Sportsnew makes the bags you carry to a class, a court or a weights floor: a drawstring yoga mat bag, a 20-liter gym tote with a shoe compartment, a pickleball backpack, a magnetic tumbler sling and, a little off to the side, a three-layer makeup bag. They share a habit. Each one is designed around a specific annoyance, whether a wet towel touching clean clothes, a bottle tipping over by the bench press, or pickleballs rolling around the bottom of a bag.
If you're shopping in this group, you probably already know which annoyance is yours. The question is whether the bag that solves it is built to last. That's where the five split. Four of them have good star ratings from a few hundred to more than a thousand buyers. But read the durability comments and a pattern appears: on the mat bag and the tote, the people who mention durability are about evenly split between "sturdy" and "it broke". The pickleball backpack and the magnetic sling hold up better in the comments. The makeup bag has no comments at all.
Our short answer: buy the pickleball backpack if you play, and the magnetic sling if you lift. Treat the mat bag and the tote as good-value bags you shouldn't overload. Wait on the makeup bag.
The pickleball backpack
Sportsnew Pickleball Backpack with Shoe Compartment
$38.16at our last price check
This is the most expensive bag here that has buyer ratings, at $38.16, and the one selling fastest: the listing shows 300+ bought in the past month. It's a 30-liter backpack built around pickleball's particular kit, which is a few paddles, a lot of balls, a pair of court shoes and a big drink.
How it's organized
The listing describes two "quick access" pickleball pockets that hold 8 balls, eleven pockets in all, a separate shoe compartment, two side pockets that take a handled 40 oz water bottle, and a fence hook for hanging the bag on the court fence. Buyers describe padded dividers between paddles: "I also love the dividers for the paddles no more paddle covers which take up a lot of room." Another writes that the bag is "Purpose made for four paddles with padding between each."
Paddle count is the first small contradiction. The bullets say "4-6 pickleball rackets". The detail table says racket capacity 4. Buyers report four paddles, and one fits "4 paddles, 12 pickleballs" plus sneakers. If you carry six paddles for a group, plan on four in the dividers and two elsewhere. The listing says paddles up to 16.33 inches long including the handle fit, which is a number to check against your own paddle.
Size and the shoe bin
The listing gives three slightly different sizes. The bullets say 11.02 by 7.87 by 20.07 inches. The size field says 12 by 7.87 by 20.07. The detail table says 11.02 by 7.87 by 20.27. Call it about 11 to 12 inches wide, 8 deep and 20 tall, a full-size daypack.
| What you carry | What the listing or buyers say |
|---|---|
| Paddles | 4 in the padded dividers by most accounts, 4 to 6 by the bullets |
| Pickleballs | 8 in the two ball pockets per the listing, 12 by one buyer |
| Water | A handled 40 oz bottle in either side pocket |
| Shoes | One pair in the shoe compartment, with a men's size 12 a squeeze |
| Extras | Buyers add knee and ankle braces, two towels, a laptop |
The shoe compartment is the soft spot in the design. One buyer says "No ventilation holes for the shoes" and that a men's size 12 goes in only "with a lot of effort". Another says "The shoe compartment is not as big as pictured." If you wear large court shoes, that's the one thing to measure before you buy.
Build, carry and zips
The listing calls the fabric waterproof and wear-resistant, and the detail table lists the water resistance level as "Waterproof". There's an adjustable chest strap, a breathable padded mesh back panel and an extended zipper pull. One buyer describes the material as feeling "sturdy like a rubberized canvas", and another notes it "in no way screams pickleball bag; just looks like a nice backpack", which matters if you'd carry it to the office as well.
The weak point is the zips, or rather their pulls. Amazon's topic count shows zipper quality mentioned 20 times with 7 negative, which is the worst ratio on this bag. Two buyers found a zipper pull broken on arrival or soon after, and one writes that "After less than 4 months of usage, the main compartment zipper is already broken". Set against that, a buyer who has used it for six months calls it "very durable", and the quality topic has 107 positive mentions out of 110.
