Shopping for the Right MMA Backpack

As you move forward in Martial Arts you inevitably will accumulate a lot of gear and I am no different. I would consider the amount of gear that I have acquired as "light" but it is still a lot of stuff and I was looking for a way to store it and transport it all easily. After doing some searching and research I came up with a few choices of a good gear bag for all of my stuff. What were my criteria for a "good" gear bag? Glad you asked...

Mobility - At this time I do not own a car so mobility is very important. This pretty much means a traditional duffel bag is out. I may ride the bus, get a ride with my coach, or ride my bike for any given training session. I also will usually be leaving from work. This brings up one key point in my search - I am looking for a backpack and not a duffel bag.

Durability - I am willing to shell out a few extra bucks for the right bag, but that bag better be tough. The bag is going to need to survive everything from dirty soaking wet gi's to inclement weather and everything in between.

Storage - If possible I wanted to find a bag that would fit all of my gear if needed. In a perfect world this bag would not only serve as something to transport my gear in but store my gear as well. This means that the bag should be able to hold at least one heavy gi, heavy boxing gloves, some compression shorts, light MMA gloves, MMA shorts, as well as have storage for smaller things like tape and hand wraps and wet storage for my soaking wet gear after a training session. I would hate to go through all of the trouble of finding a great bag only to ruin it after a few sweaty training sessions. I also would love it if when at home my MMA gear can live in the bag at all times.

So those are my 3 main criteria. I am looking for a Backpack that holds a ton and is super durable. It should exist, right?

A few honorable mention criteria, these are criteria that are not deal breakers but would be nice in a tiebreaker: Style and additional functionality. Basically, if two bags have all identical features but one looks cooler/does more, I have to go with that bag.

I found 3 potential bags, each with pros and cons. I am going to list them from least favorite to favorite, the final bag being what I purchased and why. I will provide links to the bags at MMAWharehouse.com as it is the only site that I found that has all 3 bags and the site I ordered from.

So, on to the bags...

Bad Boy Gi Backpack - Around $50

This bag is super cool. Made from the same sturdy material a Bad Boy Gi is made out of and made to hold, you guessed it, a gi. I have never owned anything from Bad Boy but know people who do and as far as I know they have never had any complaints. The bag looks durable, mobile, and pretty cool, but does it have the storage I am looking for? Going by the pictures I see, not even close.

While this bag would be great if all I did was train Jiu Jitsu and all I needed was storage for my kimono, this bag would easily be my choice but going off of my criteria, this bag lacks the storage that I am looking for. While this may be the coolest looking bag of the group, it is far from cool enough to make up for a lack of storage. This still looks like a great bag, just not for me at this point in time.

This bag can be found at MMAWharehouse.com

Jaco Convertible Equipment Bag - Around $120

This bag is pretty sweet. When I initially started my search I was looking for a duffel bag with shoulder straps and this is pretty much it. Great storage, good mobility, and it looks durable to me but only time would tell. This bag also meets one of my bonus criteria, it looks pretty damn cool.

There is one major feature that sets this bag apart from the rest: It is a convertible. Yeah, this backpack turns into a duffel bag complete with a duffel bag shoulder strap and tons of storage - very cool. This would be great for days when I need a light backpack or other days, possibly a tournament, where I need a bag that I can fill to the brim full of equipment, water, change of clothes and whatever I may need for the day.

While this bag looks terrific, and I almost bought it, I ended going up with a bag that did all that this bag does and more.

This looks like a great bag and can be found at MMAWharehouse.com.

This brings us to our winner....

Datsusara Battlepack 02 - Around $100

I can't tell you how close I was to buying the Jaco bag, which by the way would have probably not been a bad choice. I mean, I did one last search, just to see what else was out there, and I stumbled onto this piece of awesomeness - the Datsusara Battlepack 02.

This is like the Swiss Army Knife of backpacks. Features include too many pouches to mention, laptop storage, external storage, media player storage, super durable hemp construction, all kinds of general storage, sternum strap and hideaway hip strap, included "nasty bag", straps for add-ons and a ton more. I mean, this bag meets all main criteria, bonus criteria and much much more.

Let's look at the criteria and see how this bag does:

Mobility - Yeah, it is a backpack. I have yet to receive the bag but I am expecting it to be pretty large but that is okay, I wanted storage. More room means bigger bag. The strap construction looks similar to a bag I have now and love and with the hideaway waist strap and sternum strap this thing is ready to go on a hike or bike ride any time.

Durability - This bag is constructed of hemp canvas which according to the manufacturer is highly durable and anti microbial, an added bonus. It is military spec (whatever that means) and just looks rugged. As with anything, durability will be measured over time but this bag looks like it is built right.

Storage - This thing will hold two gi's. One external, one internal. External storage (super cool) can come in useful for wet stinky gear as well and just look cool the rest of the time. While holding the two gi's it can fit my large boxing gloves, small MMA gloves, training shorts, compression shorts and a TON more. This bag might have more storage than the Jaco without being convertible. Sweet.

Bonus Criteria - This bag meets both - good looks and tons of added functionality. While this bag may have taken last place in the looks department it still is not a bad looking bag and as far as additional features, this bag takes the cake. Included nasty bag (for wet clothing), external storage, tons of pouches, removable logos, hideaway waist straps etc... See of those weird little loops all over the bag? Those are for add-ons that can clip onto the bag. Everything from extra pouches to canteens to medical kits can be attached to this bag so not only is it already loaded with features you can also add more as you please! This bag has more features than I ever thought a bag could have. This was the kicker with this bag that propelled it above the Jaco as my choice - it meets all criteria and then some.

The bag can be found at MMAWharehouse.com.

and Datsusara even posted a video walkthrough on YouTube that really sold me on this bag (I will post the vid later).

So needless to say I am glad I shopped around a bit. While I am sure the Jaco would have been fine the Datsusara Battlepack just had everything I wanted and a ton more. It is a super cool looking bag with a tactical influence that really hit the mark as far as what I was looking for. Tons of storage, great mobility, built to last and a ton of added features with a sleek black on black color scheme. I ordered the bag yesterday and am expecting it soon. I will have to post some pics and reactions but I am pretty sure I will be happy with this bag.