Heading to Scotland in May, what's the best waterproof carry bag?

[jkumpire]

Happy US Thanksgiving everyone,

 

If everything works out in mid to late May I will get to go to Scotland and play at least a few rounds of golf. Obviously, May is sort of the shoulder season, and it's likely to be windy, wet, cold, with a howling windy many days. 

 

I would like to ask what the best waterproof bags are out there these days. It need to be a carry bag that I can put on a trolley or carry, or make it easy on a caddie; and at my age (say over 40) weight matters. Opinions needed, and desired. Titleist has a couple of waterproof models, but most of the review articles I've seen rate several different European bags, (especially Big Max bags) higher. If you are a person who does live and play in the UK, your opinions are greatly welcomed.

 

Thanks for your help!  

 

Edited November 29, 2024 by jkumpire
Added sentence to ask EUR Wrx players to chime in.

[edryer3]

Have you looked at the Vessel Sunday Bag?

[chinaski]

We are planning a similar trip. I have the players 4 StaDry at the top of the list. 

[st1800e]

Good post @jkumpire  , I’ve been contemplating the same question, as I will be in Scotland next May as well. 

In addition to those you mentioned, I’d be interested in the Ping Hoofer Monsoon.  And hearing from users who have experience in the poor conditions we

“might” (😉) get will be very helpful.  
 

One question I've read, but no answers,  is what happens when the inside of the bag gets wet? Which is bound to happen. Wet shafts, grips, etc.  

 

Does it take longer to dry out?

[jkumpire]

1 hour ago, edryer3 said:

Have you looked at the Vessel Sunday Bag?

 

They look like nice bags, but nothing there is nothing waterproof on their site. Thanks for the suggestion. 

 

 

[jkumpire]

49 minutes ago, chinaski said:

We are planning a similar trip. I have the players 4 StaDry at the top of the list. 

 

That's the bag I am leaning to as well, but I am looking for alternatives before I buy. Now I do wear a Titleist hat, use a Titleist umbrella, and play a ProV1X, maybe I can work out a sponsorship deal and get it for free... 🙄 😳

[jkumpire]

24 minutes ago, st1800e said:

Good post @jkumpire  , I’ve been contemplating the same question, as I will be in Scotland next May as well. 

In addition to those you mentioned, I’d be interested in the Ping Hoofer Monsoon.  And hearing from users who have experience in the poor conditions we

“might” (😉) get will be very helpful.  
 

One question I've read, but no answers,  is what happens when the inside of the bag gets wet? Which is bound to happen. Wet shafts, grips, etc.  

 

Does it take longer to dry out?

 

st1800,

 

Congrats, when in May are you going, where will you be staying?

 

My impression is that a good waterproof bag does not leak too badly, and if you're careful most everything stays dry. But I sure would like to have someone with experience help you and I here.  

[tim_harris]

I was there end of may/first of June this year.  Got lucky and only had some light sprinkles for a hole or 2 while playing Dornoch.  Other rounds were cool and windy but not rain.

 

Enjoy your trip.  It is one you will never forget!

[st1800e]

4 hours ago, jkumpire said:

 

st1800,

 

Congrats, when in May are you going, where will you be staying?

 

My impression is that a good waterproof bag does not leak too badly, and if you're careful most everything stays dry. But I sure would like to have someone with experience help you and I here.  

Late April , early May.  Not sure, we’re moving around a bit, one of the other guys is doing the booking. 
 

Hoping we get some insight on the bags.  🤞

[st1800e]

Would be interested in hearing user reviews of the Ping Hoofer Monsoon.  
 

https://ping.com/en-us/shop/bags/carry-bags/hoofer-monsoon

 

 

 

 

[gm12673]

I’m based in Ireland. So I know all about golf in the rain. I’ve had two hoofer monsoons.highly recommend. 
 

that said, your rain suit is - miles - more important than your golf bag if it’s pouring. Cannot recommend the Kjus Pro 3L highly enough. I’ve had so many different suits over the years, including Galvin Green, which was the gold standard here. Kjus Pro blowns the rest away. 
 

if cash is a concern, stick with whatever carry bag you currently have and buy the Kjus. If that’s not an issue, buy the suit and the monsoon.  And FJ rain gloves! 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2024 by gm12673

[@_the_crook]

upvote for the Players 4 StaDry. 

