by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
Looking for the best mesh bag for your swim gear? We review the leading mesh bags to store, transport, and protect swim gear.
As the amount of gear that swimmers use in training in their pursuit to swim faster has exploded—up significantly from the basic pull buoy and kick board of yesteryear—swimmers have grown to need a mesh swim bag to transport and hold their swimming gear.
While a swim bag or backpacks (like the Speedo Teamster 2.0) are designed for transporting swim apparel, goggles, towels, and the rest, a mesh swim bag is specifically for your swim training gear.
The mesh swim bag helps you haul around swim equipment like paddles, snorkels, fins, kickboards, pull buoys, and others.
Mesh swim bags make it easier to carry swim equipment around and also keeps your stuff from getting mixed in (and potentially lost or taken) with that of your teammates or other swimmers while training at the pool.
Choosing the right mesh bag comes down to size requirements, materials, portability, side pockets for smaller items, breathability, and color choices.
Here’s a rundown of the top mesh bags for every kind of swimmer.
The top mesh bags for storing swim gear include:
Next, we’ll look at each mesh bag, detail key highlights and help you get a crystal-clear idea of which one is best for you and your mountain of swim equipment!
⭐ Best overall mesh bag for swimmers
Key features:
Of course Speedo would make a mesh bag—they are probably the world’s most recognizable brand for swimming apparel and equipment. Whether it’s Speedo goggles, their line of high-end tech suits, or their Speedo Teamster swim bag (which I presently also use), they make stuff for all levels of chlorinated athletes.
The Speedo Ventilator Mesh Bag is a simple water-proof design, with a small side pocket (which is great for storing goggles, nose clips, ear plugs, etc), and they are available in a wide variety of colors—a dozen at last count. (Click through to see the full-color selection at Amazon.)
The Speedo Ventilator has a volume of 33L (to get an idea of how much that is the large Speedo Teamster Backpack is 35L), which should be more than enough space for all your swim toys.
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
| Best overall mesh swim bag | Not as large as the TYR Alliance Mesh Bag |
| Small pocket for storing goggles, caps, etcetera | |
| Breathable polyester mesh to help swim gear dry | |
| Available in seven different colors | |
| Small top-end to fasten the bag quickly |
⭐ Best budget-friendly mesh bag
Key features:
In terms of bang for your buck, the Sporti Mesh Swim Equipment Bag is your best best. While the cheapest bag on this little list, it comes with the size and volume you’d expect from a mesh bag. I am able to put two of my size 14 swim fins in the bag with room to spare.
The bag comes with a big label at the bottom corner so that you can scrawl “No touchie touchie!” along with your name and team name. It’s made of 100% polyester, and the only drawback of this bag is that there is no smaller pocket where I can stash my easily losable items.
The Sporti Mesh Bag is available in seven different colors, from black to pink.
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
| Inexpensive mesh swim bag | Not as big as the TYR Alliance Mesh Swim Bag |
| Available in tons of colors | |
| Drawstring/shoulder strap for easy closure and carry | |
| Made with long-lasting polyester for breathability and quick drying |
⭐ Best mesh bag for swimmers with lots of gear
Key features
While the TYR mesh bag doesn’t have the small pocket, there are some other features of this bag that are legit.
The bottom and top collars of the bag are thick and reinforced. Mesh bags take a beating, not only from the dropping, throwing, and storing in wet, dark places, but also from being subjected to all the chemicals are local swimming pools have to offer. The thicker collars on the bag are appreciated in this instance.
A diagonal shoulder strap (much thicker than the drawstring other mesh bags use for their “shoulder strap”) makes it easy to carry. It’s also the biggest bag on this list.
The bag is also friggin huge, easily the biggest on our little list. It comes in at 75L. To give you an idea of how big it is, the model wearing the bag below is American Olympian Matt Grevers…who is 6’7”.
The TYR Mesh Bag color combos give you some options, as well. There’s the default flat black, but you also got some black/yellow, pink/purple/white, and blue/yellow beyond the flat colors.
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
| Biggest mesh bag for swimmers | Too big for swimmers with a couple of items |
| Drawstring and crossbody strap for easy enclosure | |
| Multiple colors and colorways | |
| Polyester mesh construction for quick drainage and drying | |
| Blank name tag to ID your bag at swim practice |
⭐ Best mesh backpack for swimmers
Key features
The TYR Big Mesh Mummy Backpack is the best of both worlds when it comes to a mesh and swim bag.
You get the increased, sturdy storage of a real swim bag, with back straps, a handle, and lots of pockets, and the breathable, quick-drying mesh of a mesh bag.
