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A regular bag can be good enough for carrying pickleball gear, but it isn’t the best if your aim is convenience. For little money, you could get yourself a pickleball bag to make your life a little easier.
Pickleball bags may seem just bags, but when choosing one, you may get confused quite a bit. There are plenty of bags out there, all priced differently and boasting varying features, so which one to choose?
To address this issue, we’re going to first showcase over 10 bags that we think are the best out there for pickleball. By doing this, we aim to save you time on researching bags and making a list of potential purchases.
And then, we’re going to examine what really matters in pickleball bags.
Let’s begin without further ado.
The Best Pickleball Bags
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1. Pickleball |”All-In-1″ Backpack
2. Pickleball Marketplace Action Sport Duffle Bag
3. Gamma 2019 Pickleball Backpack
4. Pickleball Honeycomb Sling Bag
5. Under Armour Storm Undeniable II LG Duffle Bag
6. Fila Ultimate Tennis Backpack
7. Wolfe Professional Pickleball Sling Bag
8. Adidas Alliance II Sackpack
10. Franklin Sports Pickleball Sling Bag
11. SKATEWING Pickleball Paddle Carry Bag
12. Pickleball Marketplace Improved “Medium” Contrast Duffle Bag
13. Game On Sling Pickleball Bag
14. Pickleball Marketplace “Pro-Paddle” Cover
15. Franklin Sports Deluxe Competition Pickleball Backpack Bag
Our Reviews Of Best Pickleball Bags
Pickleball |”All-In-1″ Backpack
Up first on our reviews is a pickleball backpack sold by Pickleball Marketplace. Such a bag is the thing you’d need to conveniently carry a lot of equipment with you.
Being a backpack, this bag is going to be easier on your back and shoulders than other types of pickleball bags. It is going to spread the load uniformly throughout the back, which is part of the reason why this backpack is good for carrying plenty of pickleball equipment at longer distances.
This backpack sized at 18.5 x 13 x 6 inches (1443 cubic inches of volume) has a number of separate compartments that could be used for carrying paddles and balls, as well as other small items that you’d deem necessary for pickleball. In addition, this bag has side mesh elastic pockets designed for water bottles. You could use those pockets to carry pickleball balls if you wish.
And lastly, for added comfort, this backpack has a breathable mesh lining on the front to help with keeping your back cool.
Be sure to check out our list of the best Pickleball Paddles for more great items like this.
Pickleball Marketplace Action Sport Duffle Bag
A duffle bag like the Action Sport bag is going to be a good option if you need a lot of room for your pickleball equipment. Measuring 10.5 x 10.5 x 17 inches and with a volume of about 1874 cubic inches, this bag has slightly more volume in it than the All-in-1 bag we’ve just examined.
The build in the Action Sport bag is overall similar to that of the All-in-1 bag, with the exception that the scale of things is larger here. You again have several compartments that could be used to comfortably hold all the equipment that you’d need for a pickleball game.
The bottom of this bag is also made hard, which helps the bag retain its shape and keep the equipment within safer.
In addition to the main zippered compartment, the Action Sport bag has two front zipper pockets and a water bottle holder mesh in between.
To ensure increased comfort when carrying, this duffle bag has a padded handle wrap and a padded adjustable shoulder strap. But with that being said, the Action Sport bag, being a duffle bag, isn’t going to be suitable for you if you’ll be covering large distances on foot. It’s good if you can trade comfort of carrying with increased storage space, so keep that in mind.
Make sure you also check out our guide to the best Graphite Pickleball Paddles.
Gamma 2019 Pickleball Backpack
Gamma 2019 pickleball backpack is one hefty boy. This is a pricey backpack, but it has more to offer than most pickleball backpacks out there.
The first benefit of this backpack is its enormous storage space. It has got a large 18 x 14.5 x 11-inch main compartment – which has about twice as much volume as the All-in-1 backpack did – a slightly smaller 18 x 14.5 x 9-inch secondary compartment, two side compartments sized at 12 x 5 x 2 inches for bottles or balls, a top front pocket sized at 8.5 x 7 x 3 inches, and a bottom front pocket measuring 9.5 x 9 x 5 inches. Combined, all those compartments make for over 6000 cubic inches!
