Vessel Player Stand Bag Review (Unofficial)

[mr.hicksta]

Vessel Golf Player Stand Bag (14-way in Matte Black)

I went through a lot of bags before I ended up with the Vessel and I'm so happy with it that I decided to do a quick review of the bag in case others considering picking one up! I was actually looking at this bag (albeit in black since the matte black wasn't available yet) last year, but when I got quoted $200 shipping out here to Hawaii that made the purchase unrealistic. My interest was piqued again when I saw a friend had picked one up so I decided to try and find one from a vendor that wasn't going to charge me the price of a bag for shipping. Luckily for me I found this bag on eBay with much more reasonable shipping. After going over the entire bag, I found it has many of the features I enjoyed on the Ping Hoofer and the Sun Mountain Four 5. The overall quality is way better, (with the Ping Hoofer coming close) which is what you'd expect when paying over $300 for a golf bag! Enough of that...on to my thoughts!

The good:

• The layout of the 14-way top, especially the putter well!
• Plenty of storage including a 'stealth' valuables pocket with a lock!
• Extremely comfortable straps
• Magnetic rangefinder pouch
• Stealthy design with very few logos (I'm a fan of the incognito look)
• Enclosed base with smooth stand leg deployment
• Minimal tangling when pulling clubs out of the bag 
• Impressive build quality

The okay:

• The towel hook/loop doubles as a ball marker, which looks kind of odd (UPDATE: Vessel is sending me a 2.0 towel loop!)
• No full length dividers
• No dedicated water bottle pouch. The cold item zipper pouch looks to be more dual use, so we'll see how it is on the course. 

The 2.0 Player Stand bag has been released since I purchased my bag and I suspect there are a few differences between the generations, but seeing how there's not a lot that can be changed I'm guessing the difference is minimal. I could've saved myself some money figuring out a way to get this bag last year, but I'm glad I ended up with one and I look forward to getting some mileage on this incredibly sexy golf bag! 

Feel free to post any questions in the thread and I hope y'all found this to be useful!

[RickyBobby_PR]

I’m eyeing a vessel bag from miura...crazy how I can’t pull trigger on this bag at just under $400 but have no issues with some other purchases in that range 

[mr.hicksta]

38 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I’m eyeing a vessel bag from miura...crazy how I can’t pull trigger on this bag at just under $400 but have no issues with some other purchases in that range 

I saw that one at Aloha Golf Center right before I bought this one. It's a gorgeous bag!

[joen]

I have a Vessel stand bag. Awesome bag!  Thanks for sharing. 

[mr.hicksta]

Vessel came through and hooked me up with a carbon fiber towel ring from the 2.0 bags! Solid upgrade over the original one for sure.

[Glasgow]

I’m based in the UK & apparently there is no distributor of Vassel bags here.   I’m in the market for a new stand bag to replace my 5 year only Sun Mountain which has lost a leg.  

I’ve been researching & think I have it down to choice between:  

1.   Sun Mountain 4.5  14 Way 

2.   Vessel Player 2.0  Stand Bag (14 Way). 

I think I’ve convinced myself that I want to go for a 14 Way top as long as accompanied with 14 full length dividers & believe both bags pass this test although Vassel have yet to confirm.  

 Looking at prices believe the Vessel will be significantly more expensive especially as I need to purchase directly & cover delivery costs.  If the Vessel is so superior though I would accept that although not being able to see & touch their bag at retail does make that a bit subjective.  

Looking for someone on here to provide some good practical no nonsense advice to help inform my decision.  

Straight Down the Middle   

 

[mr.hicksta]

On 7/30/2019 at 6:59 AM, Glasgow said:

I’m based in the UK & apparently there is no distributor of Vassel bags here.   I’m in the market for a new stand bag to replace my 5 year only Sun Mountain which has lost a leg.  

I’ve been researching & think I have it down to choice between:  

1.   Sun Mountain 4.5  14 Way 

2.   Vessel Player 2.0  Stand Bag (14 Way). 

I think I’ve convinced myself that I want to go for a 14 Way top as long as accompanied with 14 full length dividers & believe both bags pass this test although Vassel have yet to confirm.  

 Looking at prices believe the Vessel will be significantly more expensive especially as I need to purchase directly & cover delivery costs.  If the Vessel is so superior though I would accept that although not being able to see & touch their bag at retail does make that a bit subjective.  

