What is the best bag for swimming training?

For most pool swimmers a mesh bag is the best bag: water drains out, air gets in and your gear dries on the way home. The arena One Go Pool Sack is our pick because it carries 40 litres and converts to a backpack. If you commute with a laptop or want dry and wet items separated, a wet/dry backpack such as the arena One Go is the better fit.

How do you stop a swim bag from smelling?

Smells come from wet kit sitting sealed in the dark. Take everything out as soon as you are home, hang the towel and suit separately and let the bag dry open. A mesh bag helps because water drains and air circulates, but it only works if you actually unpack it. Wash the bag and towel regularly according to the care label.

Should a swim bag be waterproof?

Not necessarily. The goal is to keep wet gear away from dry clothes, not to seal water in. A fully waterproof bag traps moisture next to your wet suit and towel, which is the opposite of what you want. A mesh bag for wet gear plus a dry bag or a backpack with a separate zip pocket for clothes does the job better.

How big should a swim bag be?

Around 35 to 45 litres covers a towel, goggles, cap and a set of fins, paddles and a pull buoy. Fins are the part that decides it: long fins need a big mesh sack or a backpack with a roomy main compartment. If you only carry goggles, a cap and a towel, a small bag is enough and a 40 litre sack will feel empty.

Mesh bag or backpack for the pool?

Pick a mesh bag if your kit is mostly wet and you walk or cycle a short distance. Pick a backpack if you carry a change of clothes, a laptop or travel on public transport and want separate compartments. Many swimmers use both: a mesh sack for wet training gear inside a backpack with their dry things.

Best Swim Bag 2026

The best swim bags in 2026: mesh bags vs wet/dry backpacks, what fits a full set of fins, paddles and towel, and five picks for squad and lap swimmers.

The best swim bag for most swimmers is the arena One Go Pool Sack: a 40 litre mesh bag that drains, dries fast and doubles as a backpack. Take the Speedo Pool Mesh Bag if you want the simplest budget option, or the arena One Go Backpack if you need a separate pocket for wet and dry things.

The best swim bags in 2026

A swim bag has one job: carry wet, awkward kit and let it dry. These five cover the two ways swimmers solve that, a mesh sack for wet gear and a backpack that keeps wet and dry apart.

arena One Go Pool Sack: the mesh bag that converts to a backpack

This is a 40 litre mesh sack made from 100% polyester. The listing describes a structure that lets water drain quickly and helps prevent odours, and it can be carried over one shoulder or worn as a backpack, with a handle for hanging it up.

That is why it tops the list. It holds a towel, a cap, goggles and a set of fins, paddles and a pull buoy, and it asks nothing of you except to be emptied at home.

Speedo Pool Mesh Bag: the no-fuss budget option

Speedo describes a 35 litre bag with a dedicated space for swim equipment, aimed at training aids and wet clothing. There is little more to say, which is the appeal: it is a bag for the wet half of your kit.

Pick it if you already own a backpack for dry things and just need a place to put the fins and paddles. If your fins are long, check the 40 litre options first.

TYR Big Mesh Mummy: a mesh bag with proper organisation

TYR lists 40 litres, a roomy main compartment, a small zip pocket and mesh ventilation for faster drying and drainage. Shoulder straps are adjustable, and the side zip pocket and bottle pocket keep goggles, caps and a drink within reach.

It suits swimmers who find a plain sack awkward to carry and lose small items in it. TYR says this version has 20% more capacity than before and positions it for swim training and snorkel kit.

arena One Go Backpack: for swimming on the way to work

This 45 litre backpack measures 50 x 40 x 25 cm and is made from nylon and polyester. It has a roomy main compartment, four zipped front pockets meant for separating wet and dry items, a laptop pocket and two external bottle holders.

The fabric is water-repellent, with a reinforced base and a breathable back panel. It is the right bag if the swim is one stop in a longer day, and the wrong one if you only walk from the car to the pool.

TYR Alliance Backpack: a swim-brand backpack to check first

The Alliance is a TYR backpack, but its listing gave us no usable details on capacity, pockets or materials. We include it because many squads see it on the pool deck, not because we can vouch for its layout.

If you are weighing it against the arena One Go, compare the compartments and wet pocket on the product page first.

The split is mesh against backpack. Mesh wins on drying, a backpack wins on organisation, and the price follows the pockets.

Mesh bag or backpack with a wet compartment?

Mesh is better for wet gear and a backpack is better for dry gear. Most guides stop there, but the useful point is how each one fails. A mesh bag has no privacy and no place for a phone. A backpack with a wet pocket keeps clothes dry, but a pocket you zip shut with a damp towel inside is exactly where smells start.

So choose by where the wet things will sit overnight, not by how the bag looks on the deck. If you unpack at home, either type works. If the bag sits in a locker or a boot until tomorrow, mesh is the safer choice because air can reach the kit.

What should a full swim training kit bag hold?

A squad kit usually means goggles, a cap, a towel, a spare suit and some training aids. The aids are what make bags fill up: a pair of swim fins , paddles, a pull buoy and sometimes a snorkel. Fins are the awkward item, so size the bag around them.

Pair the bag with a quick-drying towel from our swim towel guide , and see the swimming gear guide for the rest of the list.

How do you dry swim gear and stop it smelling?

Unpack the bag as soon as you get home and let everything dry separately. Hang the suit and towel, stand the fins and paddles upright, and leave the bag open. Rinse the gear in fresh water now and then to wash chlorine and sweat out, and wash the bag and towel following their care labels.

Mesh helps, but only when you use it. A bag that is left zipped in the boot overnight will smell whatever it is made of. To plan the kit you need for a session, build the set in the free swim workout builder and pack only what the sets call for.

On 23 October 2026 we compared swim bags on Amazon by type, capacity, drainage, pockets and how well each one separates wet from dry kit, the way a squad swimmer packs for a session. We ranked them on fit for common swimmer needs and not on customer reviews.

Limitations: we did not carry or test these bags, so drying speed and durability come from the listings, and for the TYR Alliance we found too few details to judge. Listings, stock and prices change. Check the product page before you buy.

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Written and maintained by AquaPlan Team, Swim Training & Product.

The AquaPlan team builds swim-training software for structured pool workouts, Garmin-compatible FIT export, printable workout PDFs, and progress tracking.

Focus areas: Structured swim workout design, Garmin-compatible FIT file export, Pool training plans and workout-library systems, Swim training tools for web, iOS, and Android.

Editorial standard: AquaPlan is built by lifelong swimmers — 20+ years in the water, competitive racing, and countless hours on deck. Our training guides come from that experience, not a content mill.

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