To put it short, you could fit a lot of stuff into this bag. And, most importantly, it can all be put in the bag in an organized way!
And since this backpack is going to be pretty heavy when filled up, Gamma equipped it with padded adjustable straps and a padded back. But keep in mind that you also need to be a tough guy or girl to carry so much stuff on you!
Our handy guide to the best Pickleball Sling Bags features more great products like this.
Pickleball Honeycomb Sling Bag
If you’d prefer comfort to storage capacity in a pickleball bag, then the Pickleball Honeycomb sling bag by Pickleball Marketplace may be a good choice for you.
This bag has far less capacity than, for example, the Gamma 2019 backpack we’ve just reviewed. It doesn’t need to have so much though since it is built for people who have needs other than maximum storage.
Being a sling bag with a single shoulder strap, this bag makes accessing your items rather easy. You just spin the bag towards the front and get what you need. You wouldn’t be able to do such a thing with a backpack.
This sling bag measures 17 x 13 x 6 inches, so it has slightly less volume than the All-in-1 backpack we reviewed in the beginning – 1326 against 1443 cubic inches. The Pickleball Honeycomb sling bag will also be a bit less convenient than the All-in-1 backpack though since the latter had more storage compartments in it.
But if you won’t be carrying too many clothes and paddles with you, then the capacity of this sling bag should be well enough for you.
Find more great products like this by checking out our guide to the Best Pickleball Shoes.
Under Armour Storm Undeniable II LG Duffle Bag
We’ve reviewed a huge backpack already. Time for a huge duffle bag.
Under Armour’s Storm Undeniable II LG bag isn’t as capacious as Gamma’s 2019 backpack. Gamma’s backpack had slightly over 6000 cubic inches of volume, while this duffle bag has a shy of 5000. But that’s still plenty.
If you don’t wish to carry a heavy backpack like Gamma 2019 on your shoulders, then Under Armour’s duffle bag may be a good alternative for you.
This duffle bag has a huge main compartment for clothes and shoes, as well as several smaller compartments that could take in items like paddles or whatnot. In addition, it has a tough abrasion-resistant bottom and side panels, which combined make this duffle bag a pretty tough guy.
And while duffle bags aren’t too convenient for carrying at longer distances to begin with, Under Armour nonetheless put a padded adjustable shoulder strap on this bag.
We have also reviewed the best Pickleball Strategy, so check them out as well.
Fila Ultimate Tennis Backpack
The next backpack on our list is Fila Ultimate Tennis. This one, as evident from its name, is designed for tennis specifically, but it is going to do a good job for other similar sports as well, including pickleball.
Measuring 10 x 12 x 19 inches and having around 2300 cubic inches of volume, the Fila Ultimate Tennis backpack isn’t as roomy as Gamma 2019. But it has a lot of conveniences to offer.
First of all, this backpack has 2 separate padded compartments for tennis racquets. Since pickleball paddles are smaller than tennis racquets, you could fit 4 in this backpack if you really wanted it.
Secondly, the Ultimate Tennis backpack has a separate shoe pocket on the bottom closer to the back. This not only makes this backpack organized but also allows you to keep your clothes and towel clean.
The Fila Ultimate Tennis backpack also has an insulated beverage pocket. Whether you want to keep your drinks warm or cool, this pocket should be able to do the job perfectly.
And there is even a special felt-lined pocket in this backpack designed to hold your phone, keys, wallet, or other fragile belongings. If you won’t be keeping your phone or whatnot in your own pockets, then the backpack’s dedicated pocket may come in handy.
In the end, even though this backpack wasn’t created for pickleball specifically, it is an excellent option for pickleball players who want to keep their things organized.
Check out our review of the best Pickleball Sets for our top picks.
Wolfe Professional Pickleball Sling Bag
One could say that Wolfe’s pickleball sling bag is an advanced alternative to the Pickleball Marketplace’s Honeycomb sling bag.
First of all, this sling is noticeably larger than the Honeycomb sling bag. Unfortunately, Wolfe doesn’t provide figures on their sling bag’s size, so we can’t say how much bigger it is exactly. But if we were to guess, we’d say it has about 1.5 times more volume than the Honeycomb sling bag.
But that’s not only the thing that’s better in this bag.