On the court and off it
The fence hook is the detail that tells you who designed this. At public courts there's rarely a bench, and a bag on the ground collects grit and gets stepped on. A hook clips over the fence wire and holds the bag upright at waist height, with the ball pockets and bottle pockets facing you. The listing calls the hook "thickened" and "not easy to break", and one buyer calls it "a solid feature that allows me to set it up on the fence at local parks." Another calls it "heavy duty".
The two ball pockets work with the hook. When the bag hangs, you reach in for a ball without opening the main compartment. Buyers single that out, praising "the dedicated side ball pocket" by name. With bottles in both side pockets, the bag balances on the fence rather than tipping to one side.
The chest strap and padded mesh back are what make it a backpack rather than a sling. A loaded bag with four paddles, shoes and a full 40 oz bottle is heavy, and a single-strap sling puts all of that on one shoulder. Here the weight sits on both shoulders, and the chest strap stops the straps sliding outward. Buyers who mention the carry describe it as "Light weight and feels good on the back."
Off the court, it reads as an ordinary backpack. The buyer who has owned Gearbox, Joola and Selkirk bags carries a computer in it when traveling, and another says it doesn't look like a sports bag at all. If you want one bag for the court and the commute, that matters.
I've previously owned Gearbox, joola, and Selkirk. This is the perfect size for carrying my pickleball equipment and computer when I travel.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The star split is strong: 80% five stars and only 3% one or two stars. You can see the bag on Sportsnew's page for the pickleball backpack.
The magnetic tumbler sling
Sportsnew Magnetic Tumbler Sling, 30/40 oz
$19.99at our last price check
This one exists because of a modern habit: the 40 oz tumbler with a handle, carried everywhere, and set down on a gym floor where it gets kicked over. The sling, at $19.99, holds the tumbler and your small things, and four magnets in its side let you stick the whole bag to a weight machine or a rack.
The magnets and the open top
The listing says four "powerful built-in magnets" with a maximum weight capacity of 3 kg, or 6.61 pounds, attaching to "any metal surface". A full 40 oz tumbler, plus a phone and keys, is well inside that figure on paper. Buyers mostly agree. "It sticks to those gym machines like the weight machines and things like that and it does not move," writes one. Another says the magnets hold a "huge yeti full of ice and water without sliding".
Not everyone. The magnetic strength topic has 30 mentions, 6 of them negative, and one buyer says flatly: "My water bottle falls, the magnets are weak and don't hold to the metal as advertised". A magnet's hold depends on what it meets. A flat steel plate is the easy case, while a thickly painted or curved tube is a harder one, so expect the grip to vary from machine to machine and gym to gym.
The top closes with what the listing calls "magic tape", which is hook-and-loop, sized for a tumbler with a handle. That fixes the problem our Sportsnew 40 oz bottle sling review runs into, where a handled tumbler doesn't fit a drawstring sleeve. But it creates a different one. As a buyer puts it, the sling "Does not cinch at top to hold in place". Your tumbler sits loose in the sleeve rather than gripped.
Pockets and size
The listing names a phone pocket that "fits large phones like Phone Pro Max", a zip pocket, side pockets and a key hook. Buyers fit a Samsung S24 with a case in the zip pocket, and carry keys, lip gloss, tissues, cards, earbuds and lifting gloves. One lists "2 phones. AirPods. Keys. Weight lift gloves & a band". The detail table gives an item weight of 0.32 kg and names the material as nylon and polyester with an insulated lining.
The listing doesn't give the bag's own dimensions, only its folded package size. It's sized by the bottle, "Magnetic 40oz", and buyers confirm a 40 oz Stanley fits. If your tumbler is smaller, it will rattle more in the open sleeve.
