Stuffing your running shoes and sweaty shorts into a high-street drawstring bag might have been totally acceptable when you were in school. But as a fully-grown man, who’s hopefully graduated from Lynx Africa to cologne by this point, not so much.

A suitable gym bag is often nothing more than an afterthought for men. However, if you already struggle to haul yourself off for a workout, the last thing you need is your subpar sports sack serving as another potential excuse to stay at home.

When taking your gym gear with you to work, you should really be packing it in something at least vaguely presentable. The best gym bags don’t look like PE kit but rather another fashion accessory. They’ll have anti-odour pockets to keep your sweaty gear away from your pre-mixed protein powder, too.

A smart, stylish holdall says you take pride in looking put together. A plastic carrier bag, on the other hand, suggests you soiled yourself and had to borrow some trousers from lost property. You don’t have to be David Gandy to work out which of those is the right look to aim for.

So, keeping that in mind here’s our edit of the best gym bags for men and the reasons why they’re worth having in your locker.

The Best Gym Bag Brands

Herschel

The everyday backpack was, until fairly recently, pretty uncool. However, hip Canadian luggage label Herschel managed to change its image overnight, almost single-handedly.

The brand is known for its classically styled canvas bags and brown leather detailing. Take a stroll through a city almost anywhere on Earth and you’ll no doubt encounter more than a few of them. Herschel’s holdalls are robust, subtle and stylish, making them a solid casual option when it comes to getting your gym kit from home to HIIT class.

Buy Now

Nike

Nike has been one of the undisputed leaders of sportswear since the seventies, churning out everything from legendary sneakers to top-shelf gym bags to carry them in.