Yoga mat bags: match the bag to your mat, then pack it for class

A mat bag has two jobs. It has to close around your mat. It also has to carry the rest of class: a bottle, a phone and keys, sometimes shoes, and a damp top on the way home. Most of the trouble starts with the first job, because mats differ more than they look rolled up in a corner. A 1/8 inch travel mat and a 1/2 inch cushioned mat end up very different sizes, and a mat wider than the width a bag is listed for may not close inside it. So start with a tape measure, then choose the bag type, the pockets and the strap. Every Sportsnew mat bag sits on one shelf, if you want them open in another tab as you go.

Measure your mat: width, length, thickness and the rolled diameter

Lay the mat flat and measure three things. Width is the short side, and it matters more than people think, because a rolled mat is exactly as long as the mat is wide. A 24 inch wide mat becomes a 24 inch tube. Length is the long side, and it sets how many turns the roll makes. Thickness is printed on most tags, or you can measure the edge with a ruler: 1/8 inch is about 3 mm, 1/4 inch about 6 mm, and 1/2 inch about 13 mm.

The number a bag cares about most is the rolled diameter, and thickness moves it in a way that surprises people. Here is the arithmetic. Seen from the end, a tight roll is a disc whose area equals the mat's side section, which is length times thickness. That gives a diameter of 2 × √(length × thickness ÷ 3.14). Try it on a 68 inch mat. At 1/8 inch thick, 68 × 0.125 is 8.5, divided by 3.14 is 2.7, the square root is 1.65, and doubled it comes to about 3.3 inches. The same steps at 1/4 inch give about 4.7 inches. At 1/2 inch you get about 6.6 inches. Doubling the thickness multiplies the diameter by about 1.4, not by 2.

Treat that result as the floor, not the answer. Real rolls trap air between the turns, and a mat rolled in a hurry at the end of class is looser than one rolled slowly on the living room floor. So measure the real thing as well. Roll your mat the way you usually do, wrap a soft tape around the middle, read the circumference and divide by 3.14. A 20 inch circumference means a roll about 6.4 inches across. If one end of the roll flares, measure that end.

Now hold your numbers against ours. The Sportsnew Drawstring Yoga Mat Bag with Wet Pocket is 31 inches long and 7.6 inches across, and we list it for mats up to 23 inches wide and 69 inches long. The Sportsnew Full-Zip Yoga Mat Carrier measures 31 by 7.5 inches with the same 23 by 69 inch fit. When your measured roll comes close to a bag's diameter, plan on rolling tighter before you load it. A mat wider than 23 inches points you toward the Puffy Full-Zip, which we list for mats up to 29 inches wide. A bag that carries the mat on the outside is the other route.

Six bag types, and which Sportsnew bag is which

Mat bags come in a handful of shapes, and each shape decides how the mat goes in, how much else rides along, and how the bag hangs off you. Here is how our range splits.

Drawstring tube

A fabric tube with a cord at the top and a strap down the side. The Sportsnew Drawstring Yoga Mat Bag with Wet Pocket takes mats 23 by 69 inches and from 1/8 inch up to 8 mm thick. It weighs 330 g and comes in Medium and Large. You feed the mat in from the top, so a loose roll catches on the opening. With more than 1,100 ratings, it is the most rated bag on our mat shelf.

Full-zip carrier

A zip runs down the length of the bag, so you lay the mat in rather than push it through a ring. The Full-Zip Yoga Mat Carrier adds a quick-open drawstring at the top and is cut for thicker mats, 1/4 inch to 2/5 inch, up to 10 mm. It suits a cushioned mat, or anyone who rolls loosely.

Puffy bag

The Sportsnew Puffy Full-Zip Yoga Mat Bag is a full-zip bag made of puffy polyester fabric. We list it for mats up to 29 inches wide and up to 2/5 inch thick, at a 7.5 inch rolled diameter, and it weighs 360 g.

