I have the zipp transition bag and it works well. It has a large main compartment, a separate vented bottom compartment for your wetsuit, two side compartments(i keep my cycling shoes in one side and running shoes in the other) on top of that it has a separate place for your helmet on the top of the bag. Very roomy and has 3 internal compartments in the main opening. I keep all my gear, including winter gear, in there at all times. not cheap though.

[QUOTE=calilargeguy;83567]I have the zipp transition bag and it works well. It has a large main compartment, a separate vented bottom compartment for your wetsuit, two side compartments(i keep my cycling shoes in one side and running shoes in the other) on top of that it has a separate place for your helmet on the top of the bag. Very roomy and has 3 internal compartments in the main opening. I keep all my gear, including winter gear, in there at all times. not cheap though.[/QUOTE]

$125 :eek:

I use an old backpack. I can think of many triathlon things I would prefer to spend money on before a transition bag, but to each his own! It [I]does[/I] look nice.

We have a few around the house... a bike cube by mountain smith, one that Ironman made, and a triathlonbag.com one. None gets a lot of use as a transition bag: they hold way more stuff than we seem to need for a shorter race, and an IM and some halves give out a bag that you need to use. That said, each has benefits over the others: the IM and tribag ones have backback straps, which can be handy. The bike cube though seems to fit things the most logically to me, and seems to be the one that we use for trips where we need biking and/or running stuff in the car. However, we share it when we do that -- more proof to me that they are often just made too big. But Mike and I are both minimalists when it comes to our transition area.

I use the TYR bag which is an oversized backpack. I really like the design. It holds everything i need and then some. I don't even have to use the expanding compartment at the bottom of the pack.

I use a reusable oversized XL type Ziploc bag as my wetsuit bag which I then stash inside my transition bag. It keeps it safe and sealed with no leaks to the rest of my gear.

I used to use a shoulder gym bag but it was dangerous and unstable to wear while riding the bike. Now I can ride from wherever I park my car to the transition zone with my gear on my back safely.

I think they're around $45-49 if you shop around. They're often on sale.

I have one of the DeSoto bags and would definitely recommend it.

Lots of room, plenty of individual compartments and pocket. Good enough for a race and big enough for bike and run gear for vacations.

I use an Akona and my wife uses Tyr--both were about $50. If I had to do it over again, I'd definitely get the Tyr bag--it holds more and actually closes on the top (the Akona is a drawstring closure).

I use the Joe & Jane bag from Rocketscience sports. I think it was around $60. I love it & it now doubles as my gym bag. It has a removeable wetsuit compartment that I'll put wet stuff in after a swim workout. My only complaint is no interior compartments.

My wife and I both use our SCUBA bags. They are like big mesh backpacks with long zippers down the sides and drawstrings on the top. Before a race, we just take all of our dive stuff out (except for the wet suit) and re-pack it with the tri stuff. It's made for getting wet, so it is very breathable and you can carry it on your back so you can ride with it.
I don't think they were very expensive, but you would probably have to go to a dive shop to pick one up.

Any old backpack of appropriate size is fine. Like Sully I prefer to spend bucks elsewhere. I used to use one of those storage bins that you see some folks use thinking it would keep stuff dry if it was raining. Trouble is it's awkward trucking it around. Now I just keep a garbage bag in my backpack & pull it over if it's raining.