Catchers Bag Recommendation for High School

My son has used All Star bags for his last two.  From a functional standpoint it is his preference to have a non roller bag.

 

I found them to be very price competitive and is on his second.  The first one lasted 18 months which is as long as more expensive bags he has had.

Rawlings makes a nice bag my kid used.  Got two good years out of it and it probably could go one more.  Nice and big.

 

  http://www.proplayersupply.com/rawlings_workhorse_wheeled_baseball_catchers_bag_p/whwb2.htm?gclid=CNmmnri-2LsCFclcMgodQAIAoQ&gdftrk=gdfV23856_a_7c1894_a_7c7980_a_7cWHWB2

 

 

Just bought a new catchers bag for son's birthday gift during fall season based on recommendation from others @ http://www.maxballbags.com/.  Sturdy, durable, cost effective and can be personalized.  We think he will get a lot of miles out of it.

BackstopDad32,

I'm curious.. can you elaborate?  thanks.

He says his gear is easier to access with this style vs. other roller bags he has had.  Sits flush with ground so everything is nice and level.  Stays where he put it as well as the bag is not tilted when rolling on the ground.  Top loading so easy to get in and out of.

This is just personal observation, but I think his gear stays cleaner with a carry bag.  Not nearly as much dust in his bag that I used to recall with his roller bags.  Probably two fold.  One that he is older and takes better care of his gear, but I have to think that it is is also due to him not dragging his bag through the dirt as well.

 

We have also found the carry bag to be great with airline travel.  One less thing to damage.

 

No Errors catcher bag.  It's pretty sturdy, but expensive.

 

http://www.no-errors.com/The_N..._Bag_p/ggbnoe210.htm

 

 

something without wheels. 

We didn't have great success with the No errors bag.  Too small for gear as they get bigger.  Son split out the zippers in multiple spots.  For the cost was disappointed

 

For the price, that is very disappointing.

 

 

My son like's the Wilson Pudge Wheeled Catchers bag with one modification. Near the wheels the frame is covered in fabric and that fabric will wear when the bag is rolled.  On my son's second bag (Wilson replaced the first), I cut out a piece of plastic (bag framing from the first bag) and rivited it to the area near the wheels (width of bag and probably 10" long).  This protects the fabric and takes the wear.  The bag is darn near perfect now, not too big, not too small, and quite sturdy with room for all his catchers gear.  He still brings a small bag to games to hold his other gloves (he's a utility player).

Long hikes are the norm from parking to the field for our home field (on game days anyway) as well as many schools in our league so our catchers almost always choose wheels.  BackstopDad gave some excellent points against wheels.  Each situation is different.  Hockey bags are great from a size/capacity standpoint.  Some are even overkill.  The only thing it may not provide is bat slots if he carries any.

 

I wouldn't worry so much about the "good impression" aspect.  HS baseball players ride each other about everything... and a new freshman makes a great target.  If it's not the bag, it will be something else.  Usually, the more they ride him, the more they like him.  Just make sure he has the heads up and is prepared to take it.  You will need to be more concerned with the other things 18 yo's talk about at practice every day 

Thanks everyone for the advice.  

 

I asked my son and he said that after catching a game he's tired and likes the wheels to ease the load.  

 

Also we live across the street from the high school ballfield so I'm sure he will be carrying his bag from the game to home so the wheels will come in handy.  

 

I will let him choose between the choices given above and below.  

 

BTW, I'm not reading a lot into my son making Varsity as a freshman since we are at a small school.  There were only 13 Varsity players on the team last year.  The JV had about 12 but 8 of their games were forfeited due to other teams not wanting to play. 

No wrong choices just preferences.

 

Good luck to your son.  Freshman time on varsity is something to be treasured.  As a parent sit back and enjoy any time he can earn there.

My son uses a  Mizuno MX equipment bag. ( NOT A CATCHERS BAG ) $100 bucks but holds everything ...

4 bats,catchers equipment w/mask,cheats,reg glove,batting helmet and a change of clothes for practice.

It has wheels and they have held up good ... the handle is great with a 2 post slide system.

 You are able to lock it with a small combo lock ( made 3 trips to PG events and held up thru air port )

 

http://www.baseballrampage.com...pment-Wheel-Bag.html

I had a Nike Hockey bag when I was in high school. We had found it at Sports Authority on sale one year. It held all of my catcher's gear, two catchers mitts, three other gloves, two bats, two pairs of shoes, and assorted clothes. It didn't have wheels, but it was cheap (like $30-40).

Got the No Errors catchers bag for son a couple years ago.  Appeared to be a great design.  And it was.  PROBLEM WAS WITH CONSTRUCTION QUALITY.  SEEMS BLEW AND ZIPPERS HAD ISSUES within a month.  Too bad, was a great idea just poorly executed.  Sent it back to company and got refund.

Maybe in past two years they've corrected?  Good luck.

Happy New Year!

 

Our son has tried a few:

 

A C carry bag looks cool/good,

but after getting beat up by a HS pitcher throwing too many bouncers you may like rolling a wheeled bag.

 

No Errors- looks tough but ripped right away along zipper

(and IMO, a freshman may not want a bag that has large letters saying "No Errors', have seen C's with that bag (not our son) get razzed for passed balls and throwing balls in CF, a freshman does not need the hassle.