[Stephen_82]

I use a BigMax Dri-Lite 8 in the winter when I’m exclusively carrying, and a Sun Mountain h2no stand bag in the summer when I’m using my Powakaddy. Neither are great on trolleys but I don’t really have the space for a dedicated cart bag and find cart bags annoying whenever I head to the driving range. 
 

I’ve found both bags are perfectly capable of dealing with most UK weather (certainly what you’d expect in May), so it all depends on how many dividers and pockets you feel you prefer. The Sun Mountain is heavier, and seems better put together (more ‘robust’), but also weighs significantly more. The BigMax is lighter but only has six dividers, which can get frustrating if you’re carrying all 14 clubs. 
 

If you’re expecting to be playing in torrential rain, I’d worry less about your bag and more about your shoes. Having two pairs which you alternate between rounds and keep stuffed with news paper when not on your feet will pay dividends - especially if you make sure to put on dry socks each round as well. 

[jkumpire]

Gentlemen,

 

Thank you for your recommendations and comments! Please keep them coming! GM, the Kjus Pro 3L might be a little too expensive for me, but I am still looking at it. some of their stuff looks nice enough to walk down the Royal Mile in a shower.

 

As to shoes, well, having Size 15 US feet, carrying 2 pairs of shoes is always a problem when flying. I have shoes that might work already, and i hope they do have large 'fish wraps' at the news/bookstores so I can dry them out quickly! Either that, or I will be eating a lot of Fish and Chips on the trip!

Edited December 4, 2024 by jkumpire
Fix mispellings and bad humor

[mattt987]

Give your bag a few coats of camp dry.

[jkumpire]

Thank you for all the kind responses, I and others appreciate the information. 

[iceman1118]

Not sure if it’s “the best”, but I was in Ireland in 2023 and we got rained on sideways with 35 mph winds for 2 days of the trip. I bought a Titleist Players 4 Stadry with a single strap from my club’s pro shop. Lightweight for the caddies and all my gear stayed bone dry. 

[BallsBreakFast]

My daughter plays about 15% of her golf in the rain, including in typhoons. Her last 2 bags have been Titleist Sta-dry 5 models and they've done a decent job of keeping her stuff dry (she uses a push trolley)

You may also want to consider using one of these cover towels as fussing with a rainhood can be a pain in the azz. Give everything a fresh coat of scotchguard and you should be good to go.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DUQBB2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Edited January 2 by BallsBreakFast

[hammergolf]

On 11/28/2024 at 10:49 PM, jkumpire said:

Happy US Thanksgiving everyone,

 

If everything works out in mid to late May I will get to go to Scotland and play at least a few rounds of golf. Obviously, May is sort of the shoulder season, and it's likely to be windy, wet, cold, with a howling windy many days. 

 

I would like to ask what the best waterproof bags are out there these days. It need to be a carry bag that I can put on a trolley or carry, or make it easy on a caddie; and at my age (say over 40) weight matters. Opinions needed, and desired. Titleist has a couple of waterproof models, but most of the review articles I've seen rate several different European bags, (especially Big Max bags) higher. If you are a person who does live and play in the UK, your opinions are greatly welcomed.

 

Thanks for your help!  

 

I’ve used a few in my many trips to Ireland and Scotland. Ping Monsoon, Big Max Aqua, and TM Flex Tech. All of them were good as far as staying dry, but for me I prefer the Ping because of the better stand mechanism and strap system. If price is considered, hard to go wrong with Big Max. In fact, they offer several of the Aqua models which are 100% waterproof over there. The Aqua line is not available here. The Dri-lite model that is sold here are water repellent, and not waterproof. To make it easier for my trip to the UK this year, I’m going to put my clubs in a buddy’s travel cover and split the cost with him going over, then buy a cheap travel cover and a new Ping Monsoon bag over there since they offer other colors we don’t have. I have a friend over in Ireland who has a great shop and website. He will ship it to the first course I play which makes it so easy. Here’s a link to their site, highly recommend.

