Question on gear bags

[Wildfyre]

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!

[dbogcpa]

Ogio

[jTheUmp]

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.

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

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 . . .

[LRZ]

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.

[Wildfyre]

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.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by so cal lurker

Get qualified tax advice on that one . . .

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.

[so cal lurker]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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.

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