The Best Cart Bags of 2021

The Best Cart Bags of 2021

It’s hard to reinvent the wheel. Right?

Yes, you can tweak something here and there but you don’t mess with the basic concept. A car still needs wheels and a chassis, a house still needs walls and a roof and a golf club still needs a shaft, a head and a grip.

Just like the basic golf bag. While the concept remains the same—you have to put your clubs somewhere, right?—it is being continually refined and improved.

As a result, more and more bags are contending for this year’s No. 1 spot in our Best Cart Bags 2021 competition. Yes, there are some that need improvement but there’s less mediocrity. There’s little in-between. It’s either good or it’s not. We’ve looked at the “good” and now we are telling you what we consider the “best.”

Whether you’re looking to buy the best cart bag today, seeking some buying advice or just want a closer look at what’s on the market right now, we’re here to help.

Cart Bag Features That Matter

Storage

Some cart bags have multiple pockets but many of them may intrude into other pockets so check that glitch out. Golfers will need space for a rain suit, a sweater, refreshments and more.

Magnetic closures are the standard for GPS pockets. They provide easier access to your device while eliminating the need to clip one more thing to your bag.

If you’re looking for the Best Cart Bag of 2021 for maximum functional storage, there’s no better option than the Mizuno Tour Staff Mid. If you’re looking for plenty of storage with less bulk, consider the TaylorMade Supreme.

Dividers

Typically, cart bags offer 14 to 16 individual slots. Some even have a couple of putter wells. While few of us keep two putters in the bag, the extra spot can hold your driver or a ball retriever.

If your clubs are snagging, consider a bag with individual full-length liners with no excess material. If club organization and snag-free access to your gear are your primary concerns, the PING Pioneer and the TaylorMade Supreme are the best of the best.

Cart Strap Pass-Through

For frequent riders and many push-cart users, the cart strap pass-through is a necessity. Assuming a competent bag design, a pass-through channel helps ensure full access to all your pockets when the bag is on a cart. Bags without pass-throughs force the straps to hug the pocket which limits access, rendering some pockets all but inaccessible.

PING bags, notably the Pioneer, feature a flawless implementation of a strap pass-through. The Srixon Z85 is also excellent in this regard.

THE BEST CART BAG 2021 - FEATURES

	Product	Weight (LBS)	Dividers	Pockets	Putter Well	Cooler Pocket	Cart Strap Passthrough
	BagBoy Chiller Check Price	6.4	14	9	Yes	Yes	Yes
	BagBoy Revolver XP Check Price	8.12	15	9	Yes	Yes	Yes
	BagBoy Shield Check Price	6	14	8	Yes	Yes	No
	Big Max Dri Lite Sport Check Price	5.15	15	10	Yes	Yes	No
	Burton LDX Plus Check Price	5.9	13	7	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Cleveland CG Check Price	5.4	14	9	No	Yes	No
	Cobra Ultradry Pro Check Price	5.1	14	8	No	No	Yes
	Cobra Ultralight Check Price	5.13	14	11	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Datrek DG Lite II Check Price	5.14	14	7	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Datrek Lite Rider Pro Check Price	6	15	9	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Inesis Check Price	7.3	15	8	Yes	Yes	No
	Inesis Waterproof Check Price	7.3	15	8	Yes	Yes	No
	Maxfli Honors+ Check Price	8.4	14	10	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Mizuno Tour Staff Mid Check Price	9.6	5	7	No	No	No
	Motocaddy Dry Series Check Price	6.2	14	7	No	Yes	No
	PING DLX Check Price	8.3	15	15	Yes	Yes	Yes
	PING Pioneer Check Price	6.13	15	14	Yes	Yes	Yes
	PING Traverse Check Price	6.1	14	13	No	Yes	Yes
	Srixon Z Cart Check Price	6.2	14	10	No	Yes	Yes
	Stewart Golf Staff Pro Check Price	8.12	14	10	No	Yes	No
	Stewart Golf Super Sport Check Price	6.9	15	10	Yes	Yes	No
	Sun Mountain C-130 Check Price	7.13	14	13	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Sun Mountain Maverick Check Price	5.15	14	11	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Taylormade Cart Lite Check Price	5.7	14	8	No	No	Yes
	TaylorMade Supreme Check Price	6.11	15	11	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Titleist 15 Check Price	7.3	15	11	Yes	Yes	Yes
	Tour Edge Xtreme 5.0 Check Price	4.1	14	8	No	Yes	Yes
	Wilson Staff Exo Check Price	5.7	14	9	Yes	Yes	Yes
	XXIO Lightweight Check Price	6.3	4	8	No	No	No

