Our Favorite Gym Bag Essentials of 2025

Welcome to SELF Checkout, a series in which we share the wellness-boosting products currently in our carts. In each installment, you can expect to find our staffers’ essentials as well as genuinely useful splurges and group-chat-worthy finds.

No workout is complete without our favorite leggings and sports bra, but gym bag essentials like water bottles, headphones, anti-chafe sticks, and other little must-haves are the low-key MVPs of our sessions. And if you’ve ever tried exercising only to wind up feeling uncomfortable and distracted the whole time, you know how important it is to pack your gym bag with items that’ll help you feel comfy, confident, and focused.

SELF’s staff includes runners, weightlifters, climbers, and hikers. But however we like to move, we always show up for our activities well-prepared. If your duffel bag is looking a little empty, we know exactly which necessities you should pick up. Check out four editors’ go-to items below—they’re just what you need to upgrade everything from your warm-ups to your cool-downs.

Katie Gunderman, SELF’s associate social media manager

Gunderman packs her (hot pink!) FP Movement bag with time-tested gear. “I have had my AirPods Max for a few years now and I would not be able to live without them,” she says. She adds that their noise cancellation is second to none, and their replaceable ear cups are easy to swap out when it’s time for a fresh pair (“which comes in handy if you’re a sweaty girl like me”).

Her Nike Free Metcon cross trainers have been her go-to gym shoes for the last three years. They’ve seen her through HIIT workouts, runs, and lifting sessions. (The experts would approve: Personal trainers also love the Free Metcons, thanks to their flexible yet grippy sole.)

For true workhorse status, Gunderman has relied on her Hydro Flask (arguably the mother of all reusable water bottles) for a whopping nine years, toting it to countless gyms and volleyball sessions. “This is my absolute ride or die,” she says.

We also love that Gunderman doesn’t stop at deodorant when she freshens up post-workout. “Orebella’s Blooming Fire Parfum lives in my gym bag,” she says. “It’s a floral summer gardenia scent I can’t get enough of. After a shower at the gym, this is my favorite scent to put on. Ms. Bella Hadid ate with these.”

Lexi Herrick, SELF’s senior director of audience

More of an outdoorsy person than a gym-goer? Take notes: Herrick hits the trails with everything she needs for an easy, breezy day outside.

She starts with Osprey’s super comfortable (and surprisingly roomy) Skimmer hydration pack: “I can fill it with water, snacks, and a light layer and still move like I’m not carrying a boulder on my back!” Then she fills up her Stanley IceFlow (a nice, leakproof alternative to the standard 40-ounce FlowState) and dabs on Tula’s Protect + Glow Daily Sunscreen Gel, which leaves a dewy finish without causing breakouts. “It makes me look alive and keeps me protected,” Herrick says.