Adidas Defender Small Review

The Adidas Defender is a utilitarian bag that serves its purpose without stealing the show. If all you need is a bag to store some light equipment that's easy to carry and can resist the occasional light shower or puddle, this is a great option at an affordable price.

Performance Comparison

Storage and Ease of Packing

The Defender has a very traditional — yet completely sufficient — pocket design. The main storage compartment is accessed by a large D-shaped flap, ideal for fitting and storing larger items. During testing, we had no trouble tossing in foam rollers, large water bottles, soccer balls, and extra clothes. Although the fabric is quite thin, the Defender held its shape well. When open, the flap stays out of the way, letting us easily load and access the equipment we tossed inside.

On either end of the Defender are two smaller zipper storage pockets. Both were accessed by a single zipper. We were thankful that these pockets had dedicated space — that is, not cutting into the space of the main compartment — enabling us to easily use them even when the main chamber was full. These pockets were just large enough to fit a pair of cleats, running shoes, or sandals. We wish that they were just a tad larger and closed with two zippers versus one.

There were two final small zippered pockets on the Defender, one inside the main pouch and one on the front side of the bag. Both these small pockets were ideal for organizing smaller items like sunglasses, keys, or headphones.

Ease of Transport

The nicest part about lugging around the Defender is that its weight and small size make it easy to toss around and shove in small spaces. During our testing, we tossed it into the trunk, behind and underneath car seats, and under bleachers where it fit with ease.

Beyond that, there were not many features of the Defender that stood out. Similar to most traditional duffel bags, there are no backpack straps, though it does have both traditional suitcase-style handles and a single messenger-style shoulder strap. When the bag is heavier, the shoulder strap isn't the most comfortable to use and has no padding. Given the Defender's size, though, it's difficult to overload it. There are two grab handles on either end of the duffel, but they are so thin that we were hesitant to tug on them or carry the bag that way.

Protection

For as thin as the fabric on the Defender is, we were quite impressed with its results during our protection tests, like the high-pressure hose test.

Even after being sprayed with water for 15 seconds, the Defender kept its contents almost completely dry. It was only after an additional 30 seconds of spraying that water leaked into the bag. The bottom of the bag is lightly padded and has a water-resistant coating to help keep wet grass and puddles from soaking your gear. We found this worked well in the field, although the ventilation holes on the side pockets did let water in.

Construction Quality

Although we think this bag is a great option for daily use at the gym, we don't know how the Defender would hold up over years of use and abuse. The light fabric cuts some weight from the design of the bag but probably wouldn't stand up to really rough edges as it gets crammed and yanked in and out of spaces. That said, we didn't have any rips or tears during our testing period.

Like most value options, the hardware on the Defender is plastic — albeit a thicker plastic than others we tested. Again, we're happy that this saves on both weight and cost, but for a bag designed for athletes on the go, we'd be concerned about anything breaking over time. The seams on the bag are also questionable, especially on the thin grab handles on either end of the bag.

Weight-to-Volume Ratio

The Adidas Defender is one of the lightest bags in our lineup, and with 43 liters of storage, it also has an excellent weight-to-volume ratio.

Weighing in at exactly one pound, this ultra-light bag shaves weight through its thin fabric and plastic hardware. We appreciated the minimalistic feel of the bag that let us focus on our gear and equipment instead of hauling extra weight before and after a workout.

Should You Buy the Adidas Defender?

If you're looking for a duffel bag that you can use for the gym, pool, or your next sports practice, the Defender is a great budget option that will get the job done. It's not the most durable over the long term and doesn't have any fancy features that will stand out from the crowd, but neither will it hold you back from doing what you need to do.

What Other Duffel Bags Should You Consider?

The other duffel bag in our lineup that stood out for gym class, sports games, or practice is the Puma Evercat Contender. There are only very minor differences between the two — while the Puma might not hold as much gear as the Adidas, it does have two breathable side compartments and slightly better construction quality. Which you prefer is probably up to style, though. If you're in the market for a duffel that can also be used for weekend travel, day trips, or road trips, the HYC00 Travel is a budget-buy bag that has plenty of organization and storage features geared for on-the-go use. If you want a more rugged bag that can keep up with the demands of extensive travel — and comes in a wide range of sizes — the Patagonia Black Hole and Gregory Alpaca are both excellent options and worth the investment. The Black Hole is equal parts stylish, rugged, and user-friendly, while the Alpaca packs many of the same high-end features as other high-scoring adventure-ready duffels at a slightly lower price point.