Open-top long bag

The Sportsnew Long Open-Top Yoga Mat Bag has a large top opening and a built-in adjustable mat strap. Your mat stands in it with the top showing, and a block can ride alongside. It weighs 160 g, folds flat, and takes mats 1/8, 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick.

Hook-and-loop tote

The Sportsnew Hook-and-Loop Yoga Mat Tote is a 19 L tote with a hook-and-loop holder that wraps your mat. It takes mats 1/8, 1/5, 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick, and we state a minimum rolled diameter of 6 inches (16 cm) for the holder.

Gym tote with a mat strap

The Sportsnew 20L Yoga Gym Tote with Shoe Bin measures 17 x 7.5 x 21 inches and carries the mat under an external adjustable strap, for mats 1/8 to 1/2 inch thick. The Sportsnew Quilted Yoga Tote with Laptop Pocket holds 18 L and keeps a rolled mat in a front cradle under two adjustable straps. Both live on our gym bags and yoga totes shelf. A tote carries the mat on the outside and leaves its body free for a change of clothes, a laptop or shoes. That makes it the shape for days when class sits between work and home.

Pockets that matter after class

Before class every bag looks roomy. After class you hold a damp top and a bottle that has sweated through its sleeve. Add a phone you want out of the way and, if you came from work, a pair of shoes. Three pockets decide whether that walk home is tidy.

The first is the wet pocket. On the Drawstring Yoga Mat Bag it is a zip pocket across the bottom, 2.7 inches high. On the Full-Zip Carrier it sits in the same place and grows to 3.2 inches. Think of that space as room for a damp layer folded flat, kept away from the mat above it. The Puffy Full-Zip and the Hook-and-Loop Tote both have a waterproof-lined wet pocket. On the 20L Gym Tote the wet-dry pocket is transparent, so you can see on Monday what is still inside. A hanging interior pocket takes the place of a wet pocket on the Long Open-Top bag, which makes it the one for days when nothing comes home wet and your bottle is big. All of our bags with a wet pocket are gathered on the wet pocket page.

The second is the bottle pocket, and here a 40 oz tumbler narrows the list fast. Three of our mat bags state a fit for it. On the Hook-and-Loop Tote, a stretch mesh pocket takes a 40 oz tumbler with or without a handle. The Puffy Full-Zip takes 40 to 64 oz bottles with a handle in a zippered side pocket that also closes with a drawstring. For 40 to 64 oz bottles, the Long Open-Top has an exterior drawstring pocket. The Drawstring bag and the Full-Zip Carrier have a front drawstring bottle pocket, but we give no bottle size for it, so measure your bottle against it before you count on it. If a tumbler is the thing you carry most, our guide to holders for a 40 oz tumbler covers sleeves and handles in more detail.

The third is shoe space, and only one bag in this group has it. The 20L Yoga Gym Tote keeps shoes in a separate compartment, apart from 11 divided pockets, a side mesh pocket and a key clip. Straight from the office to a studio, that compartment keeps street shoes away from a clean top. More bags built around a shoe compartment are on the shoe compartment page.

Small things still need a home. The Drawstring bag and the Full-Zip Carrier each have a side zip pocket 7.8 inches long for a phone, keys and a wallet, and the Full-Zip adds a key chain. On the Puffy bag the side zip pocket is a hidden one, and a key chain hangs inside the bag.

Straps and carrying on a commute

Each of our tube bags hangs from one adjustable strap. On the Drawstring bag and the Full-Zip Carrier it lets out to 47 inches, and the Full-Zip strap is the widened one. On the Long Open-Top the strap is widened too, and the Puffy bag has a plain adjustable one. The Hook-and-Loop Tote is carried on a single tote strap over one shoulder. For hand carry, the 20L Gym Tote has a padded handle. The Quilted Tote has two top handles and a rear luggage sleeve, which slides over the handle of a rolling suitcase.

For advice on load and straps, we went to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Its OrthoInfo page on backpack safety is written for children and teens carrying school loads, and it says to always use both shoulder straps. A mat bag has one strap, so take the rest of its advice as the part that carries over. It says to tighten the straps to keep the load closer to the back. Heavier items go low and toward the center, and it advises packing light, with only what the day needs. It even suggests a smaller water bottle, since a full one is heavy. And it names a crossbody bag as a good alternative for carrying books and supplies.

