Upper Park Designs Backpack Bags

[hugheshilton]

How much stuff are you bringing? The storage in the shift seems very good for a medium bag. Two towels, bug spray, socks, and long sleeve shirt fit easy.

I'm guessing he's probably using the storage space in the bottom of the Shift for discs. He said he's got 18-19 discs in it. In my experience, the regular disc pockets of the Shift only hold about 16 discs (and that's utilizing the inside side pockets which are not very accessible). I'm not sure how you would get more in without either really stretching out the side pocket elastic or putting discs in the main underneath storage area, which is going to cut down your storage for other stuff.

I carry 14 discs around in my shift, which is my core bag. I'll sometimes throw an extra or two in the main storage area if I'm trying something new out. I love my shift; it definitely helped me slim down my bag and remove the discs that I really didn't need. Honestly, I think forcing myself to stick with a core bag of 14 or less discs has improved my game quite a bit.

 

[MrGlass01]

i get 18 in mine in all the regular spots without inside storage. 10 drivers outside the bag. 2 mids 3 putters and three drivers in the vertical slots inside the bag. nothing is tight at all. in the bottom i keep 2 towels bug spray hand sanitizer extra bandana eli pen still room for more and often ill ditch a long sleeve shirt in there.

 

[ranger]

I'm guessing he's probably using the storage space in the bottom of the Shift for discs. He said he's got 18-19 discs in it. In my experience, the regular disc pockets of the Shift only hold about 16 discs (and that's utilizing the inside side pockets which are not very accessible). I'm not sure how you would get more in without either really stretching out the side pocket elastic or putting discs in the main underneath storage area, which is going to cut down your storage for other stuff.

I carry 14 discs around in my shift, which is my core bag. I'll sometimes throw an extra or two in the main storage area if I'm trying something new out. I love my shift; it definitely helped me slim down my bag and remove the discs that I really didn't need. Honestly, I think forcing myself to stick with a core bag of 14 or less discs has improved my game quite a bit.

I'm with you. It was tough to cut down but focusing on less discs has been good.

10 on the outside makes me nervous

 

[the1discChallenge]

I'm guessing he's probably using the storage space in the bottom of the Shift for discs. He said he's got 18-19 discs in it. In my experience, the regular disc pockets of the Shift only hold about 16 discs (and that's utilizing the inside side pockets which are not very accessible). I'm not sure how you would get more in without either really stretching out the side pocket elastic or putting discs in the main underneath storage area, which is going to cut down your storage for other stuff.

I carry 14 discs around in my shift, which is my core bag. I'll sometimes throw an extra or two in the main storage area if I'm trying something new out. I love my shift; it definitely helped me slim down my bag and remove the discs that I really didn't need. Honestly, I think forcing myself to stick with a core bag of 14 or less discs has improved my game quite a bit.

I have 18 in the allotted storage, not using any of the inside for discs. 10 in the outsides, 8 on the vertical storage. I can fit a can of bug spray, some towels and maybe a couple snacks. I just wish there was a little more room is all.

@ranger, if you have drivers in the outside, it's fine. It's not over stretching at all from what I can tell. I could see the concern with more than 2 putters/mids though.

 

[Reniger]

Yup, I do 4 putters and 5 fairways on the outside pockets. Usually carry 18 total.

 

[simes549]

Just got my Shift today, could not be happier and can't wait to get out to play a round. Big upgrade from a starter bag. I'm packing 5 putt/approach discs, 4 mids, 4 fairways and 2 drivers comfortably. The discs will change, I'm sure as get my bag settled. I am really surprised at the storage this small backpack offers. Plenty of room for towel, bug spray, hand sanitizer, keys, even a a shirt. Anything else can wait in the car.

 

[oldredhat]

How does the build/material compare to other bags? Curious if there's another bag that I've seen that has s similar feel?

 

[ranger]

Any word on new versions of the shift for 2016?

 

[KelReeves]

Yesterday my new v4 Shift arrived. I got the black/grey with lime green zippers. It looks super sweet. This is my fist Shift and the only other Shift I have seen is a v1. I haven't played a round with it yet, but here are my first impressions.

It is the perfect size. It is currently holding 19 discs and I am not stashing any discs in the lower storage. Very light weight and seems comfortable.

The lower storage area is awesome. Big and accessible but I don't think things will just fall out. To give a perspective of the size, I stuffed 7 beverage cans in it and the rain fly. Probably could have added 1 more. Without the rain fly, 8 cans could fit in the storage area when 19 disc are loaded. That is impressive.

