Product: Sorinex Sandbag
Retail Price: $159.00
Weight: 40-50 lbs

Much like my other reviews, if you are only interested in the BLUF (bottom line up front) and want to read only the pro’s and con’s, you can scroll to the bottom for an expedient review. If you are interested in my in-depth review after using, abusing, and evaluating this piece of equipment, then keep reading.

I have been involved in strength and conditioning coaching since 2013 and have always utilized odd objects for training. Sandbags, atlas stones, H-stones, and kegs always have had a place in my training along with the traditional tools of the trade (barbell, dumbbells, and kettlebells). One of the things I love most about sandbags is that I can take them almost anywhere, fill them up and train. They take up minimal space empty and can be used in a variety of ways to build strength, power, speed, and agility.

Sorinex asked Spotter Up to do a review of their new sandbag which is smaller in size, built for durability, and designed for versatility through a variety of handles and luckily I was given the opportunity to put the sandbag to the test, and test it I did.

With a little over a month I made sure to utilize the bag at least once a day in training on a range of surfaces to include gym rubber mats, an asphalt road, cement pad, grass field, and an Astroturf lane. The bag was used for pulls, pushes, presses, drags, throws, and loading. When that wasn’t enough I also dropped a 175 lbs atlas stone on it multiple times during a late night training event to see what the bag could take. I was able to mimic barbell, kettlebell, and dumbbell movements which were only limited by my imagination.

In the end, to my surprise, the bag lacked any sign of tears beyond minimal scuff marks from the road. When used in a workout consisting of 100 sandbag burpees + sandbag straight to overhead for time, there lacked the usual halo of leaked sand around the workout area like most bags tend to do when being slammed. A big part of this is because of the one piece construction of the bag where the internal bag is sewn into place and includes a roll down flap which Velcro’s (hook pile tape) closed. This then is zippered inside with a ruggedly built zipper which is under an external flap to protect it from the external elements.

Next to the Explosive Gear Sandbag

The external material is actually Kevlar which showed minimal signs of the abuse it was put through. This bag literally has been thrown up and down a road, slammed on concrete, and acted as a sled with a rope attached to one of its handles as it was drug 25m at a time up and down a rock and sand filled hill. The durability of this bag has been amazing to say the least.

The multiple sets of handles (4 around the radius and two on top) allow you to set up a variety of movements on the bag to mimic barbells, kettlebells, and dumbbells. The bag is also thin enough that you can grab the side to perform grip work. The material has a great texture that worked when using a pinch grip during a static hold for time.

The handles have been stitched on for durability with additional cross stitching and additional support stitched around the radius of the bag and along the top to support the two top handles. I thought I heard some stitching pop when doing kettlebell snatches, but during the post workout inspection I was unable to find any blown stitches.

The weight of the sandbag is advertised as 40 lbs but when loaded with some high quality North Carolina run off sand I ended up at 48 lbs with room left over. I decided to pack it as much as I could to see where it would top out and I ended up just shy of 55 lbs. With the solid construction I wouldn’t be too concerned with the additional weight and felt confident in its construction through the myriad of tests.

During the testing month I had to travel for some training and I emptied out the bag and used it to store some other training tools to include a jump rope, bands, knee sleeves, my training log, a lacrosse ball, and an extra shirt. I then rolled it up and packed it into the side of my bag taking up minimal room and keeping my stuff together for when I arrived.

There are two improvements regarding this bag that I came across during the testing. The first, and biggest one, is the price. At $159 that is a hard pill to swallow. The quality of the product, the variety of ways it can be incorporated, and the size of the bag make it a little easier to justify but it is still an expensive bag. Most bags of equivalent weight are less than half the price of this bag, though the handles offer much fewer options on those bags and they lack the Kevlar construction.

The second, and this is splitting hairs, I wish the bag had one more set of handles on top mimicking a barbell’s grip. The neutral grip on top was great for most pressing movements, but I would have enjoyed having the overhead grip option when doing burpees to overheads and bench press movements which would mimic a barbell more. You can achieve this grip using the side handles, but then maintaining the grip when moving into the burpee or doing strict pressing becomes a balancing act. You can treat the bag like a dumbbell or kettlebell using the side handle to perform one arm presses rather easily.

Using the same rating scheme as my previous reviews (1 being the worst and 5 being the absolute best) I came to the following conclusions.

My biggest recommendation for someone who is thinking about purchasing one of these bags, if possible, purchase two. I often found myself wishing I had a second one to use for bilateral training. Presses, pulls, farmer’s carries, and other movements would have been great to have a second bag for.

Overall, the big take away is that this bag is solidly built, well designed, and has incredible versatility. If you can foot the price tag I would highly recommend putting an order in to help support your training at home and while traveling.

Below I have listed some of the workouts I utilized the Sorinex Sandbag for that you can try out for yourself.

1. 3 x 200m rest 3:00
   lateral sandbag toss (alternate sides)
2. In kit carry sandbag for all movements
   8 minute circuit
   Run 200m
   5 sandbag over the wall + wall hop
   5 sandbag ground to overhead
3. 21-15-9
   Russian KB swing (with sandbag)
   SB straight arm slam
4. For time
   100 Sandbag burpee to overhead
5. In kit
   3 Rounds
   Run 400m
   25m sandbag rope drag (hand over hand)
6. 10 minute circuit on a 400m track
   100m 1-arm SB farmer’s carry
   100m other arm SB farmer’s carry
   50m 1-arm SB front rack carry
   50m 1-arm SB front rack carry
   100m easy jog
7. 3 rounds
   SB bent over row (neutral grips) x 10
   SB floor press (outside grips) x 10
   SB Turkish get up x 3/arm
   SB standing tri-extension x 10
   Rest :60
8. 5 Rounds
   8/side x kneeling SB keg lift to 30” box
   8 x sandbag sit-ups (arms at full extension)
   8 x sandbag good mornings
   8 x squat jumps with sandbag

Material Disclosure

I received this product as a courtesy from the manufacturer via Spotter Up so I could test it and give my honest feedback. I am not bound by any written, verbal, or implied contract to give this product a good review. All opinions are my own and are based off my personal experience with the product.

*The views and opinions expressed on this website are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Spotter Up Magazine, the administrative staff, and/or any/all contributors to this site.