What is the best bag to use for triathlon? Here are the top 8 transition bags for stashing your tri gear

A triathlon bag (also called transition bag) may not be a mandatory purchase for your racing endeavours. In the past we’ve seen, and used, holdalls, plastic boxes and bin bags, all with varying degrees of success. But along with your tri-suit, it will be one of the most useful purchases for tri racing – trust us.

However, a triathlon-specific bag will make your life a whole lot easier, so much so that you’ll wonder how you previously survived without one. They can also act as a badge of honour, signalling to fellow multisporters that you’re not only a triathlete in the pool, but also in the departure lounge and city centre cycle lane. Read on to find the top 8 options we’ve tested for triathletes…

1. Huub TT Bag

Huub’s stylish TT (‘transition three’) bag has previously won our group test and continues to impress. Key features include a 40-litre capacity, a clever mesh foldaway helmet cradle and both wet and dry sections. The bottom wet compartment was large enough for all my soggy swim kit and kept it completely away from dry stuff.

The main bag is split into two, which meant we could easily separate our bike and run kit. Multiple small pockets are handy and you also get two mesh bottle storage areas on the sides, which is ideal for bottles. The materials all feel top quality, while padded straps and a cushioned back panel make it comfortable. This is a bag designed by a brand that really understands triathlon and, although roomy enough for all my kit, it wasn’t unwieldy.

2. Orca Transition Bag

Like the Huub, this 70-litre bag feels well-constructed and offers a lot of clever storage solutions designed with triathletes in mind. A top pocket stores your bike helmet, while the bottom is wet storage for swim gear. Meanwhile a genius section opens up to house two pairs of bike/run shoes with Velcro pop-up separators, also keeping mud off your apparel. The padded/shell helmet area is a great addition.

It’s easy to find what you’re looking for and a bright green lining helps with visibility. Two padded straps allow you to carry the bag as a rucksack, while one large strap converts it to a duffle bag. There are multiple small pockets, too, including a padded pocket for sunnies. Overall this is a superbly-designed bag, but my only caveat was it felt a little large/heavy and unwieldy for this 5ft6in (168cm) tall female tester.

3. Huub Travel Backpack

Huub has designed the Travel Backpack to strike a balance between a work pack and a transition bag. Given its 24-litre capacity and slimline design, I was dubious about how well it’d live up to the second half of that promise, but I was pleasantly surprised. In a tardis-like stroke of magic, I pretty much managed to fit everything into this pack for race day. That includes a wetsuit, towel, goggles, (size 11) bike shoes, energy gels, swim cap, water bottle and helmet (strapped to the outside). There’s then some leftover space for things like extra socks, a jumper and race documents. I’d be hard-pushed to squeeze run shoes in there with everything else, but I’m normally wearing them on my feet when going to a race, anyway.

That storage is arranged cleverly, too. There’s a separate compartment at the bottom (accessed from the side) for dirty shoes or a wetsuit, though it’s not waterproof. A main compartment is accessed via a clamshell-style zip that opens the whole front section, which makes it easy to load and grab things. Inside, there are further zip pockets for small items like nutrition, swim caps and other small bits. There’s one elasticated side pocket that’ll take a bidon, but any extra ones will have to go inside the bag. A mesh helmet holder slips out of its own pocket at the bottom and clips your lid in securely on the front of the pack.

On the travel/work side of things, you’ve got a spacious laptop compartment down the back and rear straps that allow you to slide the pack onto a suitcase handle. Carry comfort is reasonable over shorter distances, but prepare to get a sweaty back if it’s hot. The pack would work well when travelling to overseas (or UK) races, but look elsewhere if you need more space, want a waterproof wetsuit compartment, or extra bottle storage. 

4. Zone3 Transition

I’ve tested this pack several times in the past and have always been impressed. A key feature here is the division of the main compartment, enhancing race-day convenience because of the ability to file swim, bike and run kit into different areas (swim kit is stored in the waterproof compartment at the bottom). The middle section’s ability to open out also makes it adept for lying flat on pool benches or in transition.

There’s a selection of additional zipped mesh pockets throughout the inside of the bag, allowing you to file each bit of kit into its own space. Additional neat touches include a phone pocket with an earphone outlet, side mesh pockets for water bottles, the ability to stand the bag up and a reinforced lid for helmet protection.

5. KitBrix Hero Bag

KitBrix’s modular design allows you to create a storage solution to suit your needs, as each 20-litre bag can be zipped up together. They are rather expensive, though, particularly if you want a few. One bag on its own is certainly not going to provide enough space for all of your tri kit, but two together would prove sufficient.