The side waist pockets are great for keys, wallet, cell phone and small Bluetooth speaker. They all comfortably fit.

The quality, fit and finish looks very good. On par with my A12 Grip.

 

[KelReeves]

I forgot to add. I ordered the bag on Tuesday and it was on my door step on Friday. That is fast. They must have a remote warehouse close by.

 

[MikeM]

I'm guessing he's probably using the storage space in the bottom of the Shift for discs. He said he's got 18-19 discs in it. In my experience, the regular disc pockets of the Shift only hold about 16 discs (and that's utilizing the inside side pockets which are not very accessible). I'm not sure how you would get more in without either really stretching out the side pocket elastic or putting discs in the main underneath storage area, which is going to cut down your storage for other stuff.

I carry 14 discs around in my shift, which is my core bag. I'll sometimes throw an extra or two in the main storage area if I'm trying something new out. I love my shift; it definitely helped me slim down my bag and remove the discs that I really didn't need. Honestly, I think forcing myself to stick with a core bag of 14 or less discs has improved my game quite a bit.

I've said it before, I'll say it again: I run 20 discs constant with none sitting in the storage compartment. That leaves plenty of room for whatever I need to stuff in there. I hold 3 fairways/mids/drivers on each side on the outside. 2 mids in the inside - side pockets on each side. That is 10 right there. I hold 4 putters in the top pocket. 3 distance in middle and 3 distance in bottom middle pockets. That is 20. If you have issues fitting a disc in to a middle pocket when holding 10, just lift up on the pocket directly above it, and the disc will slide in. The reason this happens is the pocket right above settles and sometimes settles with weight bearing on the discs below it. Alleviate this issue and room opens up in the pockets. Very simple fix that took me many rounds to figure out.

I could easily put 1 more disc on each side to run 12 total on the sides.

BUT Upper Park suggests 16-18 and so I don't want to add THAT much stress to the straps and stretch out the pockets that much. I do do this when I am traveling farther away from home then just my local courses. Or on windy days, when I need more OS disc options. But, generally, I avoid it. 20 or 22, that still leaves the storage wide open with nothing in it. And the straps seem plenty strong enough to hold the weight.

The best part of this, 20, or 22, and water bottle, I still don't feel weighed down. And I am still a HUGE fan of easy access to my keys, pocket knife, wallet and phone in the front waist pockets.

 

[lyleoross]

I purchased one of the Shifts because I wanted a lightweight bag for those hot hot Houston days when a full bag is too much. The bag is light and easy to carry, but has some shortcomings.

The best thing about the bag is truly it's small footprint, it is very light and due to the limitations in the number of discs it carries, you are forced to keep it light. The other thing I noticed is quality, by my measure it's a well made bag. I've not carried it enough to know how it will stand up over time yet.

The bad is numerous. My pet peeve is that it doesn't stand up well, that is, it wants to fall over side to side. The simple fact is that unless you have at least one disc in each of the four side pockets, it wants to fall or sag away from the straps and tends to then fall over. To some extent, this is due to the small footprint, but a stiffer bag would solve the problem. For example, I cut two triangles out of 1/8 inch plywood that insert inside the bag (they aren't perfect triangles, I notched them in so they wouldn't interfere with disc removal) on each side that make the bag much stiffer and prevent it from sagging and falling over.

While the pockets on the side can hold two discs each, if one pocket has two, it makes it harder to get two in the other. Not hugely, but the discs don't slide in easily. It's even worse in the central pockets, but the limit is three. If you get three discs in one pocket, the pocket next to it becomes more difficult to use. Along with this, getting the discs to lie stacked in a way that is convenient now requires effort. You have to slide them about to get that, oh lets call it cool, stacked look. If you don't work at it, they tend to all slide down or the one in the back slides down leaving the one in the front higher.

Because of the disc loading issues, I find that realistically, 12 discs works best. Yep, you can get 16 to 18 in there, but managing them takes some effort. Is this a killer, nope, just annoying for me.

I've seen a couple of comments above about using the bottom pocket for extra discs and I do this. I don't carry much in a light weight bag and the thought that I'm giving something up to carry a few extra discs doesn't bother me. I can fit my phone and wallet in there and even an extra towel with three or more discs, so I'm not to worried. I don't use the inside side pockets, stiffeners are in them, but that is where I'd put them if I had no support structures in the bag. I don't use the waist pocket carriers, but can see how they might be a boon for those who did.

