[twoputt]

I've decided that I need to start walking the course again instead of riding - - it's a more enjoyable way to play, plus I could use the exercise. Which carry bag out there has the best combination of fetaures, functions, durability, and is lightweight?

[slgman]

I have a Sun Mountain 3.5 in it's second year. It has a place for a water bottle, pockets for stuff. I know a couple of other guys whoi have the same bag and the bags are holding up. I use it on carts also, so it's been good to me.

[Pstar]

The Sun Mountain MPB bag fits all three for what you looking for but is a little on the heavy side of the weight scale. I've had my bag for 3 seasons and it's held up very well so far. I know the Ping and the Titleist bags are very popular around here. The July 2007 issue of Golf Digest did an outlook on golf bags in the equipment section of the magazine. Hope this helps, Steve

[John Dortmunder]

I bought a Sun Mountain Mini recently. only used it a couple rounds so far but it's nice. I took the regular shoulder pads off and rigged up a single strrap with and extra shoulder pad I had from a Ping bag. my only criticism would be the shoulder pads look a little flimsy, not sure how they'd hold up. also, the collar is lined with this mesh that I've had problems with on Ping bags...but this mesh looks a little more substantial, and Sun M said they'd replace it for free if it wore out in a year, and $5 after that.

JD

[sbrylant]

i believe ping bags are the standard for carry bags...have been for years. just go to a golfshop & decide which version fits what you're looking for (size, weight, pockets, etc.).

[BigMatt]

Also check out Ogio bags. Take a look at the Grom or Vision or Flight bags. They have a strap so they don't twist when riding in a cart and they are probably more organized than Ping or Sun Mountain for less money I think. Either way, with the club organization and pockets and other features, if you do pay more it is well worth it. I have an Ogio Grom bag and I love it. I'm in the same position as you and this was like $140 or something. Just a thought.

[keith723]

The PING Hoofer bag has been one of the top carry bags for years...I would check those out first

[John Dortmunder]

keith723, on Jul 17 2007, 04:59 PM, said:

The PING Hoofer bag has been one of the top carry bags for years...I would check those out first

the only good thing I can say about Ping bags is bring back the L-8...!!!

- straps are a disaster, I immediately cut them off and put on an Izzo-strap.
- leg system is a disaster, complete failure, does not work.
- bag is HEAVY (Hoofer Vantage).
- quality control is a disaster, bag ops now in Mexico.

here's another post I made in a similar topic about my recent experiences:

don't waste your money on a Ping Hoofer at any price/design, you'll only be disappointed.

I had a Hoofer 3 that the collar wore out on in 30 or so rounds...the internal bolsters that are part of the leg system also just totally disintegrated. (the old collars were heavy felt, starting with this bag they went to a light "mesh" collar)

they replaced it with a Hoofer Extreme, the collar on that one wore out in another 30 rounds, and to boot it had exposed jagged edge rivets in the slot where the graphite shafted woods are stored.

they replaced that one with a Hoofer Vantage, the collar situation is much better but the leg system is a COMPLETE DISASTER...and the bag weighs a TON. same jagged/exposed rivets in wood storage area.

I gave up and went down to the local shop and bought a really light Sun Mountain bag, my brand new Ping just sitting in the basement.

prior to this I've used Ping carry bags for over 20 years with no problems, the last 2 years have convinced me to NEVER buy another Ping bag.

as an FYI, Ping are now making their bags in Mexico and the quality has gone right into the sheetayre.

JD

PS...oh, I left out the part that my parents paid high dollar for the first bag at a major club (hence, the logo) and Ping screwed up the embroidery on two other bags in the course of this process (so that's 5 bags overall shipped back and forth!).

[bjackson]

Ping's are great, I used to have a Vantage for my school season. I have a Titleist x76 now which is pretty much the same as the new Sunmountaine 3.5. Great bag. Never looked back.

[DaveyH]

some of the new callaway bags are worth a shot!!
The strike and terra firma x i think it is 2 great bags!

[heybrady]

Sun Mountain 3.5 gets good reviews from most that have it. From what I read, Pings used to be the best, but have slipped with quality lately (zippers and such). Ogio always gets good reviews also. I have an Ogio Vector (99bucks at Dicks) and like it alot. Mid-weight at about 5 lbs, lots of pockets and an insulated easy access water bottle sleeve. Grom is a nice bag, but a little on the heavy side (almost 6 lbs) if you walk exclusively. If you do both, the Grom is more structured for a cart.