Put that into practice on your own route. On foot, shorten the strap until the bag rides against your side instead of swinging at your knee. Put the full bottle in the lowest pocket rather than at the top of the bag. If your strap reaches far enough to cross your chest, try wearing it that way in front of a mirror before a long walk. On the subway, hold a 31 inch tube upright by the strap, close to your legs. Shut the zip or drawstring fully so nothing slides out at a sudden stop. A tote with the mat on the outside is shorter, though the roll still sticks out past the bag.

A bike is the hardest case for any bag hanging off one shoulder. Keep the strap short and the load close, as OrthoInfo says for backpacks, and keep the bottom of a long tube well clear of the rear wheel. Handle-carry totes are the awkward ones here, so on bike days a tube on a short strap makes more sense than the 20L Gym Tote or the Quilted Tote. When the ride is long, a backpack frees both shoulders, and our travel bags and backpacks are worth a look for that leg of the trip.

Hygiene: a damp mat and wet clothes in a closed bag

A closed fabric tube is a handy way to carry a mat and a poor place to leave a damp one. Sweat, a wiped-down mat and a wet top all bring moisture into the bag, and once the zip is shut, there is little air moving inside.

The US Environmental Protection Agency puts the rule plainly in A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home: "The key to mold control is moisture control." Mold may begin growing when spores land on wet surfaces, the agency explains, and none of the many types of mold will grow without water or moisture. It advises drying water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. When damp materials are dried in that window, it says, in most cases mold will not grow. The same page notes that mold gradually destroys the things it grows on, and that absorbent or porous materials may have to be thrown away if they become moldy. One of its photos even shows mold on a suitcase stored in a humid basement. To fight condensation, it suggests more ventilation or air movement, by opening doors or windows and using fans.

For a mat bag, that turns into a short routine. Empty the wet pocket the same day, even if you are tired, and leave its zip open so the lining can air out. Take the mat out when you get home and unroll it on the floor or over a chair, so both faces dry before it goes back into the tube. Leave a full-zip bag open along its length overnight, or hang a drawstring tube with the cord loose and the opening down. If you wiped the mat after class, give it extra time, because the inner turns of a roll dry last.

A few habits keep the problem from starting. Do not store the bag zipped in a car trunk or a locker with the mat still damp inside it. Keep wet clothes in the wet pocket rather than loose against the mat, and change them out before the next class. Wipe the inside of the wet pocket with a damp cloth now and then and let it dry open. If you notice a musty smell, treat it as a sign of moisture and dry everything fully before you pack again. The Long Open-Top bag has no zip to close over a damp mat, and the 20L Gym Tote's clear wet-dry pocket shows you at a glance when something was left behind.

How other brands' mat bags compare

Several brands make bags in the same shapes. Here is what three of them state on their own product pages, read in October 2026, next to what we state for ours. A blank means the page we read did not give that detail. We leave prices out, since they change.

The useful comparison is shape, not brand. Notice what each page counts. A figure in liters tells you how much else fits beside the mat, while a diameter tells you whether the mat fits at all. Most of our tube bags give a diameter, and our totes give liters. Vooray gives its bag as a 29.1 inch long box with a 9.1 inch square end and 15 L inside. That is a bag for more than a mat, and its page describes the fit only as most yoga and Pilates mats. Lululemon gives 5.6 by 30 inches and 16 L, with a strap that reaches 55 inches. Set that 5.6 inch figure next to the rolled diameter you measured, the same way you would with our 7.5 and 7.6 inch tubes. Pockets split the same way. The Vooray page names a wet/dry pocket and the Lululemon page an exterior bottle pocket, so each answers a different part of the after-class problem. Manduka lists the Go Play 5.0 at 14.25 by 9.75 inches with a zip pocket for a phone, and its care note reads spot clean only. If you want the same comparison across our other bags, the Sportsnew compared with other brands page covers bottle slings and pickleball bags as well.