 

Rawlings is ok,

Louisville Slugger makes a catcher's bag that is is a big as a hockey bag (son plays hockey too)- gear slides around & ends up by wheels as it is one big open area inside.

Nike was too small for extra mitts, etc

 

We've found that the best C bag is Under Armour rolling Catcher's bag, very durable.

Large center area holds all gear & has four inside pockets along the side for tape, pre-wrap, extra shin guard straps, towel, batting gloves, etc. 

Holds 2 bats well, can hold 3 if you head/toe them.

 

That is the best C bag our son has had.

We have thought about this topic recently as he has to change to sponsor's bag this summer & hopes they make a comparable bag to the UA.

The inside pockets are a great idea.

http://www.slugger.com/gear/eq...14-ca-catch-all.aspx

 

This bag looked interesting.  I like the larger wheels and the reinforced area between the wheels. 

We had a similar Louisville bag several years ago that was used mostly for hockey but also some catcher.  It held up very well and the compartments were well thought out.  Yes, the bottom reinforcement was a big plus.  Bats were a little tough to get in and out but I give it very high marks.

"No E2" catchers bag held up for my son's last 3 years of high school and travel ball.  Big wheels and durable zippers.  Beat every other bag we used throughout the years.

For the money, hard to beat the Louisville Hoss bag.  It is huge.  My son bought one every year for the last 3 years of high school.  They take a beating, but they lasted one year for about $50 I think. 

That is an interesting comment and one I never would have thought but I can believe it.  I wonder if No Errors company might want to change the name on their bags?  

I bought the Louisville Catchers bag that I posted the linked to above. 

 

I'm going to advise my son to use his old bag for practice and his new bag for games to keep the stink down.  

 

Hopefully the Louisville bag will last more than a season.

My son has used a No Errors bag for 3+ years. Some rips and, in general, rather worn-out, but still fully functional. Can't complain much: it was used hard and did the job. But, this thread reminds me that it is about time to get a new bag so looking at viable options is good.

My son uses the all-star bag because he likes a large opening with a few pockets on the side.  It holds everything.  We replace it once a year because he's a year round player and it  does take a beating..and gets soooo smelly.  Generally we replace it when we buy new gear.  That way everything is fresh at least once a year, lol.  What's very important to him is that it not have wheels. He says, doesn't matter how tired he is after the game, he's going to look strong in front of scouts.

http://community.hsbaseballweb...099#2982475077628099

All Star roller bag is solid. The only thing I would like to see improved is a bigger bat compartment. No Error bag literally falls apart at the zippers and seams. Not worth the money. 

Here is a follow up, don't get the Rage 360 by Tanel for use as a catchers bag. It would be a great bag for a position player, has great features. My sons arrived yesterday and his catchers gear won't fit along with the other usual stuff. I will be going back to the All-Star bag he had before, hope the zippers don't bust again.

Here is what I found out.  The catchers on Varsity use the team gear so now my son only uses his catchers bag at practice. 

I bought him a back pack style bag to fit all his gear except for catchers gear for games. 

My son just got a Wilson catcher's bag (carry, not wheels).  It's a great size - fits all his stuff and is within airline size restrictions so he can check it when he travels.  Looks good too.  I don't know yet how durable it is but at $30 we'll buy a new one when it gives out.

After you get the bag...put this stuff in it!!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“White-Out”-sometimes pitchers can not see the catcher's fingers when giving signals, particularly at night. Paint your nails with WiteOut. It drys fast, stays on, is easy to find (office supply store) in small quantities, and its comes with a built in brush!!

 

Flash light for those night games when the lights go out. A catcher has so much stuff to lug around, it takes longer to pack up.

 

Tape, leather laces, pen knife, shoe laces, small brush, extra shin guard clips, Band-aids, nail clip (keep your throwing hand fingernails trimmed to reduce injury from foul balls)

SPF sun cream and “Chap” stick, Bug Spray

 

Extra Athletic Cup- just in case you forgot one

 

Small Towels, small cleaning rags

 

Dry T shirts

 

Bottle of water- for cleaning and drinking

 

Bottle opener…..

The bottle opener is for beer?  

For whatever reason my kid likes to have about 20 empty water bottles in there.

LOL

 

sshhhhhh...actually imported beer... no twist-off tops... somebody may bring the beer but...

I just picked up the Louisville Slugger Series 9 Catchall bag. Best bag I've had for catching equipment. Love the straps that keeps the bag from bulging in the middle, which happens a lot with bags when you put lots of larges items in it. Plenty of room for both batting and catcher's helmets, legs, chest, gloves, and shoes (sometimes cleats, slides AND sneakers). Nice compartment to keep extra jersey-n-pants for tournaments and double hitters. Especially for those tournaments where you gotta change between home and away jerseys. Holds 4 bats, but the sleeves only go half way down, so you get some rattling when you wheel it. Not sure how I feel about the stiffening rails are inside instead of outside on the bottom, leaves the material on the bottom exposed. But it seems to be a tougher material than the rest of the bag, AND there's a floor on the inside of the bag over the plastic stiffening rails so they don't get in the way when loading the bag up. Rolls quiet and eats curbs and steps alive. A team mate has the new DeMarini Black Ops bag, which is too small for a catcher, but the LS Catch All bag is just as high quality.