In order to further investigate the static and dynamic characteristics of single soilbag filled with different materials, a series of simple shear tests and cyclic shear tests were performed through a large indoor shear apparatus. The test results show that the shear behavior of single soilbag follows the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion basically, and its shear-resistant properties is mainly provided by the surface tension of the soilbag and the friction between soil particles in the soilbag. Different filling materials have a certain influence on the shear characteristics of single soilbag. By comparing the static and dynamic characteristics of single soilbag filled with river sand, loam and gravel respectively, it can be found that the single soilbag filled with river sand has the best shear performance, vibration and energy reduction effect, and deformation resistance ability. Therefore, it’s a good choice to use river sand as a common building material for loading in practical earthquake isolation engineering, from the perspective of shear resistance, vibration reduction and energy dissipation characteristics of single soilbag.