Official Review: Wilson V3 MLB 36" Umpire Equipment Bag on Wheels

[JimKirk]

Official Review: Wilson V3 MLB 36" Umpire Equipment Bag on Wheels

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[ErichKeane]

Does anyone have longish term experience with this bag, particularly the zippers? 

I bought the V2 in July of 22 (so only a season and a half of work) and have already busted 3 of the zippers.  The bag's organization is really nice (and the longer mesh clicker pocket is a huge improvement on the v3 after seeing the video, and the top-used-to-be-mesh pocket was only marginally useful), and a good weight/fits all my gear comfortably/etc.

However, I've busted THREE zippers, the top mesh the entire carriage tore off entirely, one of the lower pocket (garment pocket) had the pull itself break, and the other lower pocket had the casting on the carriage snap, taking the pull with it.

I was able to replace the pull on one side so it is at least 'usable', but am considering what to replace it with.  I'm obviously a little 'once bitten twice shy' with the wilson bag's quality, so I was hoping there was some sort of longer-term test of this bag available.

[ousafe]

Search this site for bag/luggage recommendations from @MadMax.  And kinda shame on you for not listening to him in the first place!

[ErichKeane]

15 minutes ago, ousafe said:

Search this site for bag/luggage recommendations from @MadMax.  And kinda shame on you for not listening to him in the first place!

I actually DID solicit his advice when I first bought this bag, and while I find his equipment recommendations extremely well informed, in this case I regretted following his advice.  My requirements/preferences/etc are different than what he values in this case.  I picked up the Full Workhorse (or whatever it was) and absolutely hated it, so ended up 'wasting' the $130 or whatever it was. 

The Wilson on the other hand I absolutely adore and it works perfectly for my use case.  The compartments are perfectly sized for me, are well organized, fits perfectly in my Frunk, etc.  The zipper on the V2 are kind of garbage, else it would be perfect.  Which is why I asked the above question.

[SeeingEyeDog]

When the V2 first came out, I saw a lot of brothers jumping up and buying it. In the ensuing years, I only see a handful of guys still using them and everyone I know that has ever used one had nothing but bad things to say about it. Broken zippers, broken zipper pulls, broken skid rails on the bottom, wheel bearings seizing up, materials tearing and so on...I get it, no bag lasts forever. The V3 seems to try to be addressing some of these problems that the V2 had...we'll see.

I work high school ball and down and change in parking lots. I have a $40 Champro bag that really just serves to hold my stuff so it's not rolling around inside the trunk and then hauls everything out in the off-season.

The overwhelming evidence from guys here who need a travel bag as an umpire is the conversation starting and ending with the EBags Mother Lode bag. It's currently $125 but, I have seen it down as low as $99. and I would presume used even less, of course. Respectfully, I wouldn't pay $179 for an umpire travel bag, the fact that it's a Wilson just serves to further turn me off...

~Dawg

[ErichKeane]

9 minutes ago, SeeingEyeDog said:

When the V2 first came out, I saw a lot of brothers jumping up and buying it. In the ensuing years, I only see a handful of guys still using them and everyone I know that has ever used one had nothing but bad things to say about it. Broken zippers, broken zipper pulls, broken skid rails on the bottom, wheel bearings seizing up, materials tearing and so on...I get it, no bag lasts forever. The V3 seems to try to be addressing some of these problems that the V2 had...we'll see.

I work high school ball and down and change in parking lots. I have a $40 Champro bag that really just serves to hold my stuff so it's not rolling around inside the trunk and then hauls everything out in the off-season.

The overwhelming evidence from guys here who need a travel bag as an umpire is the conversation starting and ending with the EBags Mother Lode bag. It's currently $125 but, I have seen it down as low as $99. and I would presume used even less, of course. Respectfully, I wouldn't pay $179 for an umpire travel bag, the fact that it's a Wilson just serves to further turn me off...

~Dawg

I've seen that Mother Lode bag, and again, it was something that just didn't work for me.  I realize I'm overpaying for the "W" (same as my West-vest, which I also adore, much more than the others I've had, F3, Champro, Diamond), but it works perfectly for my use case.  I'm about 70% out of my truck, and 30% 'umpire rooms' (no air travel), and it fits really well in my frunk, as well as rolls/travels short distances well in addition to being good for 'organization'.  I'm perhaps not a 'common' use case, but it fits me perfectly, better than the others I've tried.

My only complaint is that the zippers are awful, else i'm really happy with it.

[MadMax]

@ousafe, all of my gear recommendations and reviews are comprised of at least one of these components: 

1. I own it
2. I’ve touched, tried, or used it
3. I was adjacent to its design or construction process, or researched it 

My recommendations aren’t for everyone; nor could I ever hope that they provide a solution to every particular problem, need… or preference for that matter. 

@ErichKeane is at liberty to accept or reject my recommendation. So too, if it doesn’t satisfy his requirements, then it doesn’t affect me. Sure, I’m a little concerned that he “regrets” purchasing one (what happened, Erich??), but ultimately, there’s nothing I can do about it. 

Too often, recommendations are made or pushed because there’s a form of bias behind them, whether that be financial or familial… or both. Look at any uniform or gear requirement or directive from an association or Assigning Entity (AE), and always question – what are they getting out of it? 