 

https://www.mcguirksgolf.com/p/big-max-aqua-eight-g-stand-bag--black/3555l001

Edited January 3 by hammergolf

[st1800e]

14 hours ago, hammergolf said:

I’m going to put my clubs in a buddy’s travel cover and split the cost with him going over,

Won’t that exceed the weight limit?  And the cheap cover coming home, will that provide enough protection?  I used a cheap cover once on a domestic flight and broke one of the ping legs, and bent the other.  

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, st1800e said:

Won’t that exceed the weight limit?  And the cheap cover coming home, will that provide enough protection?  I used a cheap cover once on a domestic flight and broke one of the ping legs, and bent the other.  

The standard limit for a bag with Virgin is 50lbs so the 10-15 lbs from my clubs should still be under the limit. If not paying the excess weight fee is fine. I’ve made dozens of overseas trips and have not had an issue with damage. so maybe I’m due, who knows. If the legs break I can get replacements from Ping so not worried about that at all. The whole purpose of this is I want to get a different color of the monsoon bag that isn’t offered over here.

Edited January 3 by hammergolf

[buckI]

Think of wrapping your clubs in bubble wrap and putting the, in your travel cover going over?  No bag and get the new one?   The HL Ireland bag looks awesome.

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, buckI said:

Think of wrapping your clubs in bubble wrap and putting the, in your travel cover going over?  No bag and get the new one?   The HL Ireland bag looks awesome.

 I thought about putting them in a box inside my cover but it will be easier to just put them in my buddy’s cover.

[sheppick.dan]

On 12/9/2024 at 1:17 PM, jkumpire said:

Thank you for all the kind responses, I and others appreciate the information. 

My suggestion. Follow whatever @hammergolf says. I basically took his word as the Bible for our trip in June last year and was so over prepared it was amazing!!

 

you want answers for over seas. Whatever hammer says beats anyone else’s opinions (IMO)!!! 🙂

 

have a great trip. It is AMAZING over there. Where all are you playing?

[hammergolf]

12 hours ago, sheppick.dan said:

My suggestion. Follow whatever @hammergolf says. I basically took his word as the Bible for our trip in June last year and was so over prepared it was amazing!!

 

you want answers for over seas. Whatever hammer says beats anyone else’s opinions (IMO)!!! 🙂

 

have a great trip. It is AMAZING over there. Where all are you playing?

Thanks for the kind words.

[mikec3672]

Nothing touches the PING Monsoon, the Titleist Sta Dry is nice, but not a Hoofer Monsoon.

[Smithers11]

We went in May 2023 and got absolutely spoiled with the weather. It was 45-50 degrees every day and rained maybe the first 30 minutes of the 6-7 days we were there. 

 

One thing I did that wound up saving my hide was taking a few pairs of shorts and then wind and rain pants. You warm up walking, but the wind on some of the coastal courses was intense so the wind/rain pants worked out better than my brothers wearing regular golf pants as they got cold. 

 

[laxman32]

I get wrapped up with golf bags and I currently game a Vessel Players 4 but have a Shapland 2.0, a Ballistic MacKenzie Walker (8 inch with two pockets) and an older Titleist StaDry Single strap.  I'm heading to Scotland again in May '25 and likely was going with the StaDry but might be tempted to use the Ballistic MacKenzie.  Any thoughts on that?  Ballistic nylon repels water, is well-balanced if I tote (using a caddy, mostly but...) and was going to apply some Scotchgard but maybe I'm overthinking and should just stay with the trusty StaDry.

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, laxman32 said:

I get wrapped up with golf bags and I currently game a Vessel Players 4 but have a Shapland 2.0, a Ballistic MacKenzie Walker (8 inch with two pockets) and an older Titleist StaDry Single strap.  I'm heading to Scotland again in May '25 and likely was going with the StaDry but might be tempted to use the Ballistic MacKenzie.  Any thoughts on that?  Ballistic nylon repels water, is well-balanced if I tote (using a caddy, mostly but...) and was going to apply some Scotchgard but maybe I'm overthinking and should just stay with the trusty StaDry.

StaDry is proven. Why risk it?

[laxman32]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

StaDry is proven. Why risk it?

Yeah, it's older though.  Pretty sure it is still waterproof.  Shouldn't overthink.....