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Best swim mesh bags – Our recommendations in 2026
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For a swimmer, a swim bag is almost as essential as goggles and swimwear. But why can’t you just use a regular backpack? Which swim bags are the best? When are they best to use? And where can you buy them?
In this guide, you will get a thorough introduction to everything worth knowing about swim bags. At the same time, we share our recommendations on which models you should consider – depending on your needs and preferences.
👆 Click on each model and jump down to the section where we review each one in depth.
Best swim bag for the price (10+ years) 
Best swim bag for kids 
Best TYR bag for swimmers over 10 years old 
If you need to find one swim bag that can go the distance – from daily training to major weekend meets – the Watery Raider Pro 45L is our clear recommendation. It is no coincidence that it has become our most popular bag.
The Raider Pro is built for swimmers who demand the best. Every single detail and pocket has been carefully thought out, so you can carry everything in one bag and always know exactly where things are. In fact, it features an impressive 14 different compartments and pockets.
With its 45 litres, there is room for everything. The large mesh front compartment provides ventilation for wet gear, while a separate bottom compartment keeps wet towels and shoes on their own. There is even a protected laptop pocket, so the bag can easily go straight from school to the swimming pool without your things getting wet.
On the other hand, the Raider Pro 45L is best suited for swimmers aged 9 to 20. For the youngest swimmers, it is simply too big.
“Needed a bag for family outings, e.g. trips to theme parks etc. It’s super great because it has a waterproof bottom, large opening, plenty of space, good back support, and one large compartment. Can definitely recommend swim bags as a family day-out bag. 😊👍🏻” (Jakob)
“Top value for money! The item is of super high quality and makes a great impression with plenty of storage space!” (Henrike H.)
If you want the absolute best, regardless of price, you can’t overlook the TYR Alliance Team 45-litre. It is simply the best swim bag I have ever used. And although with its 45 litres it holds slightly less than the more affordable Watery Squad Backpack, it is exceptionally well partitioned so you still have plenty of room for all your swimming gear.
If you take a look at competitive swimmers’ training sessions all over the world, you’ll quickly realise that the TYR Alliance bag is the most popular bag for swimmers. And for good reason.
First and foremost, it is available in a wide variety of colours, and the weight is kept down to a mere 840 grams. In addition to its light weight, it features a reinforced back panel, making it extremely comfortable to carry around.
And there are plenty of compartments. A total of 16, located on both the inside and outside. So there are plenty of options for organising all your different pieces of equipment. It is water-resistant on the outside and also features a separate waterproof compartment on the inside, allowing you to store your laptop without worrying about it getting wet!
The compartments inside the bag are generally water-resistant and separated, making it easy to keep wet and dry clothes apart. This makes the TYR Alliance Team an extremely practical solution for swimmers with a lot of gear.
The zips are also made from heavy-duty materials, making the bag extra durable and long-lasting.
It is precisely this combination of well-thought-out functionality and robustness that makes the TYR Alliance Team our clear top recommendation in the “best swim bag regardless of price” category.
“A great-looking and super functional swim bag for everything needed for training at the pool. We are very happy with it. The colour is also really nice.” (Alena R.)
“A well-thought-out and sturdy bag with many smart compartments and solutions.” (Niklas R.)
When it comes to the best swim bag for kids, the Watery Roster Club 40L is our clear recommendation. It strikes the perfect balance between spaciousness, comfort, and an affordable price.
One of the major advantages of the Roster Club for children is that it can be adjusted to fit the individual. Both the chest and waist straps can be tightened so the bag sits snugly against the body and doesn’t bounce around on the back of a smaller swimmer. That makes a big difference on the way to and from the pool – especially when the bag is packed full.
And it fills up quickly. Kids usually carry a lot of swim gear: towels, swimwear, goggles, swim cap, and perhaps a pair of fins. With 40 litres spread across five separate compartments, there is plenty of room for everything, allowing the child to easily organise their belongings. At the bottom, a mesh compartment keeps wet gear and shoes separate, letting them air out so dry clothes stay completely dry on the way home.
Comfort has been a key focus. The bag is lightweight, and the padded back panel distributes the weight evenly, making it comfortable to carry even for a child. The chest and waist straps also help maintain good posture, preventing uneven strain on the child’s back.
