The nice thing about being a gym rat is that even if you’re a guy you can still profess an unabashed love for a good bag. Having the right bag can make all the difference in the smoothness of your day and your training session. It’s something you earn for all your hard work, as far as I’m concerned.

A while back I had the privilege of reviewing the original King Kong bag and it remains the best gym bag I’ve ever used. But my husband also figured this out and absconded with it for his own daily use, leaving me once again bag-less. That is, until King Kong Apparel reached out to me to let me know about their newest addition – the King Kong backpack.

Whereas the original King Kong bag is a duffel bag style, this new bag is smaller and meant to be worn on the back. It is also intended as a multi-purpose bag, in that you can store your laptop or tablet as well as your gym gear.

The bag features the rugged and thorough construction that I associate with King Kong bags. In particular their zippers are high quality “bomb-proof” #10 YKK zippers. King Kong bags truly are well made and I never have the fears of disintegration that come with your typical gym bag. The one drawback to this feature is that the heavy construction does add to the weight of the bag. But, it’s a gym bag, right? You should be fit enough to carry this!

The largest compartment in the bag features a sleeve to slide your laptop into as well as two smaller webbed compartments with zippered closures. There is also a small pocket on the inside of this compartment where you can put your music gadget and run the headphones out through a small hole in the top of the bag. The hole is, in fact, so well protected by a velcro flap at the base of a strap that it took me a while to even discover this feature. You definitely don’t have to worry about getting rain or anything else in through this headphone portal!

There is also a front compartment with zippered pockets inside, as well as side compartments that are clearly meant for sports bottles. I particularly appreciated the small zippered pocket on the top of the bag as a safe and convenient place for keys, wallet, and phone.

One of the other features of the bag is an open middle area between the two main compartments. There are straps that can adjust the size of this open area – they basically attach the front compartment to the back compartment, leaving this open area in the middle. My first instinct was that you would put shoes in this space, but I actually found it awkward as anytime I opened the main compartment everything fell out of the open area. Plus, I didn’t like how close it put the bottoms of my shoes to the key/phone/wallet pocket. (I don’t know about you, but I like the bottoms of my shoes to be far away from anything that might come near my face.) Also, the straps that hold the front and back compartments together were a little too narrowly placed, so if I wanted to pull out my laptop, I had to undo the straps, which essentially dismantles the whole bag. My suggestion for the next generation of this bag would be to place those straps wider, if possible, and solve that problem.

As far as the shoulder straps, though, I personally liked the width of them. They are a little narrower than the typical bag and I liked that, as on most backpacks they are set too far apart for a smaller person and end up falling off all the time. I was able to get this bag fitting snugly on me so that I could walk a distance without discomfort or back pain.

And that I think is the true strength of this back – it’s a great option for commuters, whether they are cyclists, walkers, or users of public transportation. As much as I love it, the original King Kong bag would be a small nightmare on a crowded train, but this bag would be no problem. I have walked back and forth to the gym with it as well, and found it quite useful and comfortable. Like any bag that has multiple uses, there are going to be compromises. It is not the world’s best gym bag and it is not the world’s best computer bag, but it is a fantastic combination of the two. So if your day involves both gym and work, I’d check this bag out.

The King Kong Backpack is available for $79.95 at KingKongApparel.com.

The post Product Review: King Kong Backpack appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The search for the perfect gym bag is a never-ending one for most athletes. You might find one with the right amount of pockets, but the zippers don’t work. You might find one the perfect size, but the fabric rips. You start feeling like Goldilocks after a while – never being able to find the gym bag that’s just right.

Like you, I’ve made due with a variety of subpar bags over the years, and for this reason my interest was piqued when I came across the King Kong Bag. Even just looking at photographs, I had a sense this bag was different. Since I’ve had one to try out for real, it has quickly become my favorite gym bag in a long time.

First a quick rundown of the basic features of the King Kong bag:

• Size: 50cm x 30cm x 30cm (19.7 inches long, 11.8 inches high and wide)
• 16oz canvas construction
• Thick and padded shoulder strap
• Eyelets for breathability
• Two shoe compartments
• Many pouches in a variety of sizes
• Seemingly indestructible zippers

The size of the bag is great. Going back to our Goldilocks predicament, it is neither too big nor too small. I feel as if I could fit everything I need in here, but also not feel like I’m hauling around a giant pack or be unable to use public transportation. The canvas feels thick and, unlike other wimpy bags I’ve had in the past, I think I’d be hard-pressed to put any rips in this fabric.

While the shoulder strap does indeed feel solid and comfortable, what I noticed most about it were the hooks that attach it to the bag. Often companies skimp on those hooks and if they are plastic they can easily snap after a bit of usage. On the King Kong bag the hooks are metal and even though I applied quite a bit of force to them (on purpose, for testing, of course) they neither snapped nor bent. They also rotate quite easily, so you won’t get that annoying shoulder strap-twisting-knotting sensation.

