Ball bags and Mask harness

[stl_ump]

I'm in need of a couple of ball bags.  Real ones... not some knock offs.  Suggestions?

And as for a Mask harness... suggestions on that?  Are they pretty much all the same?

Thanks

 

[wolfe_man]

I like the Smitty XL ball bags. $12.99 each

I febhesrd Dry-Lo’s are good also. $17.99 each

Finally, hearing very good things about the new UmpLife neoprene ball bags as well.  $44.99 per set 

[Richvee]

I’m sold on the ump life harness. It’s very different from a “traditional “ harness, but after a little adjustment period, I will never use anything else. 
 

I have dry low bags. They’re in good shape so I’m not in the market for new ones. I got to see the new ump life bags this weekend. They look a little different, but my partner said he loved them. 

[MadMax]

9 hours ago, stl_ump said:

Real ones... not some knock offs. 

There are knock-off ball bags??  
Until Cubby hung ‘em up and retired, Fieldin Culbreath’s wife would make his ball bags for him. You could tell them apart from typical ones because she would use either a navy or midnight (think: University of Michigan) fabric that wasn’t quite black. 

I was a devoted Honig’s K40 user. I would buy a new set of black ones every year, relegate my current set to the tournament and day-to-day circuit, and then donate my daytime ones to new umpires… especially the guys who would get those wretched Champro / Champion Starter Kits, where the ball bags look like a landscaper’s gardening tool pouch. They were excellent. I even had a set of navy ones for those times I’d visit back home to Wisconsin, or CDP… or Indiana. 

But then I _had_ to try Ray’s UmpLife ball bags. They’re superb! Neoprene and huge, but well-structured. I need the capacity, because in Spring Training, not only is it a waste of the club’s time to keep pausing to resupply baseballs, but I’ve had to carry 2 (and sometimes 3!) different baseball types, in quantity. 

Of course, Ray thought this out, and made them as a set, with one bag as one big pocket, and the other one subdivided into smaller pockets… but alas, this one doesn’t have a sub-pocket deep enough to “cleanly” hold the UmpLife folder (it just sticks up above the rim), and there’s an unused pocket for this… primitive knick-knack called an indicator(?). 🤷🏼‍♂️ I don’t own one, so it goes unused. Evidently the Mk II version will re-size this subdivided pockets. 

9 hours ago, stl_ump said:

Are they pretty much all the same?

Far, far from it. First, let’s get obligatory, biased rant out of the way – Wilson harnesses are crap. They’re too shallow, the nylon webbing they use is too broad and too slick, and their ladderlocs suck. Just because they have the MLB logo on the back, everyone thinks that means quality. It doesn’t. With that said, I endorse several other “common” harnesses: All-Stars and Champros are decent, as are Force3 and Diamond – especially the Eclipse -series. I was a big fan of +POS before they fell off a cliff; their harness were not only discreet, but had the added details of strap garages. Honig’s was also a frequent go-to, because they’ve been discreet and incredibly inexpensive, comparatively speaking. 

But then I had to go and try Ray’s new UmpLife harnesses… 🧐 

Now I don’t use any others. 3 of the 5 masks in my arsenal have it. Only my navy Honig’s is using a Honig’s harness (in navy, of course), and my All-Star FM4000 is using an All-Star harness. All-Star does make a superb flex harness for use with their Skuly, but it’s kinda goofy with a hat. 

[wolfe_man]

I still really like Honig's mask harnesses.

The UmpLife harness is very good also, but there are times I still prefer my Honig's for some reason.

Mizuno makes a very good mask harness also, but they're hard to find as they're from Japan of course.

The others are pretty much the same (Adidas, Nike, Wilson, Champro, Diamond etc.)

[ArchAngel72]

I like smitty XL bags

 

I use the AS delta flex harness on my AS cobalt skull cap and it fits and works great

 

[stl_ump]

Regarding the mask harness, what's makes one "better" than another one?

Thanks

 

[stl_ump]

And finally... any thoughts on a chest protector harness replacement?

Thanks!

[wolfe_man]

8 minutes ago, stl_ump said:

And finally... any thoughts on a chest protector harness replacement?

Thanks!

UmpLife (Ray Brownlie) makes an excellent replacement harness. You can purchase from him (rbumpire37@gmail.com) or from Ump-Attire.com.

