What is the Best Gym Bag for Sweaty Clothes?
My gym bag almost made me quit working out. Sounds like an excuse, not a valid reason right? Well, the problem was very real–my sweaty gym clothes stank! I had two options: I could leave my gym bag in the car all day and make it smell like a locker room. Or, I could bring the bag into the office and make my coworkers hate me for assaulting their nostrils with one of the worst stenches imaginable.
The Under Armour Undeniable Duffel 3.0 Gym Bag saved my physique and my health. It contains the rankest odors without breaking the budget.
Not only does this bag contain odors, it way better designed than your old high school gym bag from the 90s. This Under Armour bag is the ultimate in utility and smell prevention. It’s kinda like the gym bag version of an iPhone. It’s a product that you didn’t know you needed, but, after getting it, you won’t be able to live without it.
How this Amazing Bag Saved my Routine
I used to be terrified of working out first thing in the morning. Now, don’t get me wrong, you couldn’t pay me enough to fight rush hour traffic after work for the privilege of being crammed into a crowded class like a sweaty sardine.
No, morning workouts are the best. The sense of accomplishment, the day-long endorphin high. It’s great. The problem was, my workout clothes stunk. I made the mistake of bringing my reeking gym bag into the office with me once. My coworkers’ dirty looks stabbed me like daggers.
Not a big deal right? Just leave the gym bag in the car. Problem solved. Well, it’s only “problem solved” if you like your car smelling like vinegar.
For a long time, I didn’t think that I had any alternatives. I talked to some coworkers, who recommended purchasing a heavy-duty leather gym bag. The tough material didn’t allow any odor to escape. The problem was though, these bags were very expensive.
I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a fancy leather gym bag. The only cheap alternative that I could think of was wrapping my stench-releasing bag in layers of heavy-duty trash bags, and for some reason, I just couldn’t bear to do that. I thought that I would just have to drive around with a car that would make people think I worked as a vinegar distributor.
No Stench Can Espace Under Armour’s Fabric
After an afternoon spending hours scouring message boards and Amazon reviews, I finally decided to purchase the Under Armour Undeniable Duffel 3.0 Gym Bag. For those who don’t know, Under Armour exploded onto the scene in the mid 2000’s with high tech, moisture-wicking athletic gear. The amazing quality quickly made them market leaders, and they expanded into all sorts of athletic gear.
Whatever magic they use to make their athletic gear so fantastic also works for this gym bag. The bag isn’t any heavier and doesn’t really feel any different to the touch than my old canvas stink factory, but man, is the quality different. The fabric is very sturdy and dense. The fibers are way less porous than any other bag that I’ve ever used. No smell escapes this bag, period.
Basically, you’re getting the same odor-locking effect that you would get from a leather bag without spending half a week’s paycheck.
I don’t think there’s any way at all to make smells escape from this bag. Over the summer, I had a week-long trip scheduled. Per my usual routine, I hit the gym after work before catching the train. I was facing a week-long binge of delicious New Orleans food, so I knew that I had to make my workout count.
I did an hour of weights, followed by a gust busting interval session. I then topped it off by spending ten minutes in the sauna. To say that I was drenched in sweat would be an understatement. I probably lost half my body weight in water that afternoon.
I didn’t have time to stop by my house, so I left the sweaty clothing filled bag in the car during my trip. In August heat. It was so hot that you could have fried an egg on the grill.
When I got back from the trip, I actually had forgotten that my bag was in the car. It didn’t’ smell in the slightest. If I had done the same thing with my old gym bag, I probably would have taken my car to the scrapyard because of the smell.
The Bag Design Keeps Smelly Accessories Separate The Under Armour Undeniable Duffel 3.0 Gym Bag’s compartment layout is also probably a big reason why it contains odors so well.
It used to be that you had to carry a tiny bag that could only fit a few things, or massive duffel bag sized tote that threatened to knock over anyone with 5 feet. Under Armour’s bag has multiple compartments that were designed in a very clever way.
In my old bag, I would pile everything on top of one another. My sweat-drenched clothes would rest in a giant pile on top of my smelly shoes. My jump rope, sweatbands, and gloves would get jumbled into. It was like a stench jambalaya. These different scents would combine and create and unworldly smell unlike any of the smells on their own.
Under Armour’s bag keeps these dangerous smells separately. Most important is the shoe compartment. The front of the bag has a separte compartment for your shoes. So, not only are the shoes contained within the amazing Under Armour material, they are zippered within another layer of stench defying material. If any smell could penetrate Under Armour’s design, I would have thought that my shoes’ would have done it. Thanks to the compartment, there is no chance of the shoe smell escaping.
I put my gym clothes inside of the large main section. I keep my gloves and headband inside of the zip compartment on the end of the bag opposite the shoe compartment. Each smelly piece of gear is quarantined in its own home. There is no chance of the smells combining together to create a mutant smell like my old bag allowed.
As I said above, the Under Armour material keeps the smell contained. But, it is also much easier to not have to dig around in a giant pile to sort my shoes, headband, gloves, clothes, and notebook from each other.
Not only did this bag solve my smell problem, but it is also so much easier to carry around. It fits neatly behind my seat in the car, under my desk at work, and under my seat on public transportation. The bag holds all of my necessities wherever I go, no matter how cramped the space. And no one gets offended by my workout habit. I wish I had bought this bag years ago.
Buy this bag right now. As I said, it’s something that you won’t know that you need until you have it. And when you have it, you’ll never buy another gym bag. I can promise that.