What Gear Bag do you Recommend? (asking for a gift, pls help)
 

I hope you don't mind my posting here. My boyfriend is a ref for Football, Basketball and Baseball. I'd like to get him a new gear bag, and I want it to be one that serves him well all three seasons. I have no clue where to start. I want something durable, high quality, and price isn't an issue as I know you get what you pay for.

If you have a bag you love that you use for multiple sports, I'd love a recommendation. I appreciate any assistance you can provide - I've been to different gear sites and to Amazon, but I don't always trust Amazon reviews. I figured an officiating forum would at least get me honest answers.

Many thanks!

Ogio

You probably won't find a single bag that works for all three, but you can find one that works for football and basketball easily enough.

Personally, I just use a high-quality airplane carry-on sized suitcase for football and basketball.

For football season, I actually have two bags: one for Friday night high school games, and a second one for Saturday afternoon college games. That way I don't have to worry about repacking when I get home on Friday night; I can pack both bags on Wednesday or Thursday and just grab my Saturday bag on the way out the door in the morning.


The single carry-on bag doesn't really work for baseball though, because all of the plate gear (chest protector, shin guards, mask, etc) won't fit in there. So, for baseball, I keep those things (along with my plate and base shoes), in a separate, larger bag that basically lives in the trunk of my car for the duration of the season. My uniform pants, shirts, and undergarments then live in my football/baseball bag.


Oh, and give him the receipt for the bag, so he can claim it as a tax deduction.

Get qualified tax advice on that one . . .

With all that gear that baseball requires, look at umpire-empire.com, then at the section for equipment: umpire-empire.com/forum/9-umpire-equipment

Like jTheUmp, I use different bags for my three sports (soccer, basketball, baseball) because of the different requirements.

Thank you so much! For the one that the equivalent of a carry-on duffel/travel bag, any brands I should stay away from? Going to take a look at Ogio as recommended too.

Not Deductible ...
 

My accountant would ask me, "Can that high-quality airplane carry-on sized suitcase be used for something other than for football, and basketball, like carrying ordinary, everyday, clothing onto an airplane?".

He's a CPA from the highly respected accounting firm of Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe. He loves loopholes, but this isn't one of them he's willing to send me through. Of course, we could always ask for adjoining prison cells.

https://www.amazon.com/Travelpro-Cre...6b9635dbfd8530

or

https://www.amazon.com/Genius-Pack-C...pack%2Bg3&th=1

or similar. I like that the first one has a usb charging device. I have a few weeks still, so I'll keep looking before I decide.

Might he also ask if was actually something you paid for?

I definitely don't want to get him in trouble with Uncle Sam. All I'm trying to do is find a gift I know he'll use. I'm taking him to SF for a Giants' game too, so one practical present and one fun one. I don't get to see him that often since it's long distance so I want to spoil him :)

https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/...uctid=10220396

The smallest one works great for basketball. Many use the largest for baseball (I never did).

They are running sales all the time, so watch periodically.

Might want to go an alternate route and get him something like umplife's mat for changing. He'll personalize it. Look up their facebook for the contact info.

Cash Is King ...
 

Depends? Cash, or credit card?

As mentioned before, do you want a bag for all 3 sports? If so, your options are limited to smaller carry bags, such as the Diamond 25" club bag ($49.99), or wheeled bags that may not work as well for baseball. Baseball equipment tends to be too big for standard bags (I used an oversized Nike carry bag to carry my baseball equipment last season), because baseball umpires have to carry plate protective gear, uniforms, shoes for both umpiring home plate and on the bases, and hats. All this gear takes up a lot of space. I would recommend that you get something like the Force3 Ultimate 32" Umpire Equipment Bag on Wheels, if your boyfriend is serious about umpiring baseball. It will definitely save him from injuring his back when carrying his equipment to and from games. It costs more $139.99, but it comes with multiple compartments (one for protective equipment, and one for clothes). Your boyfriend can use the clothes portion of the bag for his basketball and football seasons, and all of the bag for baseball season.