Gear/gym bag recommendations?

[rframe]

Shopping for a new duffel bag and wondering if anyone has any of decent quality they have found that work well.

Need something to serve as a bit of a "grab" bag so I can keep all my normal martial arts gear in one place and keep personal items organized at the dojo.

Needs to be spacious enough to carry two sets of karate mitts, one set of shin/instep guards, cup/strap, mouthguard case, gi, three belts, spare t-shirt, towel, notebook, sanitizer and deodorant spray, and store the occasional small kobudo items (nunchaku, sai).


Here's what I have in mind:
about 24" duffel
Nylon construction with heavy zippers
Integral shoe bag with vent
Integral "wet items" bag with vent
External water bottle pouch

Closest I've found so far
http://www.amazon.com/Diadora-Team-Bag-Medium/dp/B000BYVFFO/ref=pd_sbs_a_2
http://www.rei.com/product/747933/rei-cargo-gym-bag
http://www.amazon.com/adidas-512266...r_1_4?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1332435141&sr=1-4

 

[Dirty Dog]

I've gone through a few bags. They don't seem to be all that strong. I ended up switching to one of the bags I got to carry my SCUBA gear. They're heavier material, vented, stronger zippers, stronger straps....

Check out leisurepro.com or scuba.com and see what you think.

 

[Flying Crane]

honestly, I carry everything around in a backpack, I've got the Northface Terra 40 and Northface Terra 50. They are full toploading backpacks and not just knapsacks, but not so huge to be awkward walking around town. I've used them for years carrying my gear around, and the Terra 40 is small enough that when stuffed full, it still fits into the overhead bins on an airplane, but carries enough for a few days of travel.

The Terra 50 is big enough that it needs to be checked thru luggage.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I bought a large gym bag at Target for $5. Don't recall the brand. Works great, same contents as yours more or less. Had it nearly 4 years now. I don't get too worked up over gear and brand names and such.

 

[Dirty Dog]

honestly, I carry everything around in a backpack, I've got the Northface Terra 40 and Northface Terra 50. They are full toploading backpacks and not just knapsacks, but not so huge to be awkward walking around town. I've used them for years carrying my gear around, and the Terra 40 is small enough that when stuffed full, it still fits into the overhead bins on an airplane, but carries enough for a few days of travel.

The Terra 50 is big enough that it needs to be checked thru luggage.

Thread hijack....

If you want a backpack for airline travel, I've got the answer, and it's (again) from SCUBA. There is a thing called a DiveCaddy. It's a backback, but it's compartmentalized and uses compression straps. Let's face it. A lot of space when you pack is just air.

I have the Gen 2 DiveCaddy. In it, I can put my fins, Bouyancy Compensator, 1st stage reg, 2nd stage reg, backup reg, console (computer, pressure gauge, compass), dive skin, wet suit, dive boots, gloves, hood, mask, wrist computer, a couple paperback books, my passport, travel documents and a wad of cash (I don't use plastic in the Carribean...) and still have room for sandals, 3-4 pairs of shorts and 3-4 t-shirts. And that fits in the overhead bins. If my checked luggage gets "delayed", I'm fine. I've got clothing for a few days, I have my SCUBA gear, and (most importantly to me) the baggage monkeys never touch the stuff that keeps me alive.

I know people who have packed a weeks worth of clothing for a business trip in these things.

 

[Flying Crane]

Thread hijack....

If you want a backpack for airline travel, I've got the answer, and it's (again) from SCUBA. There is a thing called a DiveCaddy. It's a backback, but it's compartmentalized and uses compression straps. Let's face it. A lot of space when you pack is just air.

I have the Gen 2 DiveCaddy. In it, I can put my fins, Bouyancy Compensator, 1st stage reg, 2nd stage reg, backup reg, console (computer, pressure gauge, compass), dive skin, wet suit, dive boots, gloves, hood, mask, wrist computer, a couple paperback books, my passport, travel documents and a wad of cash (I don't use plastic in the Carribean...) and still have room for sandals, 3-4 pairs of shorts and 3-4 t-shirts. And that fits in the overhead bins. If my checked luggage gets "delayed", I'm fine. I've got clothing for a few days, I have my SCUBA gear, and (most importantly to me) the baggage monkeys never touch the stuff that keeps me alive.

I know people who have packed a weeks worth of clothing for a business trip in these things.

yeah, as a fellow diver, I've seen some pretty nice gear bags out there. Unfortunately I haven't been doing enough dive travel lately to justify getting one, but definitely some nice designs.

 

[Tames D]

Check out Tiger Claw. I've had mine now for a few years and it's holding up great. The model I have sounds just like what you're looking for.

 

[Dirty Dog]

yeah, as a fellow diver, I've seen some pretty nice gear bags out there. Unfortunately I haven't been doing enough dive travel lately to justify getting one, but definitely some nice designs.

I use it when I'm not diving too. You can pack an amazing amount in them, and the less stuff I have to check, the better I like it. In an ideal world, I travel with zero checked luggage.

 

[Tames D]

https://www.tigerclaw.com/extreme-tigers-pack-martial-arts-pr-6526.html

 

[rframe]

Wow, lots of good replies, thanks... I'll check into all the suggestions.

 

[Toast_in_the_Machine]

I bought my current bag used of a kid (7 years old) who quit less than a year after starting. Cost me less a dollar. Has a snazzy graphic on it that makes me laugh inside when I see it. When I wear this one out, I'll go find someone else who's parents buy them everything and get another one for cheap.

 

[rframe]

I ended up purchasing this bag over the weekend (but mine is natural green). It's the Nike Air Team Training (size Medium).

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-284092/pgid-284089

We were shopping in a sporting goods store and they had this on sale for $35 which seems to me to be a very good price relative to other bags I've looked at. It's a good build quality, mid-weight fabric, with very large oversize zippers (zippers seem to be the weak link on most bags I've looked at). There is a vented shoe/towel bag on one end which has a nice size loose bag inside. So if you have a dry towel in the main compartment you can move that to the wet bag after use and your total bag size doesn't change. There's an external mesh bag on the other end that will hold a couple water bottles or other loose items. It has a semi-rigid plastic removable bottom board to hold form.

I bought a separate 16x18" mesh stuff sack for $5 which keeps my sparring gear (2 sets of gloves, shin guards, colored belts) nicely organized in the main compartment. I can fit the sparring sack, compression shorts, MMA metal/leather groin cup, set of sweats (for the gym at work), a bath towel, running shoes, a few books, and a couple nunchaku and it's about 80% full. A very good balance between being large enough to carry what is needed without being unwieldy.

I cannot say how well it will stand up over time, but it seems very well built.