At the gym
Picture how this works between sets. You walk to a machine with the sling across your body, lift it off, and press its magnet side onto the steel frame. The tumbler hangs at the height of your hand instead of sitting on the floor where someone's foot will find it. Your phone is in its pocket, facing out, and your keys are clipped inside. When you move to the next machine, the whole thing comes with you in one piece.
That's the reason buyers like it, and it's specific enough that the topic counts include a category called "gym-friendly", 13 positive mentions out of 14. "It is extremely practical for machines and weight training," writes one. Another bought it for children who go to the gym, because "They like the ability to keep everything in one bag."
Two practical limits follow from the design. Because the top is hook-and-loop rather than a drawstring, the tumbler isn't held tight, so a bag stuck to a vertical upright holds the cup by its sleeve, not by its lid. And a magnet needs steel. Aluminum frames, wooden benches and painted plastic covers won't hold it, so it still spends some sessions on the floor.
The insulated lining is a smaller benefit here than on a walking sling, because most handled tumblers are already vacuum-insulated. One buyer notes it "keeps my water bottle chilled", and the lining also keeps a sweating cup from wetting your phone pocket.
The magnets have never failed to hold.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
With 201 ratings, the sample is smaller than the others here but big enough to read. Seventy-eight percent are five stars and 5% are one or two stars. The listing shows no monthly sales figure. Sportsnew's own page is the magnetic tumbler sling.
The 20L yoga gym tote
Sportsnew 20L Yoga Gym Tote with Shoe Compartment
$21.56at our last price check
The tote is Sportsnew's bag for a whole session: mat outside, shoes in their own bin, wet clothes in their own pocket, and room for a change. It sells at $21.56 and carries 4.6 stars from 852 ratings.
Layout
The listing describes a transparent dry-wet separation pocket, "11 divided pockets", a separate shoe compartment, and an external adjustable strap that holds the yoga mat on the outside. The detail table's highlights add a "Ventilated Shoe Bin", a padded handle, side mesh and a key clip. Buyers confirm the vents: "separate side compartment for your shoes with air vents which is very convenient and a plastic inner bag for any toiletries".
The outside mat strap is the main design idea. You don't have to slide the mat into a tube, and buyers who carry a hip thrust pad as well as a mat say they like not having to "shove" either inside. One buyer notes the clip "comes undone" if you leave it unfastened when you're not carrying a mat, so close it up when the strap is empty.
The pocket count contradicts itself, as usual: eleven in the bullets, ten compartments in the detail table. The weight does too: 1.21 pounds in the bullets, 0.6 kg (about 1.3 pounds) in the details. Neither gap matters much.
Size
The listing gives 17 by 7.5 by 21 inches and 20 liters. That's a mid-size tote, not a duffel. The bullets say it fits gym gear and clothes "for 2-3 day short trips". Buyers fit a lululemon mat on the strap with room under the arm, large shoes in the bin, and running shoes, running clothes and a lunch bag in one. One wishes it "was a little bigger". Another finds it has "so many pockets I can't find a darn thing", which is the reverse problem.
Where it wears
Here's the issue. Amazon's topic counts put durability at 26 mentions with 14 negative, more complaints than praise. Zipper quality has 15 mentions with 7 negative. The specific reports: "Handle broke." "Only been 4 months and one of the straps is breaking (seam is ripping apart)." "The zipper for the shoes already broke after using one time." Positive durability comments exist too, including one who calls it durable and fine in the rain.
Care, and a tote against a backpack
This is the one listing of the five that says how to clean the bag: the fabric "blocks light rain and sweat splashes", and the bullets say it wipes clean with a damp cloth. That suits a bag that carries shoes and wet clothes. Empty the wet pocket and the shoe bin after every session and leave them open to dry, since a closed wet pocket is where a gym bag's smell comes from.
It's also worth asking whether you want a tote at all. A tote hangs from one shoulder or one hand, and with a mat strapped on the outside plus shoes and a change of clothes, the load is lopsided. The Sportsnew pickleball backpack above, at a higher price, carries 30 liters on two straps. If you walk or cycle to the gym, two straps are kinder. If you drive and carry the bag from the car to the locker, a tote with its mat on the outside is quicker.