Wolfe pickleball sling bag has a mesh water bottle holder on the side. In the Honeycomb sling, you’d have to carry your bottle in the main compartment. Here, things are much more convenient.
Another small difference is that this bag has a carrying strap on the top. This bag can be carried not only over the shoulder but also via the top strap. This isn’t a too important feature, but it’s a nice extra to have.
So overall, if you thought that the Honeycomb sling had too little room for your needs, this may be the better option.
Before you leave, why not check out our best Pickleball Equipment guide – and see what our top picks are.
Adidas Alliance II Sackpack
Adidas Alliance II sackpack belongs to the class of so-called cinch bags. Such bags have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Being a cinch bag, Alliance II is very compact and light when empty. It takes virtually no space when unloaded, so finding some storage room for it shouldn’t be a big problem for you.
On the other hand, the Alliance II bag has a simpler layout than other types of bags, so things in it are overall less organized. But if the benefits outweigh this small disadvantage, a cinch bag like Alliance II may be a great option for you.
And besides, this bag doesn’t have padded shoulder straps. It has laces, but since it isn’t designed to hold a lot of stuff, this shouldn’t pose any discomfort to its users.
The Adidas Alliance II cinch bag nonetheless has a couple of features to help you keep your stuff a bit more organized. Namely, it has two mesh water bottle pockets on the sides, as well as a zippered pocket for smaller items.
In the end, if you don’t want anything convoluted and just want a bag to put your equipment in, Adidas Alliance II is a nice option.
SelahV Pickleball Tote Bag
If you were looking for a stylish pickleball bag, then this one may be the right option for you. This is more a girly bag, but the black version could be used by men as well.
This tote pickleball bag is rather simple but still has some conveniences to offer.
Measuring 18 x 7 x 11.5 inches, this bag has a volume of about 1450 cubic inches, which is comparable with what the Pickleball Marketplace All-in-1 backpack had to offer.
This space is divided between a large zippered storage compartment and 6 outside pockets. Those 6 pockets are 2 mesh, 3 open, and 1 pocket with a Velcro flap. You don’t get a whole lot with this bag in terms of item organization, but it has plenty of room in it nonetheless.
The interior of this bag is made moisture-resistant, which makes wiping down stains easier. In addition, this bag overall doesn’t tend to absorb odors.
One of the outside pockets is also designed to store a water bottle. Even if your beverage spills, it won’t get into the main compartment from this pocket. There also is a carabiner snap clip ring outside, which could be used for keys.
All in all, if you wish to get both a roomy and stylish bag, then this one is a good option.
Franklin Sports Pickleball Sling Bag
Up next on our reviews of best pickleball equipment bags is the official pickleball bag of the US Open Pickleball Championships! The Franklin Sports sling bag is very similar to Wolfe professional sling bag we reviewed a bit earlier, but this one is a bit more convenient.
Like the Wolfe sling bag, this bag has a top carrying strap and a water bottle pocket. What differs in the two sling bags though is the pockets: the Franklin Sports bag has 3 pockets, while Wolfe bag had 2.
As claimed by Franklin Sports, this bag can hold up to 6 paddles in it, as well as up to 6 balls in its dedicated ball & accessory pocket. You probably won’t be taking 6 paddles with you since it will leave little to no room for other stuff, but it still is impressive how roomy this bag actually is.
What’s also notable in this bag is that its largest pocket a fence hook to allow for more convenient hanging of the bag.
And what’s even better about this bag is that it doesn’t cost that much!
SKATEWING Pickleball Paddle Carry Bag
Skatewing bag is a more specific kind of bag. What we mean by this is that it is designed to carry pickleball paddles specifically.
It won’t have enough space for a lot of clothes or shoes. It can fit 2 paddles, as well as a couple of balls just alright though. In case you were looking for a bag for just your paddles, this one is going to be a good option. Why buy a big bag if you don’t really need all the free room it has?
Aside from a compact main compartment, this bag has a mesh pocket inside. It could be used for a towel, a shirt, or some other small item. This adds a little bit more convenience to this bag.
The fabric of this bag is padded to ensure adequate paddle protection. There is also a carry strap on it, as well as a fence hook for hanging. The strap in this bag isn’t that much padded, but this shouldn’t be a problem since this bag doesn’t take too much stuff in the first place.
