The Quest for the Perfect MMA/BJJ Bag

If you’re like me, you have a problem. That problem is that after training you throw your sweaty gear into your bag along with your dry clothes, and everything frickin gets wet. Well, lately I’ve been obsessed with finding a bag that will solve that problem. I know I know… you’re thinking I could just throw it in a garbage bag or whatever. But I’m just not that ghetto-fabulous.

So far, none of the current bags marketed toward MMA or jiu-jitsu practitioners address this problem. Regular gym bags only have enough space for a wet t-shirt or gym shoes, so forget about stuffing two gis, knee protectors, a cup, and headgear in there. What we need is a duffel that has enough volume, and that volume divided and sealed off to keep the wet stuff away from the dry stuff. Here are the bags that I’ve found thus far. Please add to this list via the comments if you’ve got your own suggestions!

Combat Sports Fold-out Mat Bag

Your standard gym duffel. Wet items can be shoved into one of the end pockets which according to a MMA Warehouse customer service rep, is enough space to fit a gi into. I took that with a grain of salt, since the rep admitted that this was just an estimate, and she does not train. Just by eyeballing it, I’m thinking it might be a questionable fit. The duffel also has a fold-out mat just in case you want to do hip-escapes in the parking lot or make nookie with your girl in the wilderness.

Adidas Gym Bag

I’m assuming that since this item is being sold at combatsports.com, it’s been used by people who actually train. It doesn’t garner any style points for me, but the bag adds an extra dimension to the wet/dry issue by adding ventilation to the wet compartment. This could be good or bad depending on how bad your gear stinks. Do you want to seal it in? Or air it out?

Stohlquist WDG Wet-Dry-Gross Bag

Alrighty, now we’re getting somewhere. This bag is designed for rafters and kayakers. Decent looking bag, designed specifically to separate your goods: wet, dry, or gross. Anyway, if it’s designed to separate clothes that are completely soaking wet, I’d think that it’s more than sufficient for our purposes. The Stohlquist WDG holds a whopping 5285 cubic inches, which should be enough to carry 2 full gis.

O’Neill Psycho W/D Pack

Here’s another option for those of you who would prefer a backpack-style bag. The volume on this one is 2200 cubic inches, which should be enough to shove a gi, pants, belt, rashie into, but it may not have room for much else without some effort. It’s designed for surfing, so it should have ample room for a full wetsuit. With a padded MP3 compartment and sunglass sleeve, this pack is great for those of you with a walking or biking commute. The comments say there’s enough room for a laptop as well, although it doesn’t have built-in padding for it.

Stahlsac Wet/Dry Duffel

The Stahlsac Wet/Dry Duffel comes in an assortment of sizes, and is a bag designed again for paddling/kayaking. Constructed with 840 Denier Nylon fabric and laminated with urethane, this bag is designed to take some punishment.

Like the Adidas bag, these duffels have a ventilated wet area. It also features a floating divider, which to me is extremely useful. That way you can change the volume as needed for more wet gear or more dry gear. The Stahlsac also converts into a backpack to free up hands if you need them for other stuff.

OGIO Tube

The Ogio Tube is another gym bag that features wet/dry separation. In the photos, it appears that the bottom section opens up revealing a lined compartment for wet stuff. The total volume of the bag is about 3500 cubic inches, with what looks to be half available for wet or dry goods. It doesn’t have a floating baffle or a ventilated wet compartment, but it might be sufficient depending on your individual needs. Two side pockets and an inner mesh pocket provide space for personal effects. The hinge-top design is so you can stand in the wet compartment area after surfing and change without getting your feet all dirty. I’m not sure how this translates to training in martial arts, but I still think it’s a cool detail in the design.

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