More Tips

• Trunk slammers should look for handles at the bottom of the bag and on the dividers so they don’t throw out their back lifting it.
• Do you carry a GPS or rangefinder? While many choose to keep it in the cart with them, the best cart bags of 2021 have a thoughtfully placed magnetic pocket to provide easy access.
• If you have an oversized putter grip, a separate putter well is beneficial. Be sure the bag you choose can accommodate the diameter of your putter grip.
• Don’t just count pockets. Consider quality and functionality. A pocket with limited accessibility is all but useless. Look for pockets that are easily accessible and can hold everything you need.
• If you frequently play courses with few or no water stations, consider a bag with dual water-bottle pouches or larger insulated pockets.
• If your bag gets wet, wipe it down, empty it and put it in a warm place. Allow it to fully dry.
• Some cart bags don’t work well on a push cart. However, Bag Boy has a patented design to ensure their bag remains upright and secure when matched up with their push cart.

THE BEST CART BAGS 2021 - RESULTS

	Product	Storage	Style	Weight	Features	Total
	PING Pioneer Check Price	2nd	1st	11th	3rd	95
	TaylorMade Supreme Check Price	2nd	7th	11th	1st	93.5
	Cobra Ultralight Check Price	7th	5th	3rd	4th	92.5
	PING DLX Check Price	4th	2nd	24th	1st	92.5
	PING Traverse Check Price	7th	3rd	11th	4th	92
	Srixon Z Cart Check Price	5th	7th	11th	7th	91
	Sun Mountain Maverick Check Price	5th	7th	3rd	9th	91
	Titleist 15 Check Price	4th	5th	24th	7th	90.5
	Taylormade Cart Lite Check Price	12th	11th	3rd	7th	90
	Sun Mountain C-130 Check Price	7th	7th	21st	9th	88.5
	Maxfli Honors+ Check Price	12th	15th	24th	5th	87
	Wilson Staff Exo Check Price	7th	11th	3rd	18th	86.5
	BagBoy Chiller Check Price	7th	15th	11th	17th	86
	Motocaddy Dry Series Check Price	22nd	5th	11th	13th	86
	Stewart Golf Super Sport Check Price	16th	15th	11th	12th	85.5
	XXIO Lightweight Check Price	16th	11th	11th	13th	85.5
	Cleveland CG Check Price	22nd	15th	3rd	13th	85
	Datrek DG Lite II Check Price	14th	15th	3rd	19th	84.5
	Mizuno Tour Staff Mid Check Price	1st	3rd	28th	25th	83.5
	Stewart Golf Staff Pro Check Price	22nd	11th	24th	9th	83.5
	Cobra Ultradry Pro Check Price	22nd	15th	2nd	20th	82.5
	BagBoy Revolver XP Check Price	19th	15th	24th	16th	82
	Big Max Dri Lite Sport Check Price	19th	15th	3rd	25th	80
	Datrek Lite Rider Pro Check Price	15th	23rd	11th	22nd	79.5
	Burton LDX Plus Check Price	16th	25th	3rd	22nd	79.5
	BagBoy Shield Check Price	22nd	23rd	11th	21st	79
	Tour Edge Xtreme 5.0 Check Price	26th	25th	1st	27th	76
	Inesis Check Price	27th	25th	21st	22nd	75
	Inesis Waterproof Check Price	27th	28th	21st	28th	70

Best Cart Bags of 2021 – FAQ

Q: How much should I spend? 

A: Well-designed, fully featured cart bags generally start at $169.99 with the majority of our top choices being in the $250 to $300 range.

Q: Do I need an insulated pocket?

A: Maybe. However, if you’re on the course for the full 18 and travel with a selection of refreshments, an insulated pocket is essential. In general, when it comes to insulated pockets, bigger is better.

Q: Should I buy a bag from one of the big equipment brands?

A: While it’s true the top performers in our tests often come from names you know, many equipment OEMs source their bags from third parties like Sun Mountain and Vessel. However, rarely do these white-label offerings match the performance of the top bags in the supplier’s own lineup.

Q: Does the cart strap pass-through matter?

A: The short answer is yes. Cart strap pass-throughs ensure access to key storage spaces within the bag without limiting access to the vital pockets.

Q: Do dividers really matter on a cart bag?

A: Dividers are one of the most important features. Dividers that don’t have much space between each slot will cause snagging when taking your clubs out. Trust us … It gets annoying. Well-spaced dividers allow for easy extraction of your clubs.