On 852 ratings, a few dozen durability mentions are not a verdict on every bag. The overall split is still 78% five stars and only 4% one or two stars. But it's a pattern worth respecting. A tote with a padded handle carrying a full load plus shoes puts a lot of strain on two seams. If you carry heavy, use the shoulder strap rather than the handle when you can.
I love having all of my stuff in one place and this fits a lot. I take this every class and it makes it so much easier. Highly recommend.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The tote comes in several colors that buyers mention, including lavender, olive, purple and grey, and color praise is near unanimous. See it on Sportsnew's page for the 20L tote.
The yoga mat bag with wet pocket
Sportsnew Yoga Mat Bag with Wet Pocket
$17.76at our last price check
The mat bag is the oldest design here and the one with the most ratings, 1,167, at 4.5 stars. It sells at $17.76. It is a long drawstring tube that carries a rolled mat inside, with three extra pockets on the outside and the base.
Size, and which mats fit
The listing says the bag is 31 inches long with a diameter of 7.6 inches in the bullets and 7.5 inches in the description. It takes mats up to 69 inches long and 23 inches wide, which roll to about 7 inches in diameter. Thickness is where the listing contradicts itself: the bullets say up to 3/8 inch (8 mm), the description says up to 2/5 inch (10 mm), and the detail table's highlight says "Fits 1/8"-3/8" Thick Mats".
| Your mat | Will it fit? |
|---|---|
| Up to 23 in wide, 69 in long | Yes, per the listing |
| 1/8 to 3/8 in thick | Yes, per the listing |
| 1/2 in Pilates mat | One buyer says yes: "large enough to accommodate my 1/2" thick pilates mat" |
| Extra-large mat | One buyer fits an "XL yoga mat, shower towel, and change of clothes" |
| Grippy recycled rubber mat | One buyer found it "impossible even when rolled tightly" |
The last row is worth noting. Rubber mats are heavy and grip fabric, so they don't slide down a tube the way a foam mat does. That's a property of the mat as much as the bag, but if yours is rubber, a bag that carries the mat outside, like the 20L tote, will be easier.
The bag itself weighs 330 g by the listing and has an adjustable strap with a maximum length of 47 inches, long enough for crossbody wear on most adults.
The three pockets
A zipped wet pocket at the bottom is 2.7 inches tall, and the listing says it holds a sports bra and a pair of full-length leggings. A front drawstring pocket takes a water bottle, an umbrella or a jump rope. A side zip pocket, 7.8 inches long, takes a phone, keys and cards. One buyer calls the wet pocket "genius". Another says the wet pouch "is not rigid like the pictures. It's soft and collapses with no structure", and a returned buyer describes the whole bag as having "no form to it at all".
Getting the mat in and out
A drawstring tube is the simplest mat bag there is, and it has one weakness. The opening is the bag's full 7.5-inch diameter, and a mat rolled loosely can be wider than that. Roll it tight, from the end without the strap marks, and slide it in at an angle. Buyers with foam and standard mats find it easy: "Never hard to get in/out", writes one, and another says her thick mat "fits in easily". The trouble cases in the comments are the grippy rubber mat and a buyer who found the soft, unstructured bag hard to fill.
The 31-inch length versus a 23-inch-wide mat leaves room above the mat for a small towel or a strap, and the drawstring closes over it. The listing says "YOGA MAT NOT INCLUDED" in capitals, which is worth knowing if the photos made you think otherwise.
Durability
This is the mat bag's real problem. The durability topic shows 46 mentions with 22 negative, nearly half. The reports are specific: "the strap just completely ripped on its own" after a little less than a year. "The stitching was falling apart." "Less than 2 months and the pocket is fraying at the seam." "The bag broke and it was pass the return date." Ease of use is also split, 10 positive to 11 negative, mostly about getting the mat in and out.