What the table cannot tell you is how your own mat behaves. A bag that names a mat width and thickness gives you two numbers to test against your tape, and a bag that names only a rolled diameter gives you one. Where a page gives neither, bring your mat to the bag, or measure the bag's opening and compare it with your roll before you decide. A roll you tighten with care at home is looser when you pack up in a hurry after class, so leave yourself some room.

A packing list for class

Packing goes faster when every item has a fixed pocket. Pack the same way every time and you will notice at the door when something is missing. The list below assumes a 60 to 90 minute class and a trip home before the mat is unrolled again. Adjust it for hot rooms, early starts or a straight run from the office.

Two items make most of the difference. The wet pocket only helps if wet things go into it. And the bottle is heavier than it looks: 40 fluid ounces of water weigh about 2.6 pounds before you add the bottle itself. Carried at the top of a long bag, that weight pulls the strap off your shoulder with every step. Put the bottle low, keep phone and keys in a zip pocket you can reach without unzipping the mat, and the bag stays balanced on the walk in.

Your pre-class routine changes the list more than the bag does. A hot class adds a second towel and a spare top, and both take more room than a tube has around a rolled mat, so a tote earns its place. An early class before work adds office shoes, a laptop and a lunch. That calls for the 20L Gym Tote if shoes are the problem, or the Quilted Yoga Tote if the laptop is. A Saturday class at the end of the block needs nothing but the mat, a bottle and keys, and the 160 g Long Open-Top is enough.

Pack the night before when you can, and leave the bag by the door with the wet pocket open so it starts the morning dry. In the first week, walk through the list with the bag in front of you. Anything that has no pocket either moves into the body of a tote or stays at home. If you play other sports, our pickleball packing guide takes the same item-by-pocket approach to paddles, balls and court shoes.

Which Sportsnew mat bag fits your class

Start from your mat and your route, and the choice gets short. When two situations apply, let the mat decide first: a bag that will not close around your roll is no use, whatever its pockets. Here is how the situations we hear about most map onto our range.

Your mat is a standard 1/8 inch to 8 mm mat, 23 inches wide or narrower, and you want the simplest bag that closes. Take the Sportsnew Drawstring Yoga Mat Bag with Wet Pocket. It has a wet pocket across the bottom, a front bottle pocket and a 7.8 inch side zip pocket. Sizes are Medium and Large, in solid colors and in prints such as Blue Leaf and Bohemian Style.

Your mat is cushioned, 1/4 inch or thicker, and you roll it loosely after class. The Sportsnew Full-Zip Yoga Mat Carrier lets you lay the mat in along a zip and takes mats up to 10 mm thick. Its wet pocket is the taller one, at 3.2 inches.

Your mat is wider than 23 inches, or you carry a 40 to 64 oz handled bottle. The Sportsnew Puffy Full-Zip Yoga Mat Bag is listed for mats up to 29 inches wide and has a waterproof-lined wet pocket.

You want a light bag that stays open for drying, with room for a block. The Sportsnew Long Open-Top Yoga Mat Bag weighs 160 g, folds flat and takes 40 to 64 oz bottles outside.

You carry a 40 oz tumbler and want a tote rather than a tube. The Sportsnew Hook-and-Loop Yoga Mat Tote holds 19 L, wraps the mat in a hook-and-loop holder and has a waterproof-lined wet pocket.

You come from work with shoes, or you go to a gym class as often as to a studio. The Sportsnew 20L Yoga Gym Tote with Shoe Bin gives shoes their own compartment and straps the mat outside. If you bring a laptop instead, the Sportsnew Quilted Yoga Tote with Laptop Pocket fits one up to 15.6 inches and slides onto a suitcase handle. To see every shape at once, our full catalog puts the mat bags next to the totes and bottle slings.

Sportsnew has made bags for the things people carry to a workout since 2019. Whichever shape you choose, measure your roll first, give your bottle a low pocket, and dry the bag open after every class.