Golf Travel Bags For Your Equipment From Value To Protection
A quality golf travel bag is a must-have for any golfer. In this video, Dan Parker from Golf Monthly shares his advice on how to choose the best golf travel bag, and what factors to consider when making your purchase.
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00:00Now, buying a travel cover to protect your precious golf clubs on their travels can be
00:04a really tricky purchase, especially considering the range of prices in the market.
00:08Luckily for you, we've tested six of the best models from the specialist brands in this
00:12field to help you decide.
00:14Okay, so I'm going to crown our six travel bags in three categories.
00:21Best for value, best for protection, and best for overall usability.
00:25I've got four with me here in Madeira at the beautiful Santo de Serra Golf Club,
00:30and we've got two models hot-stepping their way to Orlando, Florida at the minute with two
00:35of my colleagues.
00:35Let's talk about them now.
00:36Let's get the basics out of the way before we get stuck into them.
00:39So in alphabetical order, we've got the Amazon Basics Travel Cover, which I'm really excited
00:43to talk about.
00:45We've got the Big Max Traveler.
00:48We've got the McGregor VIP Travel Cover.
00:51Over in the States at the minute, the Motorcaddy Flight Safe.
00:55Two final ones here.
00:57We've got the Sun Mountain Cube.
01:00And finally, stood up here next to me, the Sun Mountain Glider.
01:04So that's the six we're going to be looking at.
01:06I'm going to start off first with the best value.
01:12Okay, so first category we're going to chat about is the best value, because let's admit
01:15it, some of these travel covers are an eye-watering price, £200 and above.
01:20I'll come on to why they are in a minute, but what are the best value out of the six
01:23that we've chosen?
01:24I'm going to chat about two.
01:25That's the McGregor VIP Travel Cover and the Amazon Basics.
01:28So the Amazon Basics is just over £50.
01:30The McGregor is £75, but I know they're normally about £50 on their website.
01:35So both very, very similar.
01:37And I think for the non-season traveler, if you're going out there once a year or less
01:41and need a travel cover, that's where these guys come into their own.
01:45Just because they're cheap doesn't mean they're not protective.
01:47They've protected our clubs out here to Madeira and out in the States.
01:51They've got plenty of pockets on them.
01:52The Amazon's got two on the outside.
01:54This McGregor one's got a really useful one on the front here, which you can put a pair
01:58of shoes in.
02:00And all in all, they're built really well.
02:02Not as well as the more expensive ones.
02:04I'm not going to pretend that, but for a flight or two a year, they're going to do a good
02:09job.
02:09And we know they get battered around a little bit.
02:11You can see a few war marks on the McGregor already.
02:13That's probably because of the slight cheapness of the materials.
02:16But look, we've got some extra padding in the top.
02:19We've got the pockets.
02:20We've got the clips.
02:20You can strap your bag in.
02:22The wheels are nicely protected.
02:25There's some like the Big Macs, which I'll come on to, where the wheels are a little
02:27bit exposed.
02:29These are protected.
02:29I expect these things to actually last for a while.
02:33And for 50 quid, they're really, really good value for money.
02:36So as I said, if you're traveling once or twice a year, even less, but you need a cover,
02:41the McGregor VIP or the Amazon will get you there.
02:44And I'm going to pick a winner.
02:45It's going to be the McGregor simply because I think it looks a little bit better.
02:48The Amazon Basics has no branding on it.
02:50It's just a plain gray bag.
02:51I think this McGregor looks really sharp with a bit of blue and a bit of writing on it.
02:55So yeah, I think it's a real good value to be had there in the travel bag market.
03:02So my next category is going to be all about protection.
03:04Listen, this is what these things are built to do.
03:06So which is the best?
03:07Actually protecting your golf clubs on those pretty treacherous journeys through airports
03:12and through baggage handling.
03:13Now, first caveat, none of these, the four here, the two in America at the minute, were bad.
03:18They've all protected our clubs really, really well.