[MCDavis]

Ogio Vaporlite is 3.8 pounds and can be bought on ebay for $50 if you're patient. It's a good bag that I've used walking, pull cart, and riding. Do a search here for more on this bag...it's been talked about a few times.

Also, Mizuno's Aerolite (3.5 pounds) is supposed to be a good bag and is cheap on ebay.

[progolf4life]

Ping makes great bags but I would give the nod to Titleist.

[jmc]

I've had about 6 bags in the past year...

Ping Hoofer Vantage
Sun Mountain 3.5 SL (same as Titleist x76 - but the x76 has better straps)
Ogio Vaporlite
Ogio Exo
Callaway XTT Xtra-lite
Callaway XTT Warbird

Honestly, all of them have problems of their own. There is no perfect carry bag, I'm sorry to say. What's great about one bag, another bag won't even have. Each one has their own best function. In the end, I decided weight was the most important and stuck with the Sun Mountain 3.5 SL.

My best advice is to go to a good shop that has lots of bag options. Fill the bag up with clubs, balls, whatever, and hike around the store. Leave your credit card if your allowed to walk around for a while. Some bags squeaks, some bags the legs don't go up all the way, plus it's the only way you'll know if it feels comfortable.

Good luck!

[raidernut1234]

Have a Ping bag hoofer, hate it 'cause it doesn't have separator sleeves.
Check out the carry bag at Sonartec.com I got this cause, i LOVE sonartec, but it has stayed in the rotation cause its a phenomenal bag.
about same weight as a 3.5 sun.
perfect bottle holder-perfect pockets- perfect, straps- perfect, cool factor- perfect. comfortable!!!
pockets- 6 total. 2 on the outside, one in inside, and the double pocket on the back. individual sleeves for clubs. 7 separator top.
so i have 3 wedges, p-8, 7-5, Putter by itself, 4 & 2H, and Driver, 3 wood in the Wood (similar to the sun mountain 7 top).
and it is the best carry bag I have ever put on a cart (either the 3 wheel or riding carts), so i don't have to switch bags like i used to with the hoofer.
good luck.
and if you don't have sonartec in the bag, go buy a wedge while your at it. they are awesome!!
crap, they took them off the website!! http://sonartec.com/...sories&cid=bags
ok, one of you guys are gonna get the same RIP i got. here you go. BRAND NEW for $ 60. you better not live in Northern California, I want to be the only one with this bag. LOL
http://cgi.ebay.com/...VQQcmdZViewItem

[torrejuan]

How much did the Sonartec carry bag weigh?

[torrejuan]

How much did the Sonartec carry bag weigh?

[kencanuck]

I love my Ogio Grom...it has the Woode organizing system, handy external ball holder, unique ball pocket and the pockets are nicely placed. I have read some complaints regarding the legs not working properly but I haven't had any problem with mine.

Good luck...

Ken

[mikpga]

Nike Sasquatch Tour Bag...AWESOME...

Old school...Haven't seen any recent models...Jones Sports! Durable stuff.

[sboardz006]

kencanuck, on Jul 18 2007, 09:40 PM, said:

I love my Ogio Grom...it has the Woode organizing system, handy external ball holder, unique ball pocket and the pockets are nicely placed. I have read some complaints regarding the legs not working properly but I haven't had any problem with mine.

Good luck...

Ken

My dad has that bag, really nice. I have the Ogio Vector which has a lot of the same features and is lighter... have been happy with it so far

[withdrew]

you're going to get a hundred answers here, and they will all have solid and valuable points.

I have a Titleist stand bag, its a year-or-two old, and it's awesome. the color is all black and very understated, because i'm not big on flashy golf bags. it's got a "cooler" pocket for a cold drink, plenty of other pockets for tons of stuff, and the legs zip-up so that they don't deploy when you put the bag on a gas-cart or push cart. it's perfect for me, because when i play 18 alone i use my push cart, when i play 9 alone i walk, and when i play with a partner (someone i know) i usually ride.

i'd say that looks matter in this department, because the bags are all so similar in features and price, you just gotta make sure you love it. i say you can't go wrong with titleist!

