Umpire Equipment Bags Buying Guide
Feb 12th, 2018Because an umpire packs a lot of gear, clothing and accessories, you will need a large bag. A regular old duffle bag or one-compartment bag will not do.
Because umpires don't want to throw their soft clothing in with their hard umpire protective gear and dirty shoes, the double-compartment bags are the way to go.
Because most umpires umpire in different locations, umpires need to be mobile with wheels on their large bag.
From there, it's up to your preference on size, telescopic (or pull-out) handle and bonus features.
First, there is a trade-off between size and handle. If you want the most room, bags have a handle at the end, and are not telescopic. The longer the bag, the more weight a handle would have to support so this is counter-productive.
The largest bags (without a telescopic handle) are:
- 36" Wilson Umpire Equipment Bag with the MLB logo - a nice choice if you prefer the brand that sponsors MLB umpires.
- 36" Champro Umpire Equipment Bag where you get more square footage for the money.
If you want a telescopic handle wheeled bag, there are smaller options:
- 33" Diamond Ultimate Equipment Bag gives you the largest bag that comes with a telescopic handle.
- 33" Force3 Ultimate Equipment Bag has multiple features including rugged, angled wheels and included folding bags for shirts and pants.
These umpire equipment bags have additional bonuses:
- Integrated Shoe Compartments: Found on Champro, Diamond and Wilson Umpire Bags
- Folding Bags: Force3 Umpire Bags
- Laundry Bag: Champro Umpire Bag
If we're talking travel, additional items will help protect items and/or keep them tidy and neat within your equipment bag:
- For Shirts or Pants: Smitty Fold-Em Travel Sleeve
- For Plate Shoes (or 13+ shoes): Force3 Plate Shoe Bag
- For Base Shoes: Force3 Umpire Shoe Bag
- For Masks: Either the Force3 or Diamond
- For Shin Guards: Force3 Shin Guard Bag
- For Helmets: Force3 Umpire Helmet Bag
- For Accessories: Use either your ball bag or a separate accessories bag
- For Laundry: Force3 Laundry Bag
About the Author
President/CEO Jim Kirk
Jim has had a passion for sports since he can remember. After playing baseball at Centre College, he worked as a high school umpire in Kentucky - during the Elbeco shirt years - as a way to make ends meet. He became involved in E-Commerce while working on an MBA in the early 2000s and eventually bought Ump-Attire.com in 2006. Jim is proud of Ump-Attire.com's success, staff and sponsorship of various groups including Minor League Baseball Umpires, Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy and UMPS CARE, the charity of MLB umpires. He served on their board of directors and was named their 2015 Ambassador Award recipient. Jim has also coached youth and middle school baseball 10 years.