Force3, Wilson and All Star also make very good replacement harnesses.  Personally, the UL harness is the best out there IMHO.

[Rock Bottom]

11 hours ago, MadMax said:

All-Star does make a superb flex harness for use with their Skuly, but it’s kinda goofy with a hat. 

As an All-Star skullcap user I second this!  The AS delta-flex harness is excellent with the skully; I LOVE it - very grippy, and the mask is totally stable, yet easy to quickly remove one-handed, but I tried it (not in a game) with a regular hat and didn't like it that way - not just for looks, but it the grippiness that makes it so great with the skully was a downside for me with the regular cap.  For the regular cap I used the traditional AS harness (never tried the UmpLife, so I can't compare).

[umpstu]

3 hours ago, stl_ump said:

And finally... any thoughts on a chest protector harness replacement?

Thanks!

Not trying to suck up to Ray, but I'm using his mask harness, ball bags and chest harness.  His mask harness is outstanding.  Still getting used to the feel of the bags.  I swear his chest harness is beyond needing improvement.  I have never had a chest harness where I have not had the need to adjust my protector during the game.  Not once this season.  And I have used the All Star and Force 3.  The Ump Life might cost a little more, $38, but man it is most certainly worth it. His products are certainly worth it.  St Louis style pizza rocks.

Edited April 28, 2022 by umpstu
missing word

[ATXBlue]

18 minutes ago, umpstu said:

 I swear his chest harness is beyond needing improvement.  I have never had a chest harness where I have not had the need to adjust my protector during the game.  

YES! For like 5 games after replacing my harness with a UL one I would go to adjust my CP in between pitches just out of habit and it would be stuck in place. It is well worth the money, as is anything Ray puts out. 

[FranklinT]

On 4/27/2022 at 8:39 PM, wolfe_man said:

I like the Smitty XL ball bags. $12.99 each

Am I the only one who cant stand these Smitty ball bags after using Honig's (when they were good) and Dry Los?

[wolfe_man]

2 hours ago, FranklinT said:

Am I the only one who cant stand these Smitty ball bags after using Honig's (when they were good) and Dry Los?

I have some old Honig's and they're fine, but I like the bigger XL bags.  Plus, these match my Smitty shirts exactly.

[FranklinT]

8 minutes ago, wolfe_man said:

I have some old Honig's and they're fine, but I like the bigger XL bags.  Plus, these match my Smitty shirts exactly.

I feel like the Smitty XL bags are too deep and I can never get a ball out smoothly, which was never an issue with my old Honigs or Dry Los

I seem to have a model where my plate brush doesn’t fit in the front pocket but fits in the back one.

[wolfe_man]

1 hour ago, FranklinT said:

I feel like the Smitty XL bags are too deep and I can never get a ball out smoothly, which was never an issue with my old Honigs or Dry Los

I seem to have a model where my plate brush doesn’t fit in the front pocket but fits in the back one.

Interesting.  Once I get them out once, then I can normally get them out easy after that.  I use a plastic brush in the front pocket with no issues, I wonder if they've updated them?

[MadMax]

4 hours ago, FranklinT said:

Am I the only one who cant stand these Smitty ball bags after using Honig's

Used Honig's extensively, ever since picking up my first set from the Ann Arbor store in 2012. Have never used Smitty's, and have no interest to... 

All UmpLife now. Lock, stock and two full bag bags.

[Rock Bottom]

On 5/2/2022 at 2:23 PM, MadMax said:

Used Honig's extensively, ever since picking up my first set from the Ann Arbor store in 2012. Have never used Smitty's, and have no interest to... 

All UmpLife now. Lock, stock and two full bag bags.

Are the UmpLife bags too big for guys only getting 2-3 balls max per game? I'm seeing great reviews, and have seen them in person, but they just look really big.  Although I guess having too much room is rarely a bad thing compared to too little.

[MadMax]

9 hours ago, Rock Bottom said:

Are the UmpLife bags too big for guys only getting 2-3 balls max per game?

Are you working for those penny-pinching a$$h0l3s from USSSA??! 

Anyway, the UmpLife bags are living life in total, oversized luxury. Indeed, they might be too over-scaled for the likes of… shorter umpires ( @The Short Umpire … sorry, buddy). 

