Sun Mountain Bags - Good or Bad?

[DoubleDrops]

I’m looking for a new stand bag and I’ve pretty much settled on the Sun Mountain 4.5 LS 14-way. I think it offers everything for the most part that I’m looking for in a bag. 
Just curious as to what the overall results have been with Sun Mountain bags? I’ve never tried one but have read several positive reviews. And if anyone has any experience with the 4.5 LS please let me know what you thought about it. 

[CyFan]

Sun Mountain makes excellent bags.  I had the 4.5 14 way for a couple years but went back to the 4.5 standard top this year.   SM bags have always worn well for me and are well designed.  

[North Butte]

The main problem with Sun Mountain bags is probably that they don't pay certain web sites/influencers to market them. This leads to a certain amount of FUD about the brand being introduced on those sites. 

The other problems nowadays with Sun Mountain is their name isn't Vessel and everyone online knows the cool kids are all buying Vessel bags. Not withstanding the fact I've never actually seen a Vessel bag in Real Life!

Edited May 29, 2023 by North Butte

[golfortennis]

On 5/29/2023 at 9:56 AM, CyFan said:

Sun Mountain makes excellent bags.  I had the 4.5 14 way for a couple years but went back to the 4.5 standard top this year.   SM bags have always worn well for me and are well designed.  

 

Are you finding club tangle to be an issue?  I have an older 4.5ls that might be needing replacement soon.  Been finding club tangle to be more of an issue this season than years past.  

[CyFan]

On 5/31/2023 at 4:04 PM, golfortennis said:

 

Are you finding club tangle to be an issue?  I have an older 4.5ls that might be needing replacement soon.  Been finding club tangle to be more of an issue this season than years past.  

Midsize grips, no problems 

[Sp4zRX]

I just picked up a 2022 SM 2.5+ for 7-8 club carry. Overall, it’s a very nice bag for a sub 3lb bag. The one gripe I have with it is that the padding that is supposed to set against your back, hangs a little low. This causes the plastic around the top of the bag to dig into my back while carrying. It’s quite annoying. It might just need a strap adjustment as I haven’t played around with the straps too much. Otherwise, I’m trying to think of a solution to add some padding there myself. 
 

 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Sp4zRX

[Jeff58]

On 6/2/2023 at 8:08 PM, Sp4zRX said:

I just picked up a 2022 SM 2.5+ for 7-8 club carry. Overall, it’s a very nice bag for a sub 3lb bag. The one gripe I have with it is that the padding that is supposed to set against your back, hangs a little low. This causes the plastic around the top of the bag to dig into my back while carrying. It’s quite annoying. It might just need a strap adjustment as I haven’t played around with the straps too much. Otherwise, I’m trying to think of a solution to add some padding there myself. 
 

 

2.5 strap adjustment seems to be a timeless issue. At least part of that is the Sun Mountain video, which I’m personally convinced was done by someone who has never actually used one.

 

Procedure- 

 

The 2.5 has upper and lower adjustment strap/buckles. They need to be adjusted just like a backpack. Their function is independent.

 

The upper adjustment sets the overall height. Do this first. The strap’s “excess length” of both sides should be equal. This sets the pad’s position on your shoulders. If you don’t have this, the bag won’t want to sit evenly.

 

The lower adjusters only set the top to bottom angle. Generally, if the top adjustment is correct, one side goes up as much as the other goes down. Some people try to make this angle too steep, believing that it’s necessary to hold the clubs in the bag.

[BlkNGld]

My last 3 bags have all been SM.   

 

I'm dating myself but in each case I've gotten at least 8 years out of the bag, only one of which I can truly say wore out.   The stand legs started looking like a newborn giraffe's, but that was likely from too much junk in the bag. 

 

In every case, there's been some wear over the years... zipper pulls breaking off, top grab handle breaking (again, after years of use), nothing that rendered the bag unusable.   Zippers fine, no tears, etc.

 

It's more likely you'll replace it because you're tired of it than actually needing a new one.

[FuzzyKnuckles]

Sun mountain is very solid

[caniac6]

I’ve always had good luck with SM bags. I recently bought a Titleist cart bag to use on my electric walking cart. It’s a good bag, but my next one will be a SM.

[Sp4zRX]

On 6/4/2023 at 1:40 PM, Jeff58 said:

2.5 strap adjustment seems to be a timeless issue. At least part of that is the Sun Mountain video, which I’m personally convinced was done by someone who has never actually used one.

 

Procedure- 

 

The 2.5 has upper and lower adjustment strap/buckles. They need to be adjusted just like a backpack. Their function is independent.

 

The upper adjustment sets the overall height. Do this first. The strap’s “excess length” of both sides should be equal. This sets the pad’s position on your shoulders. If you don’t have this, the bag won’t want to sit evenly.

 

The lower adjusters only set the top to bottom angle. Generally, if the top adjustment is correct, one side goes up as much as the other goes down. Some people try to make this angle too steep, believing that it’s necessary to hold the clubs in the bag.

Thank you! This was driving me nuts. I tried following your instructions and it didn’t work for me right away. I was starting to think I just have a weird shaped body. But after messing with it several days out it finally sits in place. I essentially did what you said but I’m not sure what I did different from the first times trying it. Regardless, it moved over a good 3-4 inches and is super comfy now. 

[Jeff58]

2 hours ago, Sp4zRX said:

Thank you! This was driving me nuts. I tried following your instructions and it didn’t work for me right away. I was starting to think I just have a weird shaped body. But after messing with it several days out it finally sits in place. I essentially did what you said but I’m not sure what I did different from the first times trying it. Regardless, it moved over a good 3-4 inches and is super comfy now. 

