There is a lot of cool gear in the golf equipment world that doesn’t always fit neatly into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.
What We Tried:
Stitch Golf travel gear. Stitch makes a plethora of travel bags. I tried several including the Multiuse Traveler Bag (MUT), Birdie Bag, Ultimate Garment Bag and the Dopp Kit.
Who Tried It
Connor. Director of Soft Goods Testing and resident sneakerhead. I believe golf is better with a pair of cool shoes and comfortable joggers. I’m still lugging around bags from my junior high school days so it’s about dang time I upgrade my luggage repertoire.
Multiuse Traveler Bag (MUT)
This isn’t my first rodeo with the Stitch Golf MUT. This bag was tested as a part of our Best Golf Travel Bags buyer’s guide.
If you’re looking for a bag that can do it all, you need to consider the MUT. With a single zip, it transforms from a compact roller duffle into a full-fledged travel bag.
There are three main areas I look at when evaluating a golf travel bag: transportation, ease of use and protection.
TRANSPORTATION:
A golf travel bag should have a good wheelbase. Ideally, this wheelbase would have four wheels or, at the very least, spinners to make it more maneuverable. The Stitch Golf MUT has only two wheels. That said, they were plenty satisfactory for wheeling my heavy bag to the airport counter and around the resort where I was staying.
EASE OF USE:
When I look at ease of use, I’m really looking at placement of carry handles. Is the bag easy to lift in and out of cars or shuttles? What about grabbing it from the baggage claim? The Stitch Golf MUT has a nice selection of carry handles, both on the side and top of the bag, to make lifts a breeze.
PROTECTION:
What about protection? My main concern with the Stitch MUT was lack of padding. While the top section doesn’t feel particularly shock-resistant, all of my clubs arrived in one piece. Of course, I took the necessary precautions to ensure they weren’t damaged. A travel bag can only do so much, after all. It should really be your last line of defense. Make good use of the torsion bar, remove heads from your woods … blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
If I had one major gripe about the Stitch Golf MUT, it was the loading process. The sidewalls are extremely flimsy so it can’t stand up on its own. Loading my golf bag into the travel bag was more difficult than it needed to be. Reinforced sidewalls would have done the job here, although that would probably take away from the roller duffle functionality.
I would have liked to see some good external pockets, too. It does have one semi-large one at the top but nothing on the sides or rear.
SPECS:
- Retails for $498
- Roller duffle bag that converts into a golf travel bag
- Includes torsion bar to protect your assets
- Reinforced in high-wear areas
- Carry-on approved (when used as a duffle)
Birdie Bag
Let’s start off with a bang. The Stitch Golf Birdie Bag is the carry-on champ. This backpack/cooler bag/carry-on is so darned versatile.
A solid airport backpack needs to have amazing pockets and storage capabilities. Between the five external pockets, large inner compartment and the removeable laptop sleeve (held in place with magnets), I had plenty of room for everything.
The large storage compartment is accessed through the top of the bag, something I’m a fan of. This made it easy to stack my clothes, headphones, Dopp Kit and laptop and kept everything organized. The backpack straps are comfortable enough and the soft-touch details on the zippers make them really easy to use.
I used my Birdie Bag as my personal item and it fit perfectly under the seat of the tiny CRJ 900 jet I was in. It’s big enough that it works as your sole carry-on item but small enough to tag along with your carry-on duffle (see the Ultimate Garment Bag) as a personal item. As with any luggage, check with your airline for personal item allowances.
SPECS:
- Retails for $328
- Removeable cooler pouch
- Five external pockets
- Removable laptop sleeve
- YKK zippers
- Trolley sleeve to slide over luggage
Ultimate Garment Bag
The Stitch Golf Ultimate Garment Bag may be the piece de resistance of the entire travel collection. Man, is this duffle bag versatile. If you haven’t sensed the theme already, Stitch is phenomenal at getting extra performance and value out of singular products.
A roller duffle that turns into a travel bag? Check. A backpack that can also be a cooler? Absolutely. Now, this sweet-looking duffle that converts into a garment bag? Sign me up.
The best part about the Ultimate Garment Bag is the placement of the opening flap. Because the zippers can be fully unzipped, the entire bag opens for easy stacking and packing. I’ve never fit this much into a duffle with minimal effort.
As far as my user experience in the airport, it was almost too big to fit in the overhead space on my small CRJ 900 flight but it did fit. The carry strap could have more padding (it can feel a little stiff after time). I also would have loved one more external pocket, either on the front or back of the bag. All in all, though, the Ultimate Garment Bag is a beast of a carry-on bag.
SPECS:
- Retails for $328
- Two-in-one duffle bag that converts into a garment bag
- Two external magnetic pockets
- Large inner compartment with elastic shoe pockets
- Completely unzips for easy access to all of your goods
Dopp Kit
Perhaps the most overlooked item in Stitch Golf’s travel repertoire is the Dopp Kit. I’ve never owned a nice toiletry kit before (I’ve used a $5 clear toiletry bag from Walmart for the past six years) but now I can finally see what I’ve been missing.
The two separate zippered pouches are genius. It allowed me to split my toiletries as I saw fit. Pills and medicine in one side, deodorant and other toiletry items in the other. This little guy holds a lot, too. I had plenty of room for all of my stuff. My favorite part? It’s the perfect size to slide into the Birdie Bag. (It’s like they were designed to be used together!)
Don’t overlook the Dopp Kit. I’m telling you, it’s nice!
SPECS:
- Retails for $98
- Two separate zippered pouches
- Integrated carry handle
- Lays flat when open for easy access to toiletry items
Stitch Golf Travel Gear: Functional and Fashionable
Stitch Golf makes extremely functional travel gear. Each item I had the pleasure of traveling with made my experience better in some little way. That is the mark of a well-designed product. While I haven’t touched much on looks, let’s just say Stitch knows their way around premium materials and aesthetics. This you already know if you’ve seen their golf bags.
If you’re in need of extremely functional travel gear with an elevated sense of style, you’d be hard-pressed to find a fault with Stitch Golf’s comprehensive travel bag lineup.