The big sell. While the short comings of the bag bother me, it more than serves the need I got it for, a very lightweight easy to carry and move bag. Frankly, it looks great, and I find carrying it, even on long rounds, quite pleasant relative to a full size bag. I wouldn't get if for tournament play unless you are a minimalist, and I've seen enough guys who use six or seven discs exclusively during rounds to know they are out there. With the rainfly, you can't argue that it wouldn't work. If you have a stool that you sit your bag on you might have a problem, but you certainly will enjoy the lighter load.

 

[the1discChallenge]

I love almost everything about my Shift; it helps me keep my disc count low (I have a tendency to carry too many molds...), it's the most comfortable bag I've ever carried, and it's very high quality. There are two things that I really don't like though the more I carry the bag.

1. The extra storage situation. There is only one water bottle slot which is okay for now, but when the weather warms up and the rounds get hotter, I don't know how the extra water bottle will fit. Even now, the storage is barely big enough to fit a sweatshirt, and that excluding other towels and snacks that I want to carry.

2. The disc storage situation. I have 18 in the bag with 10 on the outsides and 8 on the insides. If I ever want to try a new disc(s) on the course, there's really not room to keep them. I wouldn't want to overload the bag like MikeM was saying and I wish sometimes I could get another putting putter to cycle them (I only carry one right now).

I might invest in another larger bag for casual rounds and use my Shift for tournaments where I can condense the amount of plastic I carry.

 

[MikeM]

^I've been "overloading" for over 100 rounds and not a single issue yet. Stop babying those things and get your money's worth! Once you go 20, and stop worrying about stretching out the side pockets, you'll be happy you did. I ran 22 this weekend and had no issues. It just takes some getting used to and it becomes second nature.

To Lyleross, I know you aren't a troll, but I am just flabbergasted when people claim it only works with 12 or whatever. With all due respect, it isn't rocket science. And I said with all due respect.

 

[MikeM]

With 22:

With 20:

It is just the nuisances that must be figured out. Load the middle pockets from the back. Lift up on the pocket or the pocket above to ensure room for the disc as the discs lean against each other when at rest.
Load side pocket (that is towards the middle) from the back.
Load the side pocket (on the outside) from the back as well. Or, if you want, load from front and pull out the pocket.

It sounds harder than it is. Takes .1 seconds once figured out and becomes second nature.

Long story short, just give it time, and you'll realize this bag is dreamy.

 

[the1discChallenge]

With 22:

With 20:

Forget the bag, sexy Craves haha but actually, I might have to play around with that a little bit. I think for me, it's just the extra storage. The disc storage isn't too much of an issue right now. I might buy a larger bag and have two: one for casual, and one for competitive

 

[MikeM]

^LoL. Thanks. I love the stamp on those. Bought multiple so I could throw 1 or 2. But I probably never will. Just bought a regular plasma Crave so I can actually throw one in good conscience.

Anyway, yeah, I hear ya. I've been VERY tempted to get myself a Rebel. Saw one on the course the other day and I was impressed. It was on a smaller guy and it didn't look huge like Rangers, those Lat 64 Luxury and some Grips do. But still seemed very practical. And those side pockets look as though they would hold quite a bit. And the padding on the back of the shift is a big selling point for me. Just so darn comfortable. And it looks like the rebel has that same back padding design. The padding that sticks out, where the back arches towards the front, is genius.

 

[the1discChallenge]

For those who have the Rebel, is the storage good? Spacious?

 

[Broken Shoulder]

For those who have the Rebel, is the storage good? Spacious?

Not particularly. I mean, it's fine for minis and snack bars and small towels, but no, I wouldn't call it spacious. To me it was a little narrow, or not deep enough, and when you put more in it intruded into the main disc storage. I can fit more in my Grip A-series.

I'm not saying it's unusable. The Rebel is a damn nice bag, but I realized that for me, I'd never choose it over my Grip for a round, since I already had that and liked it. So I sold the Rebel to Aim. . He seems to like it.

 

[Reniger]

I typically run my Shift with 20 discs... And that includes a Zephyr! The elastic on the outside pockets is very resilient. I was initially worried that it would stretch out and deform, but I have no problem with it at all. :thmbup:

Thinking of getting a Focus with my refresh code for hydration during hot rounds (hell of a deal with a refresh code) and miiiight get a Rebel for tourneys this summer. However, with 20 discs, I'm set with more than I really need. My only issue is storage. I can fit either a jacket or an extra 32oz water bottle. Hard to get both while carrying two small extra towels, snacks (type 1 diabetic), and a pair of socks during a tourney. I think the Rebel's side pockets and 2x water bottle holders would be very beneficial.