If it needs to double as a school bag, there is even a dedicated laptop sleeve that fits up to a 17.3″ device.
The Roster Club is ideal for swimmers from around 9 years and up. For younger swimmers, it simply ends up being too large and bulky to carry comfortably.
“I really enjoy this backpack! It’s even better than I expected!” (Mariska Z.)
“One of the best swim bags I’ve had” (Esben)
So let me start by explaining why swim bags are so popular. And why a regular backpack just isn’t enough.
As swimmers, we place high demands on our bags. In a regular backpack, there might only be one or perhaps two compartments to store your personal belongings. But in a swim bag, there are many more compartments, because we swimmers need room for a lot of different things.
When I head to training, I need space for at least 2 swimsuits, 2 pairs of goggles, 2 towels, a water bottle, and resistance bands. On top of that, I often also bring a pair of indoor shoes, a skipping rope, shorts, a t-shirt, and food and supplements for after training.
And the same goes for all swimmers. At least for competitive swimmers and the more serious fitness swimmers and triathletes.
In addition, I also carry my laptop in my bag for when I head straight from school to swim practice. And then I need compartments to store my phone, wallet, and keys while I’m training.
So there needs to be plenty of space and ideally lots of different compartments. And that is exactly what you and I get with a swim bag. At the same time, the outer part of the swim bag is waterproof, so it can easily handle being brought poolside into the swimming hall.
The advantage of being able to take your bag out of the changing room and onto the pool deck is that you don’t have to worry about theft from the changing room lockers.
So a bag like this is not only an advantage for competitive swimmers. It is a benefit for all types of swimmers, from professionals to complete beginners.
A swim bag is a truly great investment if you regularly visit the swimming pool for training. Or even the sea or a lake if you also do open water swimming.
However, there are many different swim bags in various sizes and from different manufacturers. So it can be a difficult task to figure out which bag is the right one for you.
I have therefore gathered the most important points below that you should consider before parting with your hard-earned cash.
The first point you should consider is the size of the bag. As a general rule, swim bags are available in sizes of 30, 35 and 45 litres. So it’s just a matter of figuring out what size you need.
Once you’ve decided on the right size, you also need to consider which specifications it must have as a minimum. I have therefore created a handy chart of the specifications of the most popular swim bags on the market.
This should make it much easier to get a clear overview of your options.
| Watery Squad Backpack | Watery Raider / Viper | TYR Alliance 45 L | Speedo Teamster | Arena Fastpack 2.1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 40 litres | 45 litres | 45 litres | 35 litres | 45 litres |
| Weight | 760 g | 760 g / 860 g | 840 g | 690 g | 910 g |
| Dimensions (H×W×D) | 52 × 36 × 28 cm | 50 × 32.5 × 26 cm 48 × 32 × 26.5 cm | 51 × 34 × 27 cm | 44 × 30 × 22 cm | 55 × 35 × 40 cm |
| Side pocket for water bottle | Yes, two | Yes, two | Yes, one | Yes, two | Yes, one |
| Laptop compartment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Phone pocket | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Back support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reinforced back | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Adjustable shoulder straps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Hip and chest strap | Yes, both | Yes, both | Hip strap only | Yes, both | Chest strap only |
| Colours | Black, blue | Black, black/white, black/light blue, navy/white, navy/blue, red/pink, purple/pink | Black, black/white, blue, navy, dark green, red | Black, navy, navy/white, pink, purple, red | Navy, black |
Overall, the most important thing is that your new swim bag has a pocket for a water bottle and one or more protected compartments for things like your phone and laptop. But of course, it’s a matter of personal preference and depends entirely on your needs.
As a rule of thumb, back support isn’t strictly necessary. The storage options in the bag are, after all, the most important thing. But if you’re one of those swimmers who trains daily – and maybe even twice a day – back support is definitely not a bad idea.
A bag filled with equipment and clothes can quickly become uncomfortable on your back. If your swim bag has back support, it will protect your back from bumps caused by all the gear inside the bag.
I certainly wouldn’t live without the back support in my bag, as it makes it much more comfortable to carry.
With all this talk about swim bags, you might recall seeing another type of swim bag being used: namely, a mesh bag. So why not just use a mesh bag instead of a bag?
