Gym Essentials Everyone Should Have in Their Gym Bag
Active lifestyles have come to the forefront for much of the modern world. As such, every day can be fast-paced and full of diverse, evolving challenges. It can be hard to keep up!
That’s why it’s so important to load up when you leave home for the day with all the right items to help you face whatever comes your way.
Perhaps your day leads you to the gym, then straight to work, followed by dinner and drinks out with friends before heading to your significant other’s house for a movie night. This isn’t an unusual day by any means, but it’s not an easy one to tackle either.
To bring along all the clothes and accessories you’ll need, a gym bag or similar item is a necessity.
Today, our Tasc Performance guide is all about how to pack up your gym bag with the highest-quality, most essential items.
No more struggling to stuff everything you need inside your bag and feeling frustrated you left something at home. This is your ultimate, everyday packing list for the modern active lifestyle.
Let’s get right into it:
Do You Really Need a Gym Bag?
Wondering whether you even need a gym bag? Honestly, it depends.
Admittedly, there are a number of options available in terms of what kind of bag you use to carry your gear through your day.
Some people may opt to use a tote purse or a more traditional backpack as a college student might wear. Travel packs or even hiking backpacks can do the trick, but few things can replace a gym bag for an active lifestyle.
Gym Bags Support an Active Lifestyle
Your gym bag is built to meet specific needs that differ from your other bags. Gym bags are specifically designed to accommodate an active lifestyle.
The most important thing you’ll need to transport is clothing (including shoes). Accessories are crucial as well.
Backpacks and purses might be able to fit some of these things, but they typically have a rigid body. These predetermined shapes can’t fit awkwardly-shaped shoes alongside an entire outfit and water bottle, much less be successfully crammed in a gym locker.
Simply put — gym bags have a carrying capacity designed for shoes, clothes, and workout accessories, while other bags don’t.
Drawstrings are also extremely convenient when packing a large load or needing to access something conveniently with one hand (common scenarios for a fast-paced, active lifestyle).
Gym Bags Are Stylish, Thanks to Athleisure Influences
You might be worried that a gym bag simply doesn’t look stylish. Thankfully, those days are in the past. With the rise of the massive athleisure trend, performance styles with a hit of comfort and a modern edge are some of the most on-trend, stylish pieces you could wear.
Gym bags are not different. While they may not be at the forefront of the trend in the same way leggings, joggers, sports bras, and sweatshirts are, they are still part of it. Your bags and garments can work together to elevate your style while adding an extra layer of practicality.
What To Bring: Clothes vs. Accessories
There are two main purposes for bringing a gym bag to your workout (or wherever you choose to go). Today, let’s cover these two: packing extra clothes and conveniently carrying accessories.
Accessories are more of a general category, spanning everything from your smartphone and headphones to drinks and snacks. These often come down to personal preference.
On the other hand, clothes have some more objective standards we can use to determine if they really deserve some of that precious space in your gym bag.
Let’s talk about what kind of features you need on your checklist:
Your Clothes Must Keep You Dry and Cool
Staying cool and dry is the primary purpose of workout clothes. However, we would argue that this is an essential function for any piece of clothing, regardless of the intended occasion.
Your body is constantly at war with its surroundings in order to stay at a balanced temperature. Your clothes can either help in this effort or hinder you.
Materials that like breathability and moisture-wicking will almost always hinder you. Once you start to sweat, there’s no turning back. Clothes lacking these features will cause you to become sticky and overheated in no time.
With breathable fabric and moisture-wicking material, air flows through your clothes, and sweat is drawn from your skin to evaporate. These crucial steps let your body thermoregulate unhindered, keeping you feeling your best.
As you can imagine, staying cool is a key part of feeling comfortable on casual or formal occasions. When it comes to working out, overheating is an obvious threat to your performance, which is why thermoregulation is so essential.
Clothes in Your Gym Bag Should Be Versatile
Even with the most spacious bags with excellent carrying capacity, you’re still going to have to make some tough calls. You can’t expect to haul along three separate changes of outfit, plus accessories and a second pair of shoes (unless you plan to bring a suitcase to the gym).
With that in mind, you’re going to need to choose versatile styles to put in your gym bag. Thankfully, with our Tasc Performance styles, it’s impossible to go wrong. We build all our styles with versatility in mind because we believe an active lifestyle needs styles that can keep up.
Whether your day leads you to unexpected workouts or spontaneous outings with friends, we’ve got you covered with clothes that are comfortable, stylish, and performance-ready.
Workout Tops To Bring In Your Gym Bag
Now that we’ve set the stage, it’s time to dive into some specifics regarding what you should pack in your gym bag. The most crucial thing to remember is that your space is not unlimited, so you’ll need to identify what’s most vital to your daily needs.
Packing an extra top is often the first place to go when creating your list. Pants can last through multiple occasions more easily than a shirt, so consider if you’ll want an extra top or two in your bag for freshness and fashion.
T-Shirts
T-shirts are a timeless style for a good reason. Not only are they super easy to pair with almost any outfit, but they can also be extremely practical with the right design and materials.
Short sleeve shirts are a great casual piece for everyday life, but they’re also fundamental to workouts in general. You can definitely work out without a t-shirt, but eventually, your exercise outfit is likely to include one.