This bag also has numerous pouches and compartments. Things I liked were the different sizes of the pouches and the different methods for enclosing them – some are zippered, some have big strips of Velcro, some are canvas, and some are open mesh. I feel pretty confident that whatever you intend to put in your gym bag, the King Kong bag has a place to put it. Although, I’ve been privy to the insides of some scary gym bags in years past, so I won’t vouch for everything some of you might think up to put in there.

The two shoe compartments are a particularly nice addition. If you do a variety of training, you no doubt also have a variety of shoes. This bag makes it easy to carry running shoes, lifting shoes, or whatever else you might have in separate compartments for keeping the rest of your stuff clean and shoe-stink free. If you’ve got wet clothing items or towels, the shoe compartments can also serve as a way to keep those items separate. There are also eyelets on these compartments so the stinky air can work its way out. Nobody likes that moment when you open up a tightly sealed gym bag. Nobody.

Pockets and shoe compartments aside, the most instant and long-lasting impression I got from this bag came from the zippers. Cheap zippers are a nightmare. They make even the coolest-looking bag completely worthless. The zippers on the King Kong bag, however, appear quite nearly industrial. Referred to on the King Kong Apparel website as “Bomb-proof #10 YKK zippers,” these zippers give me full confidence. Upon investigation I discovered that this type of zipper is rated for any outdoor or marine application.

The King Kong bag comes in dark blue, light blue, grey, black, red, and pink and retails for $89.95. The bag I received is dark blue and I quite like it. And given how much money I’ve wasted on bad bags over the years, I think the price point is not bad. It might be more than you would pay for the average gym bag, but it is my conclusion this is not the average gym bag. And while I intend to treat this bag nicely and use it frequently, I think I could do very bad things to it and it would survive a long time.

The King Kong Bag is available at TheKingKongBag.com for $89.95.

The post Product Review: King Kong Bag appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

It’s odd, given that I’ve made a career out of fitness, that I’ve never really bought into the idea of using a gym bag. Maybe that’s a weird thing to evaluate, but when I received my first official gym bag it came from New Balance for this very review.

The New Balance Performance Duffel bag was everything a guy would want out of a gym bag. It is functional and stylish. Its versatility gives it a tactical feel that nerds like me can geek out on, too. My Performance Duffel came in black and grey with red accents. It also comes in plain black or navy. Considering the options, I think I really scored the most notable version aesthetically.

The owner of the Performance Duffek will peel away layers of versatility with the opening of each zipper. Lined with cool lime green on the inside, each compartment serves a unique purpose. The Performance Duffel features a shoe compartment for dirty or wet shoes to be stowed safely without soiling the bag’s other contents. The front pocket of the duffel opens almost to the entire length of the bag to reveal various small item storage capabilities, including a hook for keys, three smaller pouches (one of which that has a Velcro strap to avoid dislodging of its contents), and a divider down the middle to separate the entire compartment into two organized sections.

Just above the front pocket is a smaller pocket lined with soft material that’s perfect for housing sunglasses and other fragile pieces such as an iPod. One can do so with the peace of mind that these items won’t get scratched.

Opposite of the shoe compartment features a zipper that outlines the end of the bag and opens to another larger compartment. This compartment could be used to house larger items and features a water bottle holster with an insulated pocket to keep your beverage icy-cold longer.

Finally the giant main compartment is more spacious than one would expect, especially considering the size of the utility pockets on the outside. It could easily hold a basketball, a big towel, and another change of clothes, for example. It features two hooks for key rings, two separate pockets that cover the inside of the bags back panel, and a mesh zipper pocket that captures the entire top panel of the bag.

New Balance didn’t just make a bag here. The designers clearly scoured every inch of your standard duffel bag and found ways to make every inch of it perform. It is worth noting, too, that inside of the duffel there are two (one mesh, one canvas) washable cinch-sacks. Therefore the consumer can play hard and protect the investment he/she made in the bag by throwing soiled shoes or training apparel in the washable sacks. This makes for a clean bag and an easy drop into the laundry.

Not only does this bag look good and cover all of your storage needs, it’s built to perform in the conditions real athletes live in. The antimicrobial material will hold up against all the blood, sweat, and tears of training and competition without the consequences of tagalong germs. That’s right, there’s a high level of technology in the forging of the Performance Duffel. Down to the very material it’s stitched with.

Clearly, I’ve missed the boat with regards to gym bags. New Balance raised the bar with this one. I’m a more organized athlete now, and to be honest I don’t know how I managed all my gear and clothes without it. The New Balance Performance Duffel isn’t all show and no go, either. This thing will hang with any athlete in any conditions, and it will look good doing so.

The Performance Duffel available at newbalance.com for $59.99

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