The Best Umpire Ball Bag

The best umpire ball bag is the one that works best for you. Scroll down to find what you want in a ball bag, and we'll tell you the best umpire ball bag for you.

Professional Look AT A VALUE PRICE

Go with cloth or neoprene ball bags, not vinyl ball bags. The vinyl ones have pouches on the outside. One of these with a plate brush hanging out is a tip-off that are you new at this. Don't let anyone think you are new to umpiring.

If you need a pro look ball bag, and you want to spend the least amount of money, the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is:

The Smitty Pro Style Umpire Ball Bag

Holds a minimum number of baseballs or softballs

Vinyl bags generally hold 2 baseballs and 1 softball. You are going to be saying "I'm out of baseballs (or softballs)" way too often with these.

All of the pro style ball bags, including the Force3 Dry Los hold up to 5 baseballs or up to 3 softballs. If you want to hold a few extra balls while maintaining a pro style look, BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is:

The Smitty Deluxe XL Expandable Ball Bag - holds up to 7-8 baseballs or 5 softballs.

If you are a softball umpire and want the maximum amount of space, the BEST BALL BAG FOR YOU IS: the Smitty Oversized Ball Bag - holds up to 5 softballs comfortably.

INSIDE POUCH PREFERENCE

The benefit of inside pouches on ball bags is to store your plate brush, indicator, and pen or pencil inside each. If you are annoyed by sliding your hand inside your ball bag only to get your fingers caught inside the pouches, and you store those items elsewhere, the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is:

The Force3 Dry Lo Umpire Ball Bag with No Inside Pouches

Waterproof

If you work when it's hot and/or you sweat a lot, moisture can seep through your pants, into your ball bag and on to the baseballs or softballs inside. If you need a solution to wet baseballs or softballs, the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is either:

The Force3 Dry Lo Umpire Ball Bags (with and without inside pockets) or The Smitty Deluxe XL Expandable Ball Bag. Both have a waterproof lining. (Use the criteria of inside pouch preference and minimum number of balls to help you decide your ultimate best).

BEST MULTI-FEATURED

If you want a professional looking waterproof ball bag that holds more baseballs or softballs securely and comes in a set or individually with one bag with pouches and one without it, the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU:

The UMPLIFE Weather-Tek Neoprene Ball Bags

TWO-TONE COLORS - MATCHING YOUR UMPIRE SHIRTS

Traditionally, umpire ball bags come in 1 color. Now there is an option that comes in black with one of three matching colors: grey, sky blue and pink.

If you want a ball bag that perfectly matches these specific umpire shirts, the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is:

The UMPLIFE 2-Color Weather-Tek Ball Bags

GREY COLORS - MATCHING YOUR (POLYESTER) PANTS

If you follow the best practice to match your cap color, this is easy. All pro style ball bags are available in black or navy. If you must instead match the color of your pants AND you are wearing polyester (NOT poly wool or poly spandex - these won't match the ball bag's polyester fabric), the BEST UMPIRE BALL BAG FOR YOU is either:

The Smitty Pro Style Bag or the Smitty Deluxe XL Ball Bag. Those bags are the only ones that have heather grey and charcoal grey options.

Your Turn

Share your tips for determining the best umpire ball bag for you in the comments below.