The Mesh Mummy has a 40L volume, which is more than enough room for all of your swim gear, is available in a dozen colors (perfect for matching your swim team colors), and is super inexpensive at less than $20.
The TYR Big Mesh Mummy Backpack is also exceptionally cheap, about half the price as much as full-size swim backpacks like the Speedo Teamster.
| ✅ PROS | ❌ CONS |
| Best of both worlds for a mesh and swim bag | Not ideal as a traveling swim bag |
| Large 40L storage | |
| Multiple small pockets to store goggles, water bottle, etc | |
| Breathable mesh to help dry swim gear faster | |
| Backpack straps for easy portability |
Key features:
Longtime readers of this website will know that I am a pretty hardcore fanboy for FINIS swim gear. You got their Tempo Trainer PRO, the swimmer’s snorkel, and the FINIS Duo underwater mp3 player, which I ranked as my favorite underwater music player for swimming.
Mesh bags aren’t nearly as techy as any of those items, and FINIS actually goes away from their trademark yellow with this product (or is it gold?). The bags come in peach, a baby blueish color, or the standard black.
The standout features of the FINIS Mesh Gear Bag are a small zipped-up compartment at the top of the bag (I likey), volume that is right up there with the other bags on this list (giddyup), and a name tag at the bottom of the bag to identify your stuff.
Made of durable nylon and safe to machine wash.
Another big player in the competitive swim gear world is Arena. They make a ton of stuff that I like and use, including the Cobra Ultra goggles, Powerskin ST 2.0 racing suit, and much more.
Their mesh bag offering is a little different than the others on this list as it is designed basically as a backpack. It’s got dual drawstrings that you can loop around your shoulders and carry your stuff around on your backside and comes in a TON of different colors and color combinations.
The Arena Team Mesh Bag also has an easy-carry handle at the top of the bag for swimmers who prefer to handle their gear that way. The main downside with this mesh bag is that there is no small storage pocket for separating smaller items like goggles, caps, and so on.
Key features
Mesh bags are a fairly straightforward form of swim gear, but it always helps to understand the lay of the land when it comes to choosing the perfect mesh bag for swimmers.
Here’s what you should look for:
Mesh bags perform best when made with polyester or nylon, synthetic fabrics that withstand chlorine and UV exposure.
You go to the pool a lot; choose a mesh bag that will show up with you.
Polyester and nylon (the same material used in drag swimsuits and other long-lasting training suits) are the key materials to consider when considering durability.
Swimmers have a variable amount of gear. Multiple kickboards, training fins, swim snorkels, and swim paddles can quickly drink up a lot of room in a swim gear bag, so choose a mesh swim bag that accommodates your specific amount of gear.
A “standard” mesh bag is 33-40L large. The TYR Alliance Mesh Bag is an exception, with an extra-large 75L volume for extra swim stuff.
Mesh bags don’t just store your swim equipment, but they also dry the paddles, pull buoys, kickboards, and snorkels in your life between workouts, reducing bacterial and mold buildup. It also reduces the need to hang up all your swim gear individually.
Look for a mesh bag with straps or sturdy string to hang the bag and dry your gear.
Mesh bags are typically used to store the larger, wetter items that don’t belong in a swimmer’s bag. Fins, kickboards, pull buoys, and so on.
Smaller items like swim goggles, swim caps, earplugs, waterproof headphones, and other smaller (and pricier!) items don’t always belong in a mesh bag as the lenses of goggles can get dirty and waterproof headphones are pricey.
Look for a side pocket to store and protect more minor items.
Mesh bags vary by volume and size. The largest mesh bags for swimmers is the TYR Alliance Mesh Bag, which has a whopping 75L of volume. Compare that to the Speedo Ventilator, which as 33L of volume.
Here is an overview of the mesh bags reviewed above by size:
| Bag | Dimensions |
| TYR Alliance Mesh Bag | 28” x 27” |
| Arena Team Mesh Bag | 25” x 21” |
| Speedo Ventilator | 19” x 28” |
| Sporti Mesh Bag | 18” x 29” |
| FINIS Mesh Gear Bag | 27” x 20” |
A mesh bag is about the least complicated swim accessory for the chlorinated athlete.
That said, the right mesh swim bag extends the lifespan of your swim gear, makes carrying all your stuff to practice a little bit easier, and promotes a more tidy and organized bulkhead or pool deck at the end of the lane.
To summarize our top choices:
Choose the mesh bag according to the size, color, and compartments that match your needs, and get your swim on!
The 9 Best Kickboards for Swimmers. Itching to get your kick on? Here’s a full breakdown of the best kickboards for swimming, including how to choose the perfect kickboard for you.
Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.
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