TRI-FIT 3T triathlon transition bag review

Swim, bike, run, gym. Work, eat, sleep. Repeat. If there’s one thing all age-group triathletes will be able to agree on, it’s that taking up this multisport madness quite often means carting round an astonishing amount of kit. Between fitting in sessions before and after work (and quite often on your lunch break, too) and having to, you know, actually look like a functional and mildly professional human being in between. It’s not uncommon to leave the house in the morning feeling like you’ve got the contents of half your sporting wardrobe on your back. And that’s just the training days! Race day is a whole other story, with all your kit, nutrition and ‘just in case’ extras to get to the start line.

That’s why having a decent kit bag can be a gamechanger. But often triathlon-specific ‘transition’ bags can be just that: way too triathlon specific. Big, bulky and likely to spark rumours that you’re planning to move in to the changing rooms at your local pool long term. Which is why my weary shoulders and I were keen to test out the new TRI-FIT 3T triathlon transition bag. Because at first glance, not only does it have all the practicality and storage for training days and race days. It fits all that into a sleek design, suitable for every day use and small enough to pass as carry-on if you’re travelling. I’ve been putting it through its paces for training and racing over the last month – read on to get the verdict.

TRI-FIT 3T Transition Bag: Key Features

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The TL;DR summary: versatile triathlon bag ideal for everyday use as well as packing for race day

The attention to detail TRI-FIT put into their tri suits and other apparel has clearly been applied to their first move into the triathlon bag market. The 3T triathlon transition bag has all the compartments you need to keep your kit neat, tidy and easy to find without having to empty the entire thing. It’s easy to switch between using it as a backpack, shoulder bag or duffle bag. Add in the padded laptop compartment and the travel-friendly size, and this is a bag you can comfortably use all day, every day.

Whether you’re heading to training, commuting to work or travelling to race. The only thing that knocks this bag off from a perfect 10/10 is the fact you haven’t got a water bottle holder on the outside, which would be handy for long travel days. But that’s certainly not a deal breaker.

In-depth review

That’s the headlines, but if you want to take a deeper dive into all the finer details of this triathlon transition bag. Read on to get my tried & tested in depth review.

Design and construction

This bag is made from ripstop fabric, which uses a ‘grid weave’ construction to make it super durable and tear resistant while remaining nice and lightweight. This means you’ll be able to use this bag every day and it’ll stand up to the test of commuting and being thrown in and out of lockers. It’s easy to clean too, which means a wet and rainy race morning with a muddy transition zone won’t wreck your bag (though it may have you questioning your life choices).

The main body of the bag comes with a removable 16-section divider to make it easy to find things rather than rooting around in one cavernous abyss. And alongside several smaller zipped pockets and a mesh section to keep smaller items safe and sound. You’ve also got two waterproof and ventilated compartments to keep your wetsuit and any other wet/stinky kit separate. Ideal for double (or triple) training days, when you don’t want your used morning kit contaminating your nice fresh kit for later. What I really like is that this has a 16″ padded laptop compartment on the front too, so if you’re travelling or commuting to work you can easily pack your kit and your laptop in one bag.

Practicality

Alongside the multi-compartment design and durable construction, this bag is also really practical. The size means it’s big enough to carry everything you need, without being too big to take on public transport or to use as carry on. And you can also easily switch between using it as a backpack, a shoulder bag or a duffle bag. There’s a small zipped pocket to stow away the backpack straps when you’re not using them.

The TRI-FIT 3T triathlon transition bag also has a full horizontal zip opening so you can easily open it all the way up and find what you’re looking for. This is way easier than bags which only have a traditional backpack top opening and you end up having to rummage around without being able to see what you’re looking for. I used mine to pack for a triathlon recently where we were travelling down the morning of the race. By the time we’d navigated the 2hr journey and queued up for registration, time was pretty tight to get transition set up and get changed into my race kit ready for the start. Having everything super organised in the 3T bag definitely helped – I made it to the start line on time and ready to go!

As mentioned, the only thing that knocks a point off for this bag on the practicality front is that you haven’t got an external water bottle holder. I pretty much always have a water bottle with me, especially when I’m travelling to a race or walking around doing all the pre-race logistics. So being able to have it easily accessible without having to hold on to it is always handy.

Versatile

By incorporating multiple carrying options and adding a laptop compartment. TRI-FIT have made this triathlon transition bag really versatile – so it certainly won’t be confined to race day use only. The design is understated so you could certainly use it as your everyday bag to take to the office if you’d rather keep your triathlon habit a little more on the down low. The size means you can comfortably use it on public transport or take it as carry-on luggage on your next flight. Plus, the full zip opening means that (if the race allows it) you could also use this as your transition box on race day to keep your transition zone neat and tidy.

Verdict

It’s clear that TRI-FIT have put a lot of thought into the making of this triathlon transition bag, ticking almost every box. It’s sleek and subtle enough for every day use, but without compromising on practicality – so you’ll be able to comfortably carry all your gear whether it’s a training day or race day.