The modular design would also mean you can easily keep wet or dirty kit in one bag and dry kit in another, while a variety of internal zip pockets and external mesh pouches provide storage solutions for race admin and smaller items. The bag is robust in its construction, offering good protection against the elements, but the zip isn’t the smoothest and the bags aren’t the most comfortable to carry, either. There’s a shoulder strap, but the boxy design makes it feel bulky and awkward.

6. Thule RoundTrip Bike Duffel

The RoundTrip is aimed primarily at cyclists, but it also does a decent job for triathletes. It takes the shape of a (rather large) duffel bag, so there are no shoulder straps here. Instead, there’s one sling-style strap.

One end of the bag has a shoe compartment, though it’s large enough to take a wetsuit and uses water-resistant materials, plus has drainage holes. Of course, this does mean it’s not entirely waterproof. There are also two zip pockets on the side that’ll take all of your small items. Inside the main compartment there’s a network of partitions for you to store items.

This web of storage spaces is a nice idea, but it does make it difficult to fit both bike and run shoes in alongside your helmet. If you have considerably smaller feet than I do (UK11), this might be easy for you. You can fold the structure away, but you’re then left with one big space to work with, which isn’t ideal. Plus, the folded away structure will take up a little bit of space (you can’t fully unclip it and take it away, as it’s stitched in at one side. At one end, there’s also space for a helmet, with padding on the outer for protection, which is great to see. As we’ve come to expect from Thule, the build quality is exceptional.

7. Topeak PakGo GearPack

The GearPack is cube-shaped with shell sides and a flexible middle so it can be packed small to store/stash away (handy if your transition has size limits), but then pulls out to create a kind of portable kit locker. With three main sections comprising a mucky shoes storage area, bike helmet section and apparel section, it’s nicely divided up for athletes.

There are then six additional pockets for smaller items. There’s also a twin strap that can be clipped on to turn it into a rucksack, which is handy if you need your hands free. At a max capacity of 38 litres, it’s among the smaller on test, but an external helmet clip frees up the internal pocket. One extra nifty feature is that the two sides also fold down, allowing you to use the central area for storage and the two sides to neatly lay your gear out on.

8. Zoot Ultra Tri Bag

The canvas fabric makes the Ultra Tri stand out from much of the competition and, the bulbous protective helmet compartment aside, it ticks the aesthetic boxes. It also ticks race-day boxes, with an internal checklist of race items, secure bottle storage, multiple mesh pockets, and a sizeable and removable dry bag for wet kit. It opens out fully – suitcase style – which is a huge bonus for overseas multisport adventures.

The comfy straps and ergonomic back panels also make it ideal for long journeys. Being 42-litre and 62cm (24.4 inches) tall could cause issues with the more draconian of airline staff. The lack of suitability for commuting and pool or gym sessions is also worth noting.

Frequently asked questions about triathlon bags

Features to look for in the best triathlon bags

A designated waterproof wetsuit compartment – whether built-in or removable – is ideal for any race involving open-water swimming, preventing your kit and car boot from becoming a soggy mess post-race. Separate pockets for race fuel, admin (entry forms and race licence), tools and water bottles are highly recommended, while comfy straps are ideal for the often long walk (hello Windsor Triathlon) from the race car park to the transition area.

Also, try to remember that a transition bag doesn’t have to be just for race day, with many of those on test here being versatile enough to use for commuting, the gym and swim sessions. And it’s worth noting airlines’ cabin bag limits if you have international ventures planned. These vary from airline to airline and seem to be shrinking, meaning some of the bags tested here could be destined for the hold, which will incur extra charges.

If you need to take your bike abroad too, read out guide to the best bike boxes.

How we tested triathlon bags

All of these triathlon bags have been independently tested by members of our gear reviewing team. In this case, that’s 220 Triathlon editor Helen Webster, former content editor Rob Slade, and former features editor Matt Baird. Between them, they have over 30 years of experience testing kit.

When testing these triathlon bags, we’ve either used them when preparing for actual races or packed them as if it was the night before an event. We’ve tested them based on organisation, durability, value for money, ease of packing/unpacking and whether there’s dedicated space for wet or dirty kit.

Meet our testers

220 Triathlon Editor Helen Webster is our lead swim tester and is a qualified open-water swim coach. Former 220 Triathlon Content Editor Rob Slade still contributes occasional reviews to 220 and competes in triathlon. Matt Baird used to be features editor of 220 Triathlon and is a published triathlon author. There are few kinds of multisport challenge he hasn’t taken on.

Recent updates

• October 2025: we added more information about our testers
• April 2026: we added schema tables to each of our specs tables, added to our best table, and updated our products, plus product links.
• May 2026: we have condensed the buyers guide down to the best 8 bags available. We’ve also added all 8 bags to our ‘at a glance’ box and added an FAQ section.