Glad you got it done. Even when you know the sequence, you still have to get the height and angle correct for your specific shape. It’s not trivial and it’s not surprising that many have trouble with it.

[KDivinagracia]

Been using my 3.5 for over 10 years now. Still going strong. Just got a c-130s for the push cart when I want the 14 way divider. Sun Mountain is absolutely a solid brand. 

[AzSuperHack76]

Sun Mountain Good or Bad, well, they are neither, they are excellent bags. I have been rocking a 4.5 LS for years now, no issues whatsoever. Super comfortable when walking. Fit great on a push cart as well, along with having no issues when striped to a regular cart. 

[GooseHook]

Sun Mountain makes amazing bags for all needs. They also have the worst color combos. I don’t think you’d find a better sized top on any walking bag.

 

I’ve had the C-130, Three5, 2.5+, 4.5, and now the 3.5. They’re worth every dollar.

[rainkingjr]

Sun Mountain makes excellent bags. I have had a 5.5LS for a long time and it's still in great shape. I have no idea why they stopped making the 5.5 as there are folks like me who prefer stand bags without 14 way dividers.

Edited October 31, 2023 by rainkingjr

[bluedot]

With one qualifier, Sun Mt bags are the best made bags I’ve had over the years.  Quality construction, extremely durable, and really well thought out pockets/storage.

 

The one qualifier is that the Sun Mt stand bags aren’t great on punch and electric carts because of the external mechanism that extends the stand legs.  That pedal causes twisting on push carts, and while there are work-arounds, it’s annoying as heck.

 

But that’s all, really.  Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything better on the market.

[ciscojaws]

Excellent bags, horrendous aesthetics.

[gvogel]

15 hours ago, ciscojaws said:

Excellent bags, horrendous aesthetics.

The color combinations have become hideous, but a few years ago they were excellent. 

I have a 2.5 and a 3.5 - very happy with both.

[ApostateDrive]

Love everything about my C-130S, except the legs, which are kind of an integral part of a stand bag. They feel very sloppy when deploying and retracting, especially compared to the Callaway HyperLite Zero that I came from that has incredibly snappy legs. I'm trying to figure out a way to have the legs snap back into place with more tension, as well as figure out how to keep the legs for sliding out too wide when on semi-slippery concrete. I would buy the bag again, but the legs feel gross every time I pick up or put the bag down.

[J_Tizzle]

SM bags are the best.  Just sold a Vessel because I love my SM bags so much.  Only thing that is "weak" for the design is the legs and I honestly only see an issue with them when setting it up on the legs in the garage, the legs will spread out over time, so I'd recommend just laying it down or hanging it up in the garage vs setting it s legs out (unless you have it on something, just on concrete is where I've seen the problems).  

 

My favorite has probably been the SM Elite stand bag that I have that is made out of ballistic nylon, so cool and wish they'd bring back an updated version of it.

[Nickb333]

I bought my first sm bag about 20 years ago. It did really well for 15 years. Then it finally started falling apart. No complaints though because it got a lot of use. 
 

I bought a C130 a couple years ago. Used it a lot and it’s still perfect. Added the 3.5 last year for walking. Didn’t want another 14 way because I usually don’t carry all my clubs when I walk. 
 

Both bags have great zippers. C-130 has a ridiculous amount of storage. And it’s so much better on a cart or push cart than a stand bag. I don’t like push carts though so I carry the 3.5. 

[vandyfan]

On 10/31/2023 at 7:46 PM, ciscojaws said:

Excellent bags, horrendous aesthetics.

 

I tend to agree except for the mid-stripe bag which I just purchased this past week. Will get it tomorrow so will post a review about it most likely. 

[vandyfan]

Update: I think it looks pretty good!

 

 

[brew4eagle]

On 10/31/2023 at 8:46 PM, ciscojaws said:

Excellent bags, horrendous aesthetics.

2024 bags look a lot better.  Toned down aesthetics and slightly tweaked, modernized logo.  Black/grey colorway is very subtle.

[ciscojaws]

@brew4eagle agreed - much nicer.

 

I just ordered a G/fore ultralight carry bag that’s a Sun Mountain and looks to be a cross between a 2.5 & 3.5.  It’s pretty muted (by G/fore standards), so we’ll see.

[brew4eagle]

7 minutes ago, ciscojaws said:

@brew4eagle agreed - much nicer.

 

I just ordered a G/fore ultralight carry bag that’s a Sun Mountain and looks to be a cross between a 2.5 & 3.5.  It’s pretty muted (by G/fore standards), so we’ll see.

Saw some of those recently, and now I see Carl's has them for $199.  They were a lot heavier than the 2.5+ so I went with 2.5 

Edited November 5, 2023 by brew4eagle

[ciscojaws]

2 minutes ago, brew4eagle said:

Saw some of those recently, and now I see Carl's has them for $199.

That’s the one in blue.

[Florida Gator]

Great bags, wear well and the top size is pretty close to the best if not the very best.  I’m currently using Jumbo grips and I have one of the ecolight bags (2.5/3.5 four-way top) that I bought to use as a carry bag for a few days walking in Pinehurst last year.  If you find a way to complain about club tangle with these, go buy a staff bag and deal with the weight.  I typically have been using my Vessel P3 on my pushcart, and can honestly say the SM bags are so much easier to pull clubs from, either if you’re carrying or using on a push cart.

[vandyfan]

23 hours ago, Florida Gator said:

say the SM bags are so much easier to pull clubs from, either if you’re carrying or using on a push cart.

I would agree. I have had no issue with club tangle so far thanks to the full length dividers in the mid-stripe. I tried a Linkslegend and (for me) the club tangle was an issue.