Now, on the matter of gear bags, I recommended (and use) the Fūl because it has the cast-plastic tub lower section, the (easily) replaceable wheels, and its dimensions are very well suited to travel by plane, train, and automobile. I’ve done it! I’ve had mine since 2018, and it’s got tens of thousands of miles on it. In my experience, it fits better than Wilsons, it’s more robust than Wilsons, and it’s a helluva lot less expensive than a Wilson! However, I will acknowledge that I have looked at some of our local umpires wheeling in these new rolling tool boxes – from Husky, Ridgid, etc. – with envy. That’s a smart solution, all contextual factors considered. No tearing, no splitting, no zippers to fail, no dry rot, and endlessly washable and dry-able with the wiping of a towel. Brilliant! Of course, I would pursue the Milwaukee PackOut model, because I’m fully invested in the entire PackOut system, but that’s me. 

Who cares if it’s red? 

On 1/27/2024 at 8:58 PM, ErichKeane said:

My only complaint is that the zippers are awful

They are awful. In 2022, I had to order in 5 zipper-pull replacement kits from Amazon for umpires in my summer League. All 5… were Wilsons. Any time I’m shuttling a crew around, even with my Land Barge (Ford Flex), I wince when I encounter a Wilson gear bag… it’s oversized, with atypical dimensions, and overpacked. And with that obnoxious yellow W… overpriced. 

[ErichKeane]

5 hours ago, MadMax said:

@ousafe, all of my gear recommendations and reviews are comprised of at least one of these components: 

1. I own it
2. I’ve touched, tried, or used it
3. I was adjacent to its design or construction process, or researched it 

My recommendations aren’t for everyone; nor could I ever hope that they provide a solution to every particular problem, need… or preference for that matter. 

@ErichKeane is at liberty to accept or reject my recommendation. So too, if it doesn’t satisfy his requirements, then it doesn’t affect me. Sure, I’m a little concerned that he “regrets” purchasing one (what happened, Erich??), but ultimately, there’s nothing I can do about it. 

Too often, recommendations are made or pushed because there’s a form of bias behind them, whether that be financial or familial… or both. Look at any uniform or gear requirement or directive from an association or Assigning Entity (AE), and always question – what are they getting out of it? 

Now, on the matter of gear bags, I recommended (and use) the Fūl because it has the cast-plastic tub lower section, the (easily) replaceable wheels, and its dimensions are very well suited to travel by plane, train, and automobile. I’ve done it! I’ve had mine since 2018, and it’s got tens of thousands of miles on it. In my experience, it fits better than Wilsons, it’s more robust than Wilsons, and it’s a helluva lot less expensive than a Wilson! However, I will acknowledge that I have looked at some of our local umpires wheeling in these new rolling tool boxes – from Husky, Ridgid, etc. – with envy. That’s a smart solution, all contextual factors considered. No tearing, no splitting, no zippers to fail, no dry rot, and endlessly washable and dry-able with the wiping of a towel. Brilliant! Of course, I would pursue the Milwaukee PackOut model, because I’m fully invested in the entire PackOut system, but that’s me. 

Who cares if it’s red? 

They are awful. In 2022, I had to order in 5 zipper-pull replacement kits from Amazon for umpires in my summer League. All 5… were Wilsons. Any time I’m shuttling a crew around, even with my Land Barge (Ford Flex), I wince when I encounter a Wilson gear bag… it’s oversized, with atypical dimensions, and overpacked. And with that obnoxious yellow W… overpriced. 

 

Sadly, its more than the pulls that have broken.  An entire 'carriage' freed itself, and another the casting broke.

My "regret" on the FUL is perhaps a little strong, but it is one that I used for about 2 months and disliked it.  The side pockets weren't big enough for my masks and helmet, and wouldn't fit both my sets of shoes without forcing them in/them getting deformed from sitting in there.  The center section was a little tight for the rest of my gear, so I found myself having to disassemble that section in order to get dressed.

So overall, it was just 'too small'.  I can see why you like it, the bottom hard shell and nice wheels, etc are great, and it does feel high quality. Also of interest, most of the negative Amazon reviews of it are ALSO complaining about the zippers on the Workhorse...

The size concerns on the Wilson are irrelevant for me, I don't travel to umpiring via plane or train, and my truck has a nice big trunk in it, which it fits in nicely. The extra durability of the wheels/tub haven't been a problem as I only have to roll it a short distance when I have an umpire room, and it only ends up in a trunk, or a hard floor in an umpire room, so I didn't have problems with that.

As for the "W", I don't have the visceral reaction to it that you do It doesn't bother me in the least.  Thanks to the Ump-Attire sales, I'm pretty sure the Wilson I bought was about the same price as the Ful, and I was generally happier with it.

Side note, I DO see that FUL has a 36in bag about the same size, though humorously, it has quite a bit of a lower rating on Amazon, most complaining about bad zippers as well.

 

Maybe YKK is the REAL villain here

[MadMax]

4 hours ago, ErichKeane said:

Also of interest, most of the negative Amazon reviews of it are ALSO complaining about the zippers on the Workhorse...

Sorry, yes, I unwittingly omitted that I've had all 4 exterior zippers on the Workhorse repaired or replaced. Cost me less than $30, all things told, but I chalk it up to the amount of abuse I've put it through. Airline baggage handling systems do not care about bags. 

If I was designing a bag, I'd source zippers that not only are (nearly) bomb-proof, but also allow for the pulls to be easily replaced. 

... and, there'd be a stealthy AirTag / Tile pocket within. Those AirTags / Tiles are game changers.