Pro's and Con's of Backpack bags and Shoulder Bags

[Broken Shoulder]

At the end of the day, we have options for our preferences.

 

[Consult20]

Thanks for all the awesome comments, and I hope that those who didn't comment had a good read .

I don't have any experience with using a cart, so I couldn't do a pro and con about them. Not interested at all in rolling a cart over roots and up hills I can tell you that lol.

I should have put the easy to reach top handle as a pro for the backpack, forgot about that.

You really go through that much liquid, Consult, when you play? I guess it depends on how long you're out there golfing, and how hot it is. Me and my wife are fast players. And even if we play 36 holes in one go, we wouldn't drink that much combined, not even close lol. Hydrating well before you play, is better than doing it while you play...

We had a lot of 85+ degree days with high humidity this summer, 64oz of Powerade Zero was my norm for 18 holes on those days. It's not possible to hydrate enough ahead of time on days like that. But I always carry two 32oz containers anyway, sometimes I fill them each half way rather than full, it depends on conditions and the course. The guys I normally throw with keep a steady pace, faster than most groups, but nobody rushes shots -- we're all pretty intense, in a good way.

 

[ranger]

Too lazy to read through

The shift is super comfortable and I can reach discs while it's on my back.

 

[ThrowBot]

Like the first post, very well thought through :thmbup:

One point that I would dispute for the backpack style bag:

Backpack
[...]
Con's
[...]
Can't access it while walking. Just an example: You putt, put on you bag, retrieve you putter from the basket and now you're stuck holding your putter unless you want to put your bag back down to put it in. Or putt, retrieve your putter, then walk all the way back to your bag, put it in and put it on. Not ideal in my opinion.

I have a Flak3 and there are putter & mini pockets available on both sides. The access is super easy. With the bag on one shoulder, I can easily reach my putter and mini with either hand. Also very easy to place the putter back in the side pocket while walking away from the basket.

The side putter and mini pockets are such a nice feature in terms of access and convenience. I'm constantly frustrated that 95% of backpack-style bags have standardized on the top/front putter storage.

Sorry, /rant.

 

[zendragon]

Overall I think I prefer a shoulder bag. It's cooler (no back sweat), lighter, easily accessible, and quicker to use. I don't take much when I golf. My discs, a towel, birdie bag, and a small bottle of water. I know a lot of guys take tons of stuff like giant water bottles, stools, snacks, etc. But for me, I prefer a shoulder bag at least for now. Maybe some of my nitpicking observations will be useful to someone debating a backpack or larger shoulder back .

I have a Shift backpack and a small home made shoulder bag made out of an army gas mask bag. I use the shoulder bag much more than the Shift for many of the reasons you mentioned, it's just so much quicker and easier. When my wife sewed it, she left a second strap on that can be strapped around the waist, it allows to throw with the bag on and keeps it from flopping around. It also takes some of the weight off the shoulder, which isn't much because the bag maxes out at 8 discs. I personally don't use it strapped to me because I still find it distracting, but my friend has an identical one that he never takes on the entire round. It might be something you would want to look in to, if you are a DIYer .

That being said, when I play longer courses, I always bring my Shift, it lets me carry more discs and is still more comfortable for a longer day with double the number of discs.

 

[Mr. Butlertron]

Just googled gas mask bag.....awesome idea!

 

[Declarkus]

Overall I think I prefer a shoulder bag.

This thought got me through another Black Friday w/o a backpack. I won't lie, the deals this yr were almost irresistible...almost.