For the quintessential activewear t-shirt, try our Carrollton Fitness T-Shirt or our ALLways Short Sleeve T-Shirt. Our Tasc Performance bamboo-organic cotton blend has all your needs covered when it comes to performance features and comfort too.
Wear either shirt to your workout, to the bar, or even to work on casual Fridays, dress code permitting.
Long Sleeve Shirts
While short sleeve tees are at the heart of most wardrobes, long sleeve tees are highly versatile alternatives perfect for any season.
Whether you’re simply fond of the feeling of extra fabric on your skin, or you’re looking for a little extra sun protection (smart thinking), long sleeves can be a great choice for comfort and practical reasons.
Start with our Carrollton Long Sleeve Fitness T-Shirt or our NOLA Long Sleeve T-Shirt, and you’ll never have to look for a different long-sleeve tee again.
Tanks
Switch into a super lightweight sleeveless shirt if you want to do some more intense activity but can’t quite go shirtless. Tanks are trendy thanks to athleisure and more comfort-focused than ever with our Tasc Performance bamboo-cotton fabric blends.
Our Recess Running Tank is the best lightweight muscle shirt for men, while our ALLways Tank is a cute but power-packed sleeveless option for the ladies.
Workout Pants To Bring In Your Gym Bag
Working our way down from tops, we come to bottoms. Packing pants in your gym bag can be beneficial depending on the season and your plans for the day, but it isn’t always necessary. Think closely about your needs and the pros and cons of each style.
Joggers
Joggers are an athleisure staple you can wear almost anywhere. Not only are they ridiculously comfortable, but they’re also super practical. With a moderately loose fit until the ankles, where an elastic band keeps things secure, these pants are perfect for lounging or exercising alike.
Why pack extra joggers? With our Tasc Performance materials, you could throw them on mid-workout without sacrificing performance or change into them after exercise to get that pajama-pants feel before you even get home.
They also look great with any athleisure outfit, which is a big plus in terms of versatility.
Try our Varsity Brushed Lightweight Jogger for Men or Varsity Brushed Lightweight Jogger for Women to see what this top-trending style can do for you.
Running Shorts
Unless you’re already wearing running shorts to your workout, packing a pair in your bag is a good idea. You never know when you might want a pair if a high-intensity activity comes your way – which could be anything from a pickup basketball game downtown to ultimate frisbee in the park.
Our Recess Tech Shorts are the ideal workout shorts for men that also take very little space in your gym bag but make a big impact. Women can easily slip a pair of our Recess Running Shorts into their bag too.
Active Outerwear To Bring In Your Gym Bag
Perhaps the most important thing to pack in your gym bag is an extra layer. Even if you don’t pack backup outfits, you should pack outerwear to supplement your current outfit. It’s less of an alternative and more of an enhancement.
Let’s look at the best options:
Sweatshirts and Hoodies
Cozy, comfortable pullovers are core to athleisure for good reasons. Whether you need coverage from the elements or a little extra comfort on your commute, keeping our Varsity French Terry Hoodie or our Varsity Sweatshirt in your bag is a wise move.
Quarter Zips
Quarter zips are more of a classic option than sweatshirts but are still on-trend in the athleisure world. Thanks to our Tasc Performance focus on performance qualities, our quarter zips can handle commutes or workouts – whatever you need from them.
Our Carrollton Lightweight Quarter Zip or Apex Brushed Quarter Zip should do the trick.
Accessories To Bring In Your Gym Bag
Last but not least, you’ll likely need to bring at least one or two accessories during your fitness journey, in addition to extra clothes.
Accessory needs can vary from person to person, although some workout accessories are more or less universal, such as smartphones and water bottles.
Here’s a list of potential accessories you may want to bring:
- Smartphone
- Backup battery
- Wireless headphones & charging pod
- Water bottle
- Snacks
- Extra socks
- Change of shoes
- Towel
- Extra underwear
- Toiletries (cologne, deodorant)
Extra shoes are by far the most demanding in terms of space in your bag, so choose carefully whether you’ll bring a pair or not. If you do, you may not be able to fit an entire outfit, including outerwear and water or snacks.
If you choose a bag with pockets (more on that below), you can slip a number of these accessories into those compartments to keep your main interior free for the essentials. This helps stretch every bit of space available, ideal for the longest, most challenging days.
The Ultimate Gym Bag For Your Daily Use
Narrowing down your packing list is all well and good but useless without the right bag to carry everything in. Thankfully, your search can be short; simply try our Stride Cinch Backpack.
With a lightweight build, spacious capacity, convenient zip pockets, drawstrings, an easy carry handle, and two adjustable shoulder straps, this bag has every practical quality you could need in a sleek, stylish, athleisure-centric look that goes with anything.
In the Bag
With this guide concluded, you should be ready to run through an efficient, focused packing list for your gym bag to help you through any situation modern life throws your way. For more helpful guides and top-quality styles, head on over to Tasc Performance.
Sources:
The History of Athleisure | Fashionista
Exercise - the Low-Down on Hydration | Better Health
Food as Fuel Before, During and After Workouts | American Heart Association