1. Your yoga mat bag will need
to be made of durable material. This is the most important
thing to look for. You will see many yoga mat bags made form
fine and beautiful materials but such materials will wear
very quickly and your dainty yoga mat bag can go from being
very stylish to very tatty in no time at all. Your yoga mat
bag should be practical and hardwearing above all else.
2. Avoid bags with lots of dangly
tassels, beads or other bits of hanging decoration. These
may make the bag look very pretty but they will catch on things,
and will become a nuisance. They may even cause your bag to
rip.
3. Yoga mats come in different
sizes. It is therefore crucial to make sure that your yoga
mat fits into your new yoga mat bag. The thing to do is take
your yoga mat with you when you go shopping for your yoga
mat bag. Try putting the mat into the bag and then take it
out again. Doing this should be easy, if you have to struggle
move on to another yoga mat bag. The opening at the top should
be wide enough to get your mat in and out quickly.
4. It is a good idea to buy a
yoga mat bag with lining because this will make it more durable,
and it will provide a second layer to protect your mat. Some
linings are slippery to touch, which is exactly what you want
since the lack of friction will allow you to get your mat
in and out of the bag easily.
5. There are various fastening
mechanism employed by yoga mat bag designers. Avoid zips because
they break, buttons because they are fiddly, and Velcro since
it wears quickly. You simply cannot beat a draw string. Ideally
the cord should be durable and run through hollow rivet studs
which will protect the yoga mat bag material. If the draw
string should break then it is easy to replace it. If you
have a yoga mat bag with lining then the lining should also
have a draw string or elastic to give a double sealing effect.
6. A number of people I know
use a yoga rug in addition to a yoga mat. The rug goes under
the yoga mat and provides a little extra cushioning. If you
use a yoga rug then make sure it is non slip and keep in mind
that a standard yoga mat bag will not accommodate both your
yoga mat and your yoga rug. As above, take the rug with you
when you go shopping for your yoga mat bag and make sure that
both rug and mat will fit into your yoga mat bag.
7. If you are going to be travelling
around with it your yoga mat bag and will be exposed to rain,
then you should also look for a waterproof or water resistant
fabric. If your bag gets wet a lot your mat will get damaged
because the rubber will deteriorate under prolonged exposure
to water.
8. The fabric of your yoga mat
bag should also be colour-fast so that you can wash the yoga
mat bag easily. Yoga mat bags can get quite smelly so you
need to be sure that yours will survive the wash and come
out looking pretty much the same as it did before it went
in.
9. The yoga mat bag fabric should
be shrink-proof for obvious reasons.
10. The fabric should be breathable,
in order to allow trapped moisture to escape. You can't go
wrong with cotton. As an added feature to allow moisture to
escape, a number of yoga mat bags have eyelets along their
length to allow for air movement.
11. A good yoga mat bag will
have a pocket into which you will be able to put your keys,
phone, wallet.
12. Obviously, you are going
to need water during/after your yoga session. A good yoga
mat bag will accommodate your yoga mat and will have space
for you to squeeze a bottle of water into the centre of the
rolled up mat in the bag.
13. Once you find a yoga mat
bag that you like, put your mat into it and try it on your
shoulder before paying for it. Make sure that it does not
rub or dig into your shoulder and is in all senses comfortable.
