Bag neuroses, need help

[SullyForged]

I’m coming from a Sun Mountain 3.5 Superlight that’s 15 years old. Love the bag, but it’s wearing out.

I bought a Stitch SL1 and loved the looks, but found it carried heavy, the strap wasn’t comfortable, and I missed having the rangefinder easily accessible. I sold it for what I paid.

I bought a 2020 Ping Moonlite. Loved the looks and pockets (especially the rangefinder and water bottle). Carried great, loved the straps, but my back got pretty sore putting the bag on the ground. I have two herniated lumbar disks. Returned it.

Next, I bought the Cobra Sunday bag. Sharp bag, great size, but couldn’t get along with the straps. Also, the stand mechanism was sketchy and I’m not a huge fan of mesh water bottle pockets. Returned it.

I keep going back and forth between the Ping Hoofer, Ping Hoofer Lite, Ping Craz-e Lite, and Taylor Made FlexTexh. 100% open to others as well.

Ping Hoofer - hesitant due to the weight and size of the bag. I only carry 8 clubs. I really love the straps and magnetic range finder pocket.

Ping Hoofer Lite - hesitant due to weight and the small water bottle pocket. Love the straps and color ways.

Ping Craz-e Lite - hesitant due to the flimsy construction and color ways. Also worried about the straps being too thin, but I think the will be fine since my whole kit would be sub 15 pounds with that bag. The water bottle pocket and rangefinder pocket are ok, not great.

Taylor Made FlexTech Lite - hesitant due to the rangefinder pocket. It’s in a great spot, but it’s design makes it hard to get out and replace. It also has a great sleeve for water bottle. Weight isn’t a plus or minus, same for straps.

Any insights? This isn’t a conversation I can have with my wife, haha. This forum seems like the right kind of degenerates to save me from myself. Thanks!

 

 

 

 

[SullyForged]

I’ll go ahead and add, the SM 2.5+ doesn’t do it for me. It feels cheap, even though I’m sure the material is strong. But the stand looks weak too, and the bag is quite large and imo, ugly.

[brew4eagle]

Of the 4 you mentioned I'd go Hoofer lite, Hoofer, Hoofer CEL, flextech lite in that order.

Maybe look at the Nike Sport Lite and 2020 Ogio Fuse 4 as well?

[Herm33]

Titleist Carbon 4 has gotten some love from folks. I saw one in person for the first time Sunday at my club and for someone who carries 8 clubs that could be a good fit? I believe it does have the exterior mesh water bottle pocket though.

[dmbrill719]

Sounds like you're not opposed to a somewhat minimalist bag, but you're not necessarily looking for ultralight, and you want a sturdy stand system. And w/ 8 clubs, you don't need a huge top. I'm thinking Vessel VLX stand.https://vesselbags.com/collections/stand-bags/products/vlx

[3putt4thewin]

MacKenzie and trestle sticks

[J_Tizzle]

I'd go back to the SM bags. They're the best ones I've ever used. I've had Vessel, all the Pings, Jones, and nothing is as good as a SM bag in my opinion.

[jayhawkeye]

SM 2.5. They hold up great. Super light. I go back and forth between my SM 2.5 and a MacKenzie (nylon). Both carry so well. Not a fan of using trestle sticks with the Mac but I love walking with it. The SM 2.5 is in year three and it is holding up great. I have tried a lot of bags but the utility of the SM 2.5 plus the light weight is a winner in my book.

[mcgrolf]

Yea, I have similar issue with the ultralight bags - they are either ugly (SM 2.5, Hyperlite Zero) or they're single strap with no stand (Jones). Not in the market right now (found a Hyperlite Zero at a great price), but the Titleist Carbon 4 looks pretty good from the pics, haven't seen one in real life yet.

[Lamosteve]

I'd use a pull cart or ride.

[MaineMariner]

If I'm carrying my bag I use a Sun Mountain 3.5 LS. I think it's a little light on features like special pockets and whatnot, but the bag itself is super easy to carry. It feels like I have nothing on my shoulders.

[SullyForged]

Thanks for everyone’s help. I pulled the trigger on an Olive/Gray/Orange Hoofer Lite. I love the color way, the straps are perfect, and loaded up the weight seems OK. The pockets have worked well for my Objectives and I’m happy with the choice.

[Sean2]

I like the SM bags myself.

[SullyForged]