Of course, you could always order the set, and just use one when conducting a game with a meager ball budget. Then again, I think one ball bag is sacrilegious… but that’s me. 

[ArchAngel72]

To note I last night I could easily get 3 softballs in my Smitty XL Grey bags without issue I probably could have gotten a 4th had it been offered and that was with my wood brush in there too.

 

Oh fyi they were optic yellow softballs, they did NOT clash with my light blue jersey or Grey Bags 🤡

 

 

[umpstu]

On 5/2/2022 at 12:23 PM, MadMax said:

Used Honig's extensively, ever since picking up my first set from the Ann Arbor store in 2012. Have never used Smitty's, and have no interest to... 

All UmpLife now. Lock, stock and two full bag bags.

The Honig's were great.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Force3 Dry-Lo bags, UmpLife harnesses for both mask and CP. If you have a Wilson branded CP, I highly recommend their premium (upgraded) harness. Some retailers will let you order a Wilson CP and add the harness (and its price) which they will install. Other retailers will only sell you the CP and upgraded harness separately which you can then install yourself. There are plenty of YouTube videos demonstrating the proper installation of CP harnesses and then proper fitting of the CP once a new harness has been installed.

~Dawg

[Razzer]

On 5/3/2022 at 7:03 PM, Rock Bottom said:

Are the UmpLife bags too big for guys only getting 2-3 balls max per game? I'm seeing great reviews, and have seen them in person, but they just look really big.  Although I guess having too much room is rarely a bad thing compared to too little.

Ok 2-3 baseballs you will have room, ask for 3 more decent balls to work into the game. At the end of the night they will look the same and you have kept the game moving along.

 

[Hudsonbandits6]

Hey guys this is my first post on here so not really sure how this works but figured this is the same topic so will ask it here. Looking for new ball bags this season. Currently have these cheap Rawlings ones I bought at local sports store when I first started about 6 years ago. They're functional but looking for something that's higher quality. My original plan was to get a pair of the Force 3s without inside pockets, my current ones don't have inside pockets and I like that as I've heard other guys that don't put anything other than baseballs into their ball bags sometimes get their fingers caught on the pockets making it tricky. I watched the product review ump attire did on the Force 3 and not sure if I'm a fan of the material as well as how it may curl up with no baseballs in it which I end up having my one side empty often as coaches will never supply enough baseballs, and looks like it could be tough to get balls out of the bag with that material. What suggestion would you guys give for new ball bags? The smitty oversized look nice but the most balls i've ever gotten for a game is 6 and I like having 2 ball bags so don't want one that's too big. Are there any other no pockets guys that have had issues with certain bags with pockets? Also if I posted this in the wrong spot let me know and I'll correct myself for next time.

[ErichKeane]

1 hour ago, Hudsonbandits6 said:

Hey guys this is my first post on here so not really sure how this works but figured this is the same topic so will ask it here. Looking for new ball bags this season. Currently have these cheap Rawlings ones I bought at local sports store when I first started about 6 years ago. They're functional but looking for something that's higher quality. My original plan was to get a pair of the Force 3s without inside pockets, my current ones don't have inside pockets and I like that as I've heard other guys that don't put anything other than baseballs into their ball bags sometimes get their fingers caught on the pockets making it tricky. I watched the product review ump attire did on the Force 3 and not sure if I'm a fan of the material as well as how it may curl up with no baseballs in it which I end up having my one side empty often as coaches will never supply enough baseballs, and looks like it could be tough to get balls out of the bag with that material. What suggestion would you guys give for new ball bags? The smitty oversized look nice but the most balls i've ever gotten for a game is 6 and I like having 2 ball bags so don't want one that's too big. Are there any other no pockets guys that have had issues with certain bags with pockets? Also if I posted this in the wrong spot let me know and I'll correct myself for next time.

I just picked up a pair of Force3 bags (1 of each!) and am very hapy with them.  They are a reasonable size, and having the non-inside pocket on the right works perfectly.  I don't find my finger getting caught in the other side.

There IS a bit of a curling issue on my one with pockets (the one that doesn't get balls usually), but the other has 'worn in' after 2 games now and doesn't curl anymore.  I suspect the curling is a temporary thing.

FWIW, I had an allstar bag previously and hated the interior pockets, but these are pretty good pockets, and I'm glad I have them in the left bag.