Hey everyone, so I’ve been wanting to get into boxing lately, but those punching bags? Super expensive. So, I thought, why not try to make one myself? I did some digging online, found a few ideas, and decided to give it a go. I’m no expert, but it turned out pretty decent, so I figured I’d share my little project with y’all.
First things first, I needed a bag. I grabbed an old, sturdy duffle bag I had lying around. It was just collecting dust anyway, so it felt good to put it to use. You need something tough, you know, something that can take a beating.
Next, I started filling it up. I read somewhere that you should start with cotton rags at the bottom. So I cut up a bunch of old t-shirts and stuffed about 12 inches worth into the bottom of the bag. Then, I took some sand, put it into smaller bags – like, heavy-duty garbage bags – and placed those in the center.
After that, it was all about surrounding those sandbags with more rags. I just kept stuffing and stuffing, using more of those old t-shirts, some old towels, basically anything soft I could find. The goal was to pack it in tight, so the bag would be firm but also have some give.
I also found an idea online to use a PVC pipe to help hang the bag, which I thought was pretty smart. So, I got a PVC pipe, drilled some holes at both ends. One set of holes was for attaching the pipe to a circular piece of plywood I cut out – that would be the base inside the bag, to keep the shape. The other set of holes was for the ropes or chains to hang the bag.
For the base, I just traced a circle on a piece of plywood using a big bucket as a guide, and cut it out with a saw. Then I attached that circular piece to the inside of one end of the PVC pipe with some screws. That whole setup went inside the bag, right in the middle, to help it keep its shape and give it some structure.
Once I had everything in there, I zipped up the duffle bag and hung it from a beam in my garage using some heavy-duty ropes I tied through the holes at the top of the PVC pipe. It’s not the prettiest thing, but let me tell you, it works! I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and it’s holding up great. It’s a solid workout, and way cheaper than buying a real punching bag.
Of course, it’s a bit of a rough setup, and I’m sure there are better ways to do it. I even saw some folks online using a dog bed filled with clothes, which is a whole other approach. But for a first try, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. It’s definitely not perfect, and I’m learning as I go. Like, I know the filling will settle over time, so I might need to open it up and add more rags later.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a cheap way to get into boxing or just need a way to let off some steam, this is a pretty fun project. Just be ready to get a little creative and don’t expect a professional-grade punching bag. But hey, it’s a start, right?