There's also a color complaint: one buyer ordered green and received what she calls "khaki, very beige and boring". Appearance has 9 negative mentions out of 50.
None of that wipes out the 75% five-star share or the 1,167 ratings. It does mean this is a bag to treat gently, and to inspect before the return window closes.
I used to lug 2-3 bags to yoga. This bag has enough pockets for everything including a water bottle and change of clothes.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The bag also appears on Walmart under a seller listing, but that listing has no ratings or reviews. Sportsnew's own page for it is the drawstring yoga mat bag.
The three-layer makeup bag
The makeup bag is the odd one out, and the one we'd skip for now. It sells at $40.99, which puts it above every other bag here, including the pickleball backpack, and it has no ratings, no buyer comments and a listing that says very little.
The single bullet reads "3 Layer Compartment Separate Brush Area". The description says it's "a high-volume design with three layers". The detail table gives dimensions of 6.1 by 6.3 by 11.2 inches, a weight of 0.32 kg, polyester, a zip closure, and "Non-Toxic" as a material feature with no standard named. That's it. There's no capacity, no description of what's in each layer, no mention of water resistance, no care instructions.
On the dimensions, it's a tall, square bag about the size of a large toiletry kit standing on end. Three layers in 11.2 inches gives you, roughly, three tiers under four inches each, with a brush area somewhere. It could be useful. But for this price, you're paying for a design you can only judge from two photos.
If you want a cosmetics bag with a real record behind it, see the wide-open makeup bag in our SINNO bags review, or for a hanging option, our review of Sportsnew's U-zip toiletry bags, whose 17-divider organizer lists its pockets in detail. Sportsnew's page for this one is the three-layer makeup bag.
What the five have in common
Line the five bags up and you can see how Sportsnew thinks. Every bag separates something: wet from dry, shoes from clothes, balls from paddles, a bottle from the floor. That's the brand's real skill, and it shows in the comments, where organization and pockets draw almost no complaints on any of the four rated bags. The pickleball backpack's pocket topic has 55 positive mentions out of 58. The tote's capacity topic has 42 out of 43.
The weak spot is just as consistent. Where these bags draw complaints, they're about the parts that take load or motion: straps, handles, seams at the corners of pockets, and zip pulls. On the mat bag and the tote, those complaints arrive after weeks or months. That suggests the stitching at stress points is the corner that was cut to reach these prices, not the fabric, which buyers broadly praise as thick and water-resistant.
Two practical habits follow. First, inspect the strap anchors and the zips in the first week, while the return window is open. Second, don't treat the handle of a heavy tote as its main carry. Spread the load and the seams last longer.
Color is the other consistent theme, mostly as praise. Buyers mention lavender, olive, sage green, purple, grey, mint and cream across these listings and like what they get, with the one exception of the mat bag that arrived beige instead of green.
None of the listings states a warranty, and only the tote gives cleaning advice. If you'd like a sense of how Sportsnew builds its smaller carriers, our Sportsnew 40 oz bottle sling review covers the brand's best-rated sling, with 2,416 ratings, which shares the strap complaint you see here on a much smaller scale.
How they compare
We searched Amazon for yoga mat bags, so the table below compares most directly with the mat bag and, more loosely, the tote.
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
The mat bag sits at a familiar price in this group, and its 4.5 stars are close to the field. The canvas full-zip bags and the Gaiam cargo bag have more ratings, and a full-zip opening is the main alternative design: you lay the mat in rather than slide it down a tube, which matters most with heavy rubber mats. The Manduka bags cost more, the Gaiam less, and the Yogiii tote is closer to the Sportsnew 20L tote in idea, a tote that carries a mat. We can only compare titles and numbers here, not construction.
| Bag | Stars | Ratings | Biggest buyer worry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickleball backpack | 4.6 | 403 | Zipper pulls, small shoe bin |
| Magnetic tumbler sling | 4.6 | 201 | Open top, and magnets on some machines |
| 20L yoga gym tote | 4.6 | 852 | Straps, handle and shoe zip |
| Yoga mat bag | 4.5 | 1,167 | Straps and seams, soft structure |
| Three-layer makeup bag | none | 0 | No buyer record at all |
Read the last column alongside the topic counts above. The pickleball backpack's complaints are about parts, zip pulls in particular, that you'd see within a few weeks. The tote's and the mat bag's are about seams and straps after months of use, which is harder to catch inside a return window.
