suitcase that you can comfortably carry for long periods and looks acceptable in the office. Here's what I did when I was taking public transit and going to the gym before/after work.
At the time I used a Timbuk2 backpack (great bag, wore it out). I now use the similar Tom Bihn Smart Alec.
My laptop was carried in a generic neoprene sleeve. Misc cords and such were carried in a variety of little packing pouches.
My gym shoes were carried in an Eagle Creek Pack-it Sac Large. Not water/odor tight because of the zipper, but close enough. I would take the shoes out at night and leave the bag open to air out.
Gym clothes went in to stuff sacks. I particularly like the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks. They are watertight and will contain any odor. This can be a problem if you store damp/smelly clothes in them in a hot car trunk for a day or two. This is not a problem with my swimsuit as the chlorine keeps smells at bay. It's not really a problem for other gym clothes so long as you take them out at the end of the day and turn the bag inside out to air out over night. These bags can be washed with warm light soapy water.
Other than my shoes, I had two sets of gym stuff, so one was airing out while the other was in my bag. Each night I would open up the days stuff and repack the stuff for the next day.
Breakfast and/or lunch was carried in various containers appropriate for what was being brought, with particular care to make sure things could leak if squished a bit much on the train. The meal components were not packed in a larger lunch type bag.
Alternatives to the above;
If you would prefer something more briefcase/suitcase like, the Tom Bihn http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/500/TB0950">Western Flyer can be carried like a briefcase, worn like a backpack, or carried on the shoulder with the totally worth it absolute strap (seriously, I no longer feel a need for a rolling suitcase when traveling as I use this strap). This is similar in size to the Smart Alec linked above.
If you need a larger bag, the Tri-Star is a bigger similar style bag to the Western Flyer. And the Brain Bag is a bigger backpack with similar features to the Smart Alec.
As the Smart Alec has basically no padding of it's own, I felt the need for something more than a simple neoprene sleeve. I got a Waterfield Custom Fit Sleeve cases and recommend it highly.
I wanted to like the Sea to Summit Evac Dry Sack. They are dry sacks with one-way air vents that let you close the bag and than squish the air out of it to make it smaller for packing. This did work (I usually slowly sat down on them to squeeze them flat), but through the rest of the day, the bag would slowly expand in size in my backpack, necessitating me to re-squish the bag when repacking it with my laptop and such.
posted by fief at 10:15 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
At the time I used a Timbuk2 backpack (great bag, wore it out). I now use the similar Tom Bihn Smart Alec.
My laptop was carried in a generic neoprene sleeve. Misc cords and such were carried in a variety of little packing pouches.
My gym shoes were carried in an Eagle Creek Pack-it Sac Large. Not water/odor tight because of the zipper, but close enough. I would take the shoes out at night and leave the bag open to air out.
Gym clothes went in to stuff sacks. I particularly like the Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Sacks. They are watertight and will contain any odor. This can be a problem if you store damp/smelly clothes in them in a hot car trunk for a day or two. This is not a problem with my swimsuit as the chlorine keeps smells at bay. It's not really a problem for other gym clothes so long as you take them out at the end of the day and turn the bag inside out to air out over night. These bags can be washed with warm light soapy water.
Other than my shoes, I had two sets of gym stuff, so one was airing out while the other was in my bag. Each night I would open up the days stuff and repack the stuff for the next day.
Breakfast and/or lunch was carried in various containers appropriate for what was being brought, with particular care to make sure things could leak if squished a bit much on the train. The meal components were not packed in a larger lunch type bag.
Alternatives to the above;
If you would prefer something more briefcase/suitcase like, the Tom Bihn http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/500/TB0950">Western Flyer can be carried like a briefcase, worn like a backpack, or carried on the shoulder with the totally worth it absolute strap (seriously, I no longer feel a need for a rolling suitcase when traveling as I use this strap). This is similar in size to the Smart Alec linked above.
If you need a larger bag, the Tri-Star is a bigger similar style bag to the Western Flyer. And the Brain Bag is a bigger backpack with similar features to the Smart Alec.
As the Smart Alec has basically no padding of it's own, I felt the need for something more than a simple neoprene sleeve. I got a Waterfield Custom Fit Sleeve cases and recommend it highly.
I wanted to like the Sea to Summit Evac Dry Sack. They are dry sacks with one-way air vents that let you close the bag and than squish the air out of it to make it smaller for packing. This did work (I usually slowly sat down on them to squeeze them flat), but through the rest of the day, the bag would slowly expand in size in my backpack, necessitating me to re-squish the bag when repacking it with my laptop and such.
posted by fief at 10:15 AM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]
« Older I just want to get back to normal. This is hard. | Looking for new novels - flavour: slightly epic... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by MuffinMan at 11:54 AM on July 16, 2012