It sounds lame, but I researched the gym bag I wanted pretty extensively. Going to the gym takes a lot of effort for me, so I wanted accessories that both made the trip easier and more fun. The Adidas Squad checked all the boxes.

Easy factor: What sets the Squad apart is the triple threat of the 1) separate, ventilated shoe pocket, 2) jewelry pocket (which I'm skeptical I'll ever feel safe using, but at least it's there), and -- this is the one that's hard to find in combination with a shoe pocket -- 3) the mesh water bottle pocket on the side. Also, this bag is fairly small but big enough for everything you need at the gym. Some of the other competitor bags are much larger, and people complained about that in the reviews.

Fun factor: I like the colors of this bag, and paid a premium of probably $5-$8 to get the purple vs. other color combos that were options for me. Was that worth it? Probably not, honestly. I could have gotten a grey/pink or a pink/blue one, with Prime shipping, for about $7 less and I probably would have been just as happy. That's my only regret.