[generalpatton]

I have an Ogio Vision SS with the Schling system that I like more and more everytime I carry it. The Schling seems to be a love or hate kind of thing but add me to the column that's loving it. I've had lots of different carry bags over the years including almost every version of Hoofer that's ever been released except the last one with the stand-up strap and I can say for me the Vision Schling beats them all.

I also just picked up a Sun Mountain mini to use in the extremely hot summer weather we get here in the lowcountry and it's a great little bag. I can get a full set in mine but I can easily get by with 1 or 2 clubs less at my club and it's perfect for that. Lot's of choices out there now and most of them are good ones......

[DeaconEsq]

I have an Ogio Grom that I LOVE for organization and looks. I got the model without the big "OGIO" on the side...great looking bag and I don't feel like a walking billboard The bag has tons of useful pockets, the zipperless ball pouch, and I can't say enough about the Woode organization system.

The bag works equally well in riding and push/pull carts and it's generally comfortable to carry with its padded straps. One problem is I find its a little on the heavy side. If you're gonna carry all the time, I might compare the Ogio with one of those ultralight bags and see if there's a big difference.

[golfalot333]

PING vantage or a sun mountain 3.5 are your best bets.

[Chris Lewis]

I picked up an OGIO Grom in beige/tweed from Amazon last week for 90 bucks shipped. Not sure if they still have it going, but that price is a steal.

[sync71]

Titleist X76 and X66 are both great bags. Right now I have a Mizuno Aerolite...excellent bag light, durable, and the clubs fit in it great.

[gentles]

I have one of the bright yellow cobra bags, a sure way to get attention on the course.LOL. I kinda wish I got a ping bag though, as they are the best...or titleist

[tji]

slgman, on Jul 17 2007, 04:16 PM, said:

I have a Sun Mountain 3.5 in it's second year. It has a place for a water bottle, pockets for stuff. I know a couple of other guys whoi have the same bag and the bags are holding up. I use it on carts also, so it's been good to me.

I used the Sun Mountain 3.5 for a couple years, and I really liked it.. Well designed, all the right pockets in the right places, and extremely light.

My one complaint was with the "legs" that it stands on. Mine bent, causing them to be unstable and slide out. I guess to keep the bag as light as possible, the legs are not as strong as some others. It could have gotten bent when being packed in a trunk, or carried on a cart. I could not find replacement legs to fix mine.

I was given an Ogio bag as an XMas gift (Vision was the model name, I think). It's a cool bag, with lots of nifty features.. but I don't like it as much as the Sun Mountain. My main complaints are: It's too heavy for a carry bag, Some of the features are overkill -- it's got a 3 ball holder on the outside and a big zipperless ball compartment (help shut with elastics). I guess that's good for people who take a lot of mulligans. The slot for the score card is also questionable.. I wouldn't trust mine to stay in place. The drink holder compartment tends to lose its contents.

If I was to get a replacement, I would go back to Sun Mountain.


On the original question, regarding moving from cart to walking: Consider picking up a good push cart in the transition. Walk the course with a cart for a while before lugging the bag. I know a lot of people that complain of getting tired towards the end of 18 holes carrying the bag.

There are all sorts of carts available.. many inexpensive options. Two nice carts I have used are: Sun Mountain Speed Cart, and Clicgear's new foldable cart. I use the Clicgear cart, and I think it's great - once you figure out how to fold / unfold the thing.

[primo]

I've got a couple of bags depending on where I'm going to play. I've had most of the bags mentioned above and agree with many of the comments made. Ping overall is a solid bag, but I think the new king is Sun Mountain. Their bags are very light and it just seems like they listen to golfers. They always seem to be experimenting with features that make sense for golfers, as opposed to some random designer just trying to make improvements on existing bags.

Right now I switch between 2 bags, the Sun Mountain Mini which is probably the lightest bag that can actually fit 14 clubs. Great for catching 9 after work, a lot of times I'll take out every other club just for fun. My other bag is a Puma Stand Bag from Japan. Looks great, little on the heavy side, (pretty close to the vantage) but the Izzo strap is VERY plush much more so than the American counterparts, no idea why.

[The Big Pinch]

I may try this OGIO. Lite, organized and nice looking. Vaporlite. 3.8 lbs and Woode top.

[MCDavis]

You should, EZ...I love mine!

That's the 2007 model...has a removeable front panel for a logo or a name.

[DaveyH]

well if your going on sales and things like that you must say ping hoofers are top of the pile but all comes down to personal preference!