Whether you want a bag or a mesh bag really comes down to personal preference and your specific needs. That’s why I’ve gathered the main pros and cons of both below:
In short: If you’re a casual swimmer who only needs storage for a water bottle, swimwear, goggles, and a towel, a mesh bag is a great solution. But if you’re a competitive swimmer, you’ll need both a mesh bag and a bag. All your gear goes in the mesh bag, and all your other essentials go in the bag.
I’ve talked a lot about traditional swim bags by now. But there are also a few different options of the more unconventional kind. And I’m going to tell you a bit about those here.
Instead of being a dedicated swim bag, the Watery Duffle Bag – Swim 50L is a combination of a swim bag and a sports bag. It is therefore ideal for students who have swimming in the morning and PE at school later in the day. Or vice versa.
Inside the bag itself, it’s easy to keep swimming gear and PE kit separated with a zip. And there is plenty of room for both swimwear, sports clothes, and two towels.
In addition, it also has external pockets for valuables like your wallet, keys, and mobile phone.
The Watery duffle bag is a smart piece of kit that makes life easier for younger swimmers. And it can be bought here.
A laptop is where the swim coach plans the day’s, week’s, and month’s training sessions. That’s why the coach always brings their laptop to swim practice.
With a TYR Laptop bag, they can take great care of their computer. While it functions in practice just like a normal laptop bag, it is both waterproof and features pockets for all essentials other than the computer itself.
For example, the swim coach always carries timing equipment and paperwork to track and record split times. Pockets for items like these are therefore essential in a bag like this.
Besides the bag itself being waterproof, it is also made from an incredibly durable material designed to withstand poolside conditions. The environment in a swimming pool can be quite harsh on a laptop, which places high demands on the computer bag.
All of this has been taken into account in this TYR bag. On top of that, it comes in a really sleek and stylish design.
If you just need to carry the essentials like your swimwear, a pair of goggles, and a towel, a TYR Alliance Waterproof Sackpack will serve you really well.
It is made from a waterproof material and has a capacity of 17 litres. It is therefore ideal for training sessions where there is no need for a large amount of gear. Or for open water swimmers who also don’t have a big need to transport loads of equipment.
This bag consists of one large interior compartment. On the outside, it also has a pocket that makes it easy to access items such as your mobile phone.
The waterproof material ensures that the contents do not get wet, even if it sits in a wet environment. That is precisely why it is really great for open water swimmers, as it can easily stand outside in the rain while you are splashing around in the sea or a lake.
In short, the TYR Alliance Waterproof Sackpack is a truly minimalist type of swim bag that meets the needs of most people.
As an alternative to the large and somewhat bulky swim bags, Speedo has created a swim bag that is more reminiscent of a traditional backpack.
It has one large interior compartment intended for storing items like swimwear, a towel, goggles, and so on. It also features an external pocket for a water bottle. In addition, it is waterproof.
In terms of comfort, it is also super pleasant to wear thanks to its two rows of padding on the back. Between the pads, there are ventilation channels so you avoid getting a sweaty back while wearing it.
There is no doubt that Speedo aimed to create a swim bag here that is as simple as possible. And they have succeeded well, because with its 30-litre capacity, there is room for everything you need without having to carry around a large and clunky bag.
There is no doubt that a swim bag is a relatively costly purchase. Therefore, we naturally want it to last for many years. Generally speaking, swim bags are designed to have a long lifespan—especially the swim bags I have mentioned here in this guide.
However, you can of course also do your part to help extend the life of your swim bag.
A good piece of advice—which I unfortunately learned the hard way—is to always take wet gear out of the bag after use. Wet equipment creates moisture inside the bag itself, which over time causes mildew.
Additionally, you should always remember to take uneaten fruit and packed lunches out of the bag as soon as you get home. Rotten fruit creates a terrible stench that is practically impossible to get rid of once it sets into the bag’s fabric.
So it doesn’t take much to look after your swim bag properly. And if you simply follow my two tips, I can guarantee that you will be able to use your bag for many years to come.
I hope you have now learned a lot more about swim bags – and perhaps even have a clear idea of which swim bag suits you best.
And that brings up the next question: Where should you buy it?
An obvious choice is with us at Watery – Ireland’s swimming specialist. We have a wide selection of swim bags from several different brands, and our prices are often lower than our competitors’.
Our high customer satisfaction on Trustpilot speaks for itself – and we pride ourselves on fast, secure delivery.