03:20As I mentioned, perhaps the Big Macs and the McGregor are wearing a few early war wounds
03:25from our first travel from a bit of mishandling, but all of them have done a really good job.
03:29But I'm going to point out two that are the absolute standouts of protecting your golf
03:34clubs, which is the Sun Mountain Cube, which is all folded up just here,
03:38and the Motorcaddy FlightSafe.
03:40Now, these have got two really, really clever innovations in them that help protect your golf
03:44clubs and also give you a bit of a storage benefit as well.
03:47But you can see with the Sun Mountain, this sort of hard shell it's encased in,
03:51it is a mixture of part of the storage feature of it.
03:54As you can see, when it's not in use, you get this beautiful cube shape out of it.
03:58And then when it's unfolded, you've got this hard case shell at the top and the bottom of the bag
04:03that protect the woods at the top and the bag at the bottom, which I think is just brilliant.
04:06And having that extra peace of mind is really useful.
04:10We'll look over at the Motorcaddy now, which has a very, very similar system,
04:13a sort of a cube that covers the top of the clubs, which gives you that extra protection.
04:18And when it's folded up, it goes into a nice cube.
04:20So I think from Sun Mountain and Motorcaddy, two really cool innovations,
04:24recent innovations in this part of the market that give you that extra protection and peace of mind.
04:30The Big Max, although I haven't been so impressed with some elements of it,
04:33the wheels look a bit flimsy.
04:35And there's a couple of bits that I don't think are the highest build quality.
04:38It has got a really unique and clever padding system that protect those clubs.
04:42Now, I know some people when they travel like to put towels or clothes in here
04:46and sort of do that anyway to protect the top of the clubs.
04:49But that bag's got it built in.
04:51I think that's really, really useful, actually.
04:52And I like that a lot.
04:54And then if we look at the stuff like the McGregor and the Amazon are definitely
04:58weaker on protection.
04:59The padding on top of here really isn't as thick as you can see on here
05:02on the Sun Mountain Glider where that's going to really absorb
05:06any sort of energy that's going through the bag as it travels through.
05:10So bear that in mind.
05:11I think, again, if you're the more regular traveler
05:13or you really want to protect your clubs, not that these don't,
05:16but something like the Sun Mountain and the Motorcaddy especially
05:20are going to protect them the best.
05:21Now, I was going to pick a category in between the two, but I can't.
05:24They're both really, really good.
05:25And I love that innovation of that hard case shell around the key area of the bag.
05:30So if protection is your number one priority, the Sun Mountain Cube
05:33and the Motorcaddy FlightSafe are the way to go.
05:39Okay, so my final main category is going to be focusing on usability,
05:42i.e. how easy are these to use as you travel through the airport
05:46and as you go on holiday with your golf clubs.
05:48And again, they're all really good.
05:51There's just some key features I want to bring out in a couple.
05:53And I've got to start with the Sun Mountain Glider.
05:56You can see it here next to me with this unique system of these pull-down legs.
05:59That make this thing so easy to pull through the airport
06:03and on wherever you're traveling to with these things.
06:05Oftentimes, you can find yourself pulling it with just one finger.
06:08It's that easy.
06:10And I still get people to this day in the airport sort of giving it looks
06:13and going, oh, what's that?
06:14Where did you get it from?
06:15Because of how easy this is.
06:17We've all had one of these type of bags packed to the rafters.
06:20Your full 20 kg or 23 kg and your shoulder by the end of the day of traveling
06:24is aching like no one's business.
06:26But this thing takes away all of that.
06:29So that is an absolute standout feature.
06:31And there is no other bag quite like it.
06:33The one caveat with that is it is a little heavy.
06:36This bag is already 5 kg before you put anything in there.
06:40So if you value a lightweight bag where you can pack loads of extra stuff in there
06:43like shoes and toiletries and clothes,
06:46a more lightweight option like the McGregor at about just over 2 kg
06:50and the Sun Mountain Cube at 3 kg,
06:52you've got an extra 2 or 3 kg there versus this thing.
