There are widespread reports that the seams come apart at the edges (the stress points that the baseballs make) far too quickly. It's a problem that could easily be solved by a needle and thread to reinforce the seams, but that really should be done at the factory to start with.

Where do you base your information on? I have worked for two different state associations and never heard such a requirement?

Peace

20 plus years of doing this , I have NEVER heard ONE person complain about the color of a black, blue, navy or grey ball bag yet.

If thats the only thing you get wrong for each game, then your doing a hell of job. One exception though, if this is your full time job, do as the boss says.

Oh, I rotate between navy and black depending upon what comes out of the the equipment bin first. And yes I have accidently worn both colors at the same time and still, no comments. HMMMM!

Once My cousin noticed one one my socks had a navy blue reebok logo and the other black. I didnt notice when I put them on. I told him I had another pair at home, just like them.
Only he would have noticed!

The ultimate ball bag by ump-attire.com is nice. I just picked one up. A bit pricy, but good material, a waterproof lining and nice looking.

Ump-Attire Bags are the best made bags, period.
 

I met the owner of Ump-Attire at the Chicago NCAA meeting. Jim Kirk is a great guy to talk to.

I had purchased some Ump-attire bags when they first came out years ago. I didn't really like them, but they were okay. Jim sent me a set of the new bags, and they are wonderful. They are very close to the old Kangaroo bags of the early 1980's, the best bags ever made for baseball. I put my Carlucci bags in the extra equipment bin, these are top-notch bags.

I have used the bags for two college DH's, and several cage sessions. They hold a lot balls, they don't bulge out, they have great pockets in them for indicator/brush, etc.

I'll post a full review after a few more games, but these bags blow Honig's bags away. The Honig's bags are good, I rate them one level below my Carlucci's. The Ump-attire bags are just flat out better than anything else out there by a wide margin. They are expensive, but worth every penny you pay for them.

As to color of bags, IMO you match the hat and shirt. That means for me black for college, navy for HS, and probably black for summer ball unless we use blue, then it's navy again. I am not a fan of gray ball bags since no matter what color you have, you will never get a perfect match. There are just too many shades of heather or charcoal to match up your bags with your pants. A contrasting color does not have to exactly match to look good.

After researching the various brands, this one will be my choice when I equip my "comeback tour." I also like the zipper pocket location.

Hehehehee,
 

I don't own any navy ball bags. Makes my decision pretty easy.

Regards,

I work in a tiny area with about 10 million people, and their association says wear navy because black is not recognized yet as an official color. It is only an alternate. I like black and wear it whenever possible. But when a partner has only blue and I need to wear blue, I wear navy ball bags. And it truly is no big deal.

As for the Gerry Davis bags: Steve just about nailed it. They are flimsy, single-stitched bags, which come apart at the single-stitched seams. After five games, the interior pocket started to tear away on one, so I had to repair it and reinforce the other. (After you pay $15 for a ball bag, you have to work on it.) The tunnel loops are so thin that they bunch up, and they're so poorly sewn that your belt catches this flap of fabric as you try to slide it through. They're terrible. There's nothing about them that's even passable. They are inferior to Honig's in every way.

I'll replace the pair that GD sent me to replace the pair that sucked (a remedy that I still don't understand). And I'll probably get the reinvented Ultimate ball bags from Jim, instead of another set of Honig's. I didn't like Jim's old design with the thin loops and the elastic gather, but they looked like the best made ball bags I ever saw. The new ones are even better. And Jim deserves a lot of credit for listening to us and reinventing these bags.

I subscribe to the "match the bag(s) to the hat" idea.
With that being said, I can't remember the last time I wore navy bags because I also can't remember the last time I wore a navy shirt.

When I first started umpiring I bought a single grey ball bag and ditched it after my first game because I though it looked awful.

I wish some places would ditch the "navy only" rule. I think navy jackets look sharp, but the shirts not so much. Black and MLB blue are the sharpest looking shirts IMO.

You use a purse instead of a ball bag? Interesting!

Bob

The IHSA (Illinois) gives umpires the choice of navy or gray ball bags for baseball, and requires navy for softball. I use gray for baseball and navy for softball. They should update the Officials' Handbook since they are now allowing any color of umpire shirt for regular season baseball (as long as all umpires match).

But isn't it funny that when the navy pullover shirts replaced the Elbeco shirts, everyone thought they were very sharp?

Got that right, Steve. If MLB Umpires wore purple Honigs would sell out in a week. The red was hot for a season when the MLB umps wore it.