A note on prices
The five bags span a wide range, from the mat bag at $17.76 to the makeup bag at $40.99. Price and evidence don't line up neatly. The cheapest rated bag here, the mat bag, has the most ratings and the most durability complaints. The pickleball backpack costs about twice as much and has the best complaint profile, and the buyer comparing it with Gearbox, Joola and Selkirk bags suggests it competes with branded pickleball bags rather than with budget sacks. The magnetic sling and the tote sit in the middle. The makeup bag is the outlier: the highest price with no ratings at all.
If you're weighing the tote against the backpack for gym use, the gap between them is your choice between one shoulder and two, and between a shoe bin with vents and a bigger 30-liter body. Neither is a bad answer, but the backpack's record is the cleaner one.
Which one for whom
| You are | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A pickleball player carrying four paddles and shoes | Pickleball backpack | Ball pockets, padded dividers, shoe bin, fence hook |
| A lifter tired of kicking your tumbler over | Magnetic tumbler sling | Four magnets, a sleeve built for a handled 40 oz cup |
| Going straight from class to work with a mat and shoes | 20L yoga gym tote | Mat outside, shoes and wet things separated |
| Walking to yoga with just a mat and a bottle | Yoga mat bag | Long tube, wet pocket, light at 330 g |
| Carrying a heavy rubber mat | 20L yoga gym tote | The mat rides outside instead of sliding down a tube |
| After a makeup bag | Wait | No ratings and a thin listing |
For more bags, browse our bags section.
Verdict
We recommend the pickleball backpack for players who want one bag for paddles, balls, shoes and a bottle, and the magnetic tumbler sling for gym-goers with a handled 40 oz tumbler. Both have strong ratings and complaints you can check quickly. We recommend the 20L tote and the mat bag with a caution: they're well liked and well priced, but their durability comments are too evenly split to ignore, so don't overload them and check the seams early. We don't recommend the makeup bag until it has some buyers behind it.
Smart layouts, uneven stitching
Sportsnew is good at deciding where things go: shoe bins, wet pockets, ball pockets and magnets in the right places. The pickleball backpack and the magnetic sling are the two we'd buy. The yoga mat bag and the gym tote are well liked, but a worrying share of their durability comments describe straps and seams giving way within months. The makeup bag has no buyer record at all.
- Pickleball backpack: two ball pockets, padded paddle dividers, a fence hook and 300+ sold last month
- Magnetic sling: four magnets rated to 3 kg and a hook-and-loop top made for a handled 40 oz tumbler
- Yoga mat bag takes mats up to 23 inches wide and has a zipped wet pocket at the base
- 20L tote carries the mat on the outside and the shoes in their own vented bin
- Four of the five sit at 4.5 stars or higher
- Durability comments on the mat bag and the tote are close to half negative: ripped straps, fraying seams, a broken handle
- Pickleball backpack draws zipper pull and shoe-bin size complaints
- Magnetic sling doesn't close at the top, and one buyer says the magnets failed
- Makeup bag has no ratings and the thinnest listing of the five
- Several listings give two different sets of dimensions
Best for: Pickleball players who want one bag for paddles, balls and shoes, and gym regulars who want their bottle stuck to the machine instead of on the floor.
Skip it if: You want a mat bag or gym tote you can load heavily for years, or you need buyer evidence before paying for a makeup bag.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them, linked to the full review where Amazon gives one. See how we review.