An interesting thing about this bag is that it is the official bag of the China Shenzhen Pickleball Association. This probably is a thing that testifies to the quality of this bag, right?
Pickleball Marketplace Improved “Medium” Contrast Duffle Bag
There have been a lot of Pickleball Marketplace bags on our list. And this one isn’t even the last one! But it still has a couple of things that distinguish it from the other Pickleball Marketplace bags we reviewed.
The main feature of this bag is its good size of 12 x 21 x 9.25 inches, which makes for a volume of 2331 cubic inches, and this is quite a lot. Carrying all the essential pickleball equipment shouldn’t be a problem with this bag.
In terms of organization, this bag isn’t the most spectacular on the list. It just has a roomy main compartment, a front pocket, as well as a mesh water bottle pocket. If you don’t really need your items to be placed neatly in the bag, this should be completely alright for you.
This bag has an adjustable shoulder strap that offers a good level of comfort. But still, as any duffle bag, the Improved “Medium” bag isn’t going to be the best choice for long trips on foot.
Game On Sling Pickleball Bag
If you were looking for a cheaper sling bag, then the Game On’s sling pickleball bag may be a good option for you.
This bag isn’t as convenient as something like Franklin Sports pickleball sling bag. But for the price, you wouldn’t really expect anything else.
What’s more important about this bag is that it has sufficient comfort for more basic pickleball equipment carrying. No things like water bottle pockets or whatnot – just two zippered compartments that are perfectly capable of doing the job.
This pickleball sling bag is equipped with a padded and adjustable shoulder strap, which should be more than enough for a bag that isn’t going to get too heavy to begin with. There is also a top loop on this bag for hanging.
In the end, what do you really need from a bag? Just enough room for your stuff. And given how cheap this bag is, it really is a good bang for a buck.
Pickleball Marketplace “Pro-Paddle” Cover
The last product by Pickleball Marketplace on our list is actually a paddle cover. This isn’t a bag in the sense you’d probably expect, but it still technically is a bag. Again, if you don’t need to cover anything other than the paddle head, why bother with a sling bag or a backpack?
This cover isn’t what it may seem at first. Usually, paddle covers cover only the head of the paddle. But this cover is designed to take in an entire paddle. And measuring 17 inches long and 10 inches wide, this paddle cover is going to fit the vast majority of paddles in it, aside from the longest ones.
Pickleball Marketplace claims that this cover is made from rip-stop fabric, the same that is used in parachutes and yacht sails. This means that you could expect a lot of durability from this paddle cover. The reverse side of this paddle cover also has a plastic backing to allow you to clearly see your paddle.
The Pro-Paddle cover has a 30-inch adjustable shoulder strap to allow for hanging over the shoulder. Alternatively, you could just put the cover with the paddle in your bag. This would keep things in it more organized.
Franklin Sports Deluxe Competition Pickleball Backpack Bag
And the last pickleball bag on our reviews is Franklin Sports Deluxe Competition backpack.
This is one big backpack. Not as big as Gamma 2019 backpack, of course, but it still has quite a lot of room in it. It measures 13 x 9 x 20 inches, which makes for 2340 cubic inches of volume. Is this good? For most of the people, this is probably going to be more than enough.
In terms of pockets, the Deluxe Competition backpack has a couple to help you with better organizing your gear. Namely, it has a separate zipper compartment for clothing, a roomy main storage compartment, a fleece-lined valuables pocket, as well as two side mesh pockets. This isn’t the most you could get from a pickleball backpack, but there’s still a lot you could do with this backpack to keep your things tidy.
And the last features of this bag that should be noted are its mesh back, padded shoulder straps, a top handle, as well as a built-in fence hook.
Pickleball Bags Buyers Guide
Things to look for in pickleball bags
You may be thinking that a bag is a bag. Why’d you even need to think over your purchase when you just need a place to put your gear in?
In reality, there are a lot of intricacies even in such a simple item as a pickleball bag. And to help you make the right choice, let’s see what those intricacies are.
Bag types
Let’s start with types of pickleball bags. As you could have noticed from our list, bags come in a variety of shapes and designs. But how do they differ from each other exactly? Let’s find out.