Looking for someone on here to provide some good practical no nonsense advice to help inform my decision.  

Straight Down the Middle   

 

While I no longer have this bag, I did purchase it from a golf shop in Canada off eBay. Direct from Vessel they quoted me almost $200 shipping from CA to Hawaii so I'd imagine you're in a similar situation. Just something to consider as you search!

Both the bags you mentioned are solid, but keep in mind the only one with full length dividers is the Sun Mountain. I have a Vessel Player 2.0 bag now and the dividers are like 3/4 at best. It's not a huge deal as the majority of bags don't have full length dividers and to be honest even the ones in SM bags aren't all that great. From an overall quality perspective, it's no contest. The Vessel is far superior. But from a cost and availability standpoint, SM is the winner. 

I think Sun Mountain makes terrific golf bags, but I'm of the opinion that their quality has declined a bit in the last couple years. My Vessel bag is the best golf bag I have ever owned, hands down and I highly recommend them if you're able to track one down!

[MFSOT]

Bringing this post back up, I’m also between the SM 4.5 14, this bag (2.0), and the Titelist Hybrid 14. Looking for any further opinions on the three, and also curious OP how the vessel is in carts? I’ll probably walk 50-60% of the time, so the cart aspect still matters. Does it have a strap pass through? From what I can tell it looks like it doesn’t and it’s designed so the cart strap only disturbs the top of the big garment pocket. Also curious if the putter well is big enough for today’s oversized putter grips. 

Edited April 26, 2021 by MFSOT

[RickyBobby_PR]

14 minutes ago, MFSOT said:

Bringing this post back up, I’m also between the SM 4.5 14, this bag (2.0), and the Titelist Hybrid 14. Looking for any further opinions on the three, and also curious OP how the vessel is in carts? I’ll probably walk 50-60% of the time, so the cart aspect still matters. Does it have a strap pass through? From what I can tell it looks like it doesn’t and it’s designed so the cart strap only disturbs the top of the big garment pocket. Also curious if the putter well is big enough for today’s oversized putter grips. 

I have the Vessel 6 way and the hybrid 5. Both are solid bags. The hybrid is lighter. The miura has more storage but I like the water bottle carrier on the hybrid tho

[MFSOT]

31 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

I have the Vessel 6 way and the hybrid 5. Both are solid bags. The hybrid is lighter. The miura has more storage but I like the water bottle carrier on the hybrid tho

Thanks for the input! How do you find the Vessel on a cart? Where is the water bottle holder, can it be accessed while walking? I guess I’m curious about those questions for all the bags, so in your case the Hybrid and the Vessel.

Curious about club tangle too for anyone gaming the 14’s.

[RickyBobby_PR]

5 minutes ago, MFSOT said:

Thanks for the input! How do you find the Vessel on a cart? Where is the water bottle holder, can it be accessed while walking? I guess I’m curious about those questions for all the bags, so in your case the Hybrid and the Vessel.

Curious about club tangle too for anyone gaming the 14’s.

No problem with the vessel and using a cast. There isn’t a water bottle holder on the vessel. They have an insulated pocket on the side 

[jddaigneault]

I was bummed to see the CC5 bag doesn't come with their vessel bag this year, but the Ultralight. Not a knock on cobra bags, I'm sure they're amazing. Vessel just seem like really premium products (for a premium price point). I love the 14 way divider, I find it annoying trying to get the club in when the grips keep catching on one another in 4-6 way bags. If I didn't already have a PING hoofer, I would be looking around for a vessel on a discount!

[MFSOT]

42 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

No problem with the vessel and using a cast. There isn’t a water bottle holder on the vessel. They have an insulated pocket on the side 

Alright, so you’re me, you walk 50-60% of the time, cart the other portion, which bag are you buying?

[RickyBobby_PR]

53 minutes ago, MFSOT said:

Alright, so you’re me, you walk 50-60% of the time, cart the other portion, which bag are you buying?

That’s a tough question. Both bags are good for walking. The hybrid bag is pretty comfortable when carrying. 
 

I would probably give a slight edge to the hybrid because of the weight and water bottle holder. But you can’t go wrong either way

[MFSOT]

23 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

That’s a tough question. Both bags are good for walking. The hybrid bag is pretty comfortable when carrying. 
 

I would probably give a slight edge to the hybrid because of the weight and water bottle holder. But you can’t go wrong either way

Thank you for your input!