Fabric: Some people are going to want a water-repellent gym bag, and some are going to want full-grain leather. The fabric of your gym bag determines how you should clean it, what materials it can ...

Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter For people who prefer (durable) simplicity Goruck has a reputation for making well-made, tough bags, and the Goruck Gym Bag Ripstop Robic is no different.

It’s surprisingly compact, and we found it can fit into cube-sized gym lockers and move through busy crowds without knocking into people. We also appreciate that the bag is pretty indestructible.

Luckily for people like me, the best gym bags offer a seamless solution to this problem. A decent gym bag offers ample space for storing an assortment of weightlifting paraphernalia, and plenty of ...