06:55But if you struggle to pull these things
06:57and you get an achy shoulder before your golf trip,
07:00the Sun Mountain Glider for usability is just glorious
07:03and I can't recommend it enough.
07:06Some other really good features across other bags,
07:07the Motorcaddy which we've spoken about
07:09and the Cube have this brilliant folding mechanism here
07:13that when you're not using it, so when it's at home,
07:15it's not taking up all the space that these kind of bags do.
07:18And even when you try and fold these up, they get a bit messy, don't they?
07:21They're a bit all over the place.
07:22These things are nice and contained.
07:24So when you're at home off your holiday
07:25or even while you're at the hotel or the villa
07:27or wherever you're staying,
07:28these things can get nicely out of the way.
07:30So if that's something you're looking for, easier storage,
07:33the Cube and the FlightSafe are brilliant for that.
07:36The FlightSafe, I will note as well, has some extra wheels,
07:38I think about six.
07:39So my colleague who's been testing it says
07:41that's an absolute breeze to pull as well,
07:43much like the Glider, not quite with those unique legs.
07:47Finally for usability is pockets and storage space.
07:49We're trying to get the most stuff in these bags
07:52that we can, right, for our allotted weight
07:54which is normally 20 or 23 kg
07:56depending on who you're flying with.
07:58And pockets are really important.
08:00So a few disappointments.
08:01Both the Sun Mountain ones don't really have great pockets
08:05for me outside of the storage already in there.
08:07So on the Glider, you've got this outside pocket here
08:09which you can fit some bits in.
08:11The Cube has two inside pockets that fit a shoe each
08:14which is fine, I guess, but it's not a lot.
08:17When you compare it to the McGregor
08:18which has this really useful outside pocket for a pair of shoes,
08:21I think the Big Mac stands out for pockets actually.
08:23You've got two inside pockets that are both accessible
08:27from the outside.
08:28This red zip here, you can get into that inside pocket
08:31from the outside.
08:31So if you shove something you need in there,
08:34you can go and get it from the outside.
08:36There's two on the outside which fit, you know,
08:38shoes or anything more like that.
08:40So there are some really usable options
08:43on the market at the minute.
08:44I think depending on what you're looking for,
08:47you'll find the right one for you.
08:48But for me, an absolute standout
08:50and if you're not too worried about weight,
08:52if you've got another checked bag
08:53and you just want the most enjoyable experience
08:55of using a travel cover,
08:57the Sun Mountain Glider is an absolute winner.
09:00So, you know, if you're not seasoned, you've got a bag.
09:02If you're a seasoned traveler, you've got a bag.
09:04Well, what would I spend my money on?
09:05Now, I've used all these bags at least once.
09:08I've been using the Big Macs to travel out here
09:10to Madeira this week, which I've enjoyed
09:13but I wouldn't say it's particularly great value for money.
09:16At 150 quid, the materials don't feel anywhere more better
09:20than the McGregor, to be honest,
09:21which is about 100 pound cheaper.
09:23So if it was my money
09:24and if I was traveling my golf clubs,
09:26I would pick the Sun Mountain Cube.
09:28I've done three or four journeys with this now
09:30and I absolutely love it.
09:32For me, it's more lightweight.
09:34Just over three kilos means I can load it with more stuff,
09:36shoes and torches and whatever else I'm bringing with me,
09:39which is important for me.
09:40I want to be able to max out my storage in that
09:42and I love the extra protection and the way it folds up.
09:45So when I'm in the hotel or wherever I'm staying
09:47or back home, it folds away nice and neatly
09:50and is put away there.
09:51So I think that's what I would go for
09:53and there's some great options across that price spectrum,
09:57depending on what your budget is
09:58and what kind of features you want.
10:00I think getting the right travel cover for you
10:01will make your traveling experiences a lot easier
10:05and I hope you've enjoyed this view behind me here in Madeira
10:08that's inspired you to go traveling
10:09with one of these great travel covers.