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