Whether you van life full time or just like to take the occasional long road trip, laundry is always a struggle. Finding a place to do it, lugging it all the way over there, waiting, paying…
One thing that can make this process a little easier is a decent laundry bag. The right laundry bag will not only make carrying your travel laundry easier, it can also mitigate some of the odors and other issues that arise with long-term laundry storage.
I’ve compiled this list of my favorite travel laundry bags to help you make the right choice for your next laundromat trip. (They also make great van life accessory gifts for the digital nomad in your life!)
Best Travel Laundry Bags at a Glance
Dirty Laundry: the Digital Nomad's Ongoing Struggle
If there’s one thing digital nomads say they miss most about a stationary life, it’s a washing machine. Let me tell you, if you’re reading this and you have a washing machine, you don’t even know how good you have it!
There are ways to get creative about doing laundry on the road. You can rent out an AirBnb for a few days, for example, which can also be a nice break from van living if you need to stretch out a bit. If you have friends or family in the area, hit them up and ask to borrow their machine (just make sure you are a perfect house guest!)
You could also install a portable washing machine in your van—however, these can be notoriously unreliable. You can also opt for the quick and easy solution of a five-gallon bucket and a clothes line if you don’t have too much heavy stuff to do.
The Best Travel Laundry Bags of 2024
Regardless of how you get your laundry done, you’re going to need durable travel laundry bags to do it. Let’s take a look at some of the best travel laundry bags available this year.
Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Laundry Sack
This ultra lightweight, compact Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate laundry bag folds into its own pocket for storage, so you can easily fit it into luggage or stash it somewhere out of sight in your van. It holds up to 33L but folds down small enough to fit into a purse.
The bag is treated with an anti-odor treatment to stop odors from escaping while it’s acting as a laundry hamper. The cinch drawstring closure doubles as a crossbody strap to make trips to the laundromat easier.
The bag is machine washable and has a lifetime manufacture warranty.
Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Clean/Dirty Cube
The Eagle Creek Pack-It Isolate Clean/Dirty travel laundry bag has a floating divider to keep clean and dirty clothes separate. The material is lightweight and breathable, and treated with anti-odor treatment. Each compartment is water resistant and seals in moisture to prevent cross-contamination.
Keeping your clean and dirty clothes straight can be tricky when you have limited space. You don’t want dirty clothes or sweaty clothes touching your clean clothes on a backpacking trip, but you may not have space to separate them–and stuffing dirty clothes into a plastic bag leads to mildew, mold, and odors.
The cube holds up to 7.5L–perfect for a weekend getaway or camping trip.
Guppyfriend Washing Bag
Did you know that washing synthetic clothes leads to pollution? The Guppyfriend washing bag is a small untreated, recyclable Polyamide fabric sack that holds your synthetic clothes in the washing machine and traps the plastic particles before they make it into the water. You can empty the debris out into a garbage can.
When you wash synthetic materials, tiny, invisible beads of microplastic end up in the water. These can then drain into the ocean and end up in the bellies of fish and other creatures. Not cool!
The bag measures 29.1 x 19.7 in., large enough to wash several items at once. Regardless of which type of travel laundry bags you use, consider using a Guppyfriend if you wear synthetic clothes.
REI Co-op Laundry Pack
The REI Co-op laundry pack has comfortable, padded backpack straps, a drawstring closure, and a small inner mesh bag to hold keys, wallet, phone and anything else you need to bring along (coins for the machines, perhaps?)
If you’re a backpacker, getting your laundry bags to the laundromat can be a hassle. Without a car, you’re reliant on public transport, and may have to resort to walking a pretty long way if none is available. A laundry bag with backpack straps makes this walk a thousand times easier.
It’s made of water resistant material and has mesh sides—so its breathable but won’t put your underwear on display for all the world to see like most mesh laundry bags do.
Laundry Bag Backpack
The only problem with the REI backpack laundry bags is that they run a little small. For a beefier, large capacity laundry bag backpack, check out this travel laundry bag from Azhido. It holds up to 115L, so it’s almost guaranteed to hold everything you need.
This great quality laundry bag can even double as a carry on bag in a pinch, and makes a great laundry hamper because of its rigid Oxford cloth material. It comes in a range of colors and measures 15″L x 15″W x 40″H.
Pelican Waterproof Dry Bag
The Pelican Waterproof Dry Bag ain’t messin’ around when it comes to keeping laundry clean and dry.
There’s nothing worse than pulling your fresh, clean, dry clothes out of the dryer, packing them into your laundry bag….and getting them wet on the way home. Whether it’s rain, an accidental drop, or a river crossing (hey, it happens!) you need to get your clothes home safe.
A water resistant bag is nice, but only a fully waterproof dry bag can keep your precious cargo totally dry. And a dry bag with backpack straps makes the journey even easier. This one comes in two sizes–10L and 30L–and is guaranteed to keep your clean clothes dry.
Tips for Storing Dirty Clothes as a Traveler
Storing your til laundry day can be a challenge. Here are some tips for keeping your dirty clothes out of the way, smelling okay, and free from bacteria.
Pack your clothes in laundry cubes – one cube for clean and one for dirty. Transfer used laundry from the clean cube to dirty as you go, and replace with items from the clean side of the dirty clothes cube.
Use a compression bag for dirty clothes so you don’t overflow the bag and run out of space
Use an open-air hamper or mesh laundry bags for breathability
Keep your hamper away from anywhere it could get damp–like windows
Don’t use a plastic grocery bag–it will breed bacteria
Summing It Up
It can be tempting when you’re traveling to let things like showering and doing laundry fall by the wayside. But don’t get bogged down in piles of dirty clothes–doing laundry while you travel doesn’t have to be a pain! Travel laundry bags can make doing laundry on the road easy peasy, and they are cost effective and easy to find.
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Transparency note: please keep in mind that some links in my articles may be affiliate links, to which I may make a small commission at no extra to you, should you book travel or buy a product or service through one of these links. I only recommend products or services created by brands I know and trust.