Paddle covers
Paddle covers are designed to cover just the paddle face. They have a side zipper via which the paddle can be slipped and out of the cover. Normally, paddle covers are made of neoprene.
Paddle carry cases
Paddle carry cases cover the entire paddle, not just the paddle head. These cases are normally made of nylon.
One could say that paddle carry cases are the middle ground between paddle covers and full bags. Paddle carry cases usually don’t have any extra pockets for gear other than paddles, but they sometimes do allow you to carry several paddles with you.
Cinch bags
Cinch bags are the simplest pickleball bags you can find out there. These bags are basically made in a form of a sack, hence the alternative name “sack bags.” To shut the bag, you pull the lace that edges the opening.
Cinch bags are very minimalistic in terms of pockets and storage compartments. Some – like the Adidas Alliance II we reviewed – have extra stuff like a zippered pocket and a mesh bottle holder. But overall, they don’t provide as much organized comfort and capacity as other bag types.
However, the big advantage of these bags, as we’ve mentioned in our review of Alliance II, is that they are very light and compact, which makes their storage very convenient.
Cinch bags have laces instead of shoulder straps, so they offer less comfort than bags with shoulder straps. But since these bags aren’t designed to carry too much stuff in them, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Sling bags
Sling bags are tear-drop shaped bags that have one shoulder strap. This strap is worn over one shoulder like a sling, hence the name of the bag.
Sling bags usually have more capacity than cinch bags and are more organized. In addition, the fact that they have a padded shoulder strap makes them easier on the shoulders.
However, when it comes to carrying heavy equipment for long distances, sling bags aren’t the best out there. That’s because they apply load on the back one-sidedly.
Backpacks
Backpacks typically are the best for carrying load for longer distances. They have two shoulder straps, which allows them to spread the weight of the backpack evenly across the back. However, some bag designs do this better, some do worse, so we can’t say that every backpack will be comfortable for longer trips.
Pickleball backpacks are usually very roomy, but they aren’t the biggest out there. Huge backpacks like Gamma 2019 are more of an exception – you won’t be finding too many similar backpacks on the market.
Backpacks usually offer separate compartments to help you organize your equipment. Those compartments vary from bag to bag: some have separate shoe pockets, others have dedicated paddle compartments, while the rest have all the compartments one could wish for.
Duffle bags
Duffle bags tend to be larger than all other bag types. Unlike all other bags, they aren’t quite designed to be worn over a shoulder, although they do have a shoulder strap in them. Instead, they are more often carried by the two handles on the top.
In terms of organization, duffle bags are as good as backpacks, which is allowed by their large capacity. Again, some bags have more dedicated compartments, some fewer, but overall, it is pretty easy to keep things in duffle bags neat.
Duffle bags are bulky, and given that they have only one shoulder strap, they aren’t too comfortable when worn over the shoulder. Thus, a duffel bag is a suitable choice if you aren’t going to cover large distances on foot. Instead, a duffle bag is good if you just wish to carry a lot of equipment with you.
Pickleball totes
Pickleball totes are a relatively new addition to the market. They somewhat resemble duffle bags in design, but they are more aimed at being stylish rather than providing you with plenty of room.
Due to this, totes are mainly marketed to women, though anyone could use them.
Compartments
You would want to check what kind of compartments the desired pickleball bag has. For example, if you do want to keep your shoes separate from other items, you’d need to look for a bag that has a separate shoe compartment. An example of such a bag is Fila Ultimate tennis backpack.
Straps
Not all pickleball bags have straps, but if the desired bag does have them, pay attention to how they are made. The straps better be well-padded, be adjustable, and be made from a breathable material. In fact, the same goes for the portion of the bag that contacts your back.
Volume
The volume of the backpack is a more or less objective measurement of a bag’s capacity. Needless to say, the larger the volume, the more stuff the bag is going to fit in it.
The volume of any bag is easy to calculate – you just multiply its length by the width and by the height to get volume in cubic inches. This isn’t too correct in terms of geometry since bags don’t have a perfect rectangular shape, but it’s good enough for the general assessment of capacity.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post – if you want to find our more about the great game of Pickleball, discover some unique strategies or just read more equipment reviews then head on over to our Pickleball Home page here.