Equipment Bags

[soygirl]

I need to get a gear bag, but I don't have a lot of money. I'd also prefer not to tighten my shoulder anymore by getting something I have to lug around on my back (in otherwords I'd prefer a bag with wheels). I found this Blade fencing bag with wheels ( http://www.blade-fencing.com/store/item.htm?itemid=158 ) which seems big enough for my needs (I've only been fencing 9mo's) and also isn't too expensive. Do any of you know anything about these guys? Any other recommendations? Thanks!

[LUDICROUS]

blue gauntlet sell a cheaper bag with 2 compartments, "2 compartment team bag" that can have a rollling tray type thing (its 8am, give me a break) added for 15$.

[CvilleFencer]

I am not a big fan of most things by blade, and this is no exception. The wheels are not the standard rollerblade style that most vendors use and seem like they will wear out/break pretty quick. It is also a bit floppy in the middle which can lead to it dragging on the ground and shredding the bottom out. All in all not a super design. The BG bag is 2-compartment bag, with is a decent copy of an Uhlmann design with a luggage cart bungee strapped to is, so it is kind of lame and not the best solution by far.

I like the ELI bag for not a lot of money. It is pretty well made, very roomy and will hold a lot of stuff. It is a pretty close copy of an Uhlmann design for a lot less money. You can check it out here: http://shopeli.net/?show=193 It still is not cheap, but it is less than a lot of them out there.

Another option is a hard-sided golf travel case. You can find them pretty cheap at places like REI and Dicks Sporting goods, they will fit a lot of stuff and they will protect it very well. Also if you ever travel by plane to a tourney you will need one of these to protect you kit from the baggage apes. The catch is that everything is inside with your blades.

I have used a big Samsonite gold bag cover for a while and it is by far the best fencing bag I have ever had. I can cram enough stuff in it to fence all three weapons as a tourney along with my tools, shoes, shower kit and a towel. It love it, but the catch is that you have to either rig up and internal frame from PVC pipe or used PVC blade sheaths on your weapon to make it rigid. Still, I use blade sheaths anyway to protect my tips and keep things from getting to rusty. You can check out the one that I have here: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/fa...riceDescending They make much cheaper ones, but I am a coach and carry lots of stuff around so I wanted the biggest, baddest one I could get. I have tried a lot of other fencing bags and none have worked as well for me as the Golf bag.

Hope all that was some help!

[Hamley]

On a side note, those bags shold my shopeli are not made by them.

My coach sold me a bag that looks exsactly the same. The only difference is there korean, chinese, and japanese( i think those three) on the side. Im pretty sure its made by the company that called "Z". I love it there tons of room, exspect for the mask so it ends up with the blades. Me being a teenager puts it through the extreams and its holding up after 3 months lol

hope this helps

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Hamley

On a side note, those bags shold my shopeli are not made by them.

ShopELI is a vendor, not a manufacturer. They don't make anything they sell. They buy stuff in bulk from various manufacturers and put it up for sale to the consumer, making a small profit in the process.

[CvilleFencer]

Correct, ELI is not a manufacturer, only a vendor. Most of the stuff sold by fencing vendors is the same, they just like to put their name on it, a process called private labeling. TCA, Blade, BG, AF, the Fencing Post and all the other vendors in the US don't make their own stuff (some, like TCA and blade will sometimes do some assembly or stitching, but they bought the material somewhere). Out of all the vendors out there, only a handful make their own stuff. Leon Paul, Favero, Uhlmann/Allstar (to some extent) and PBT (again, to some extent) are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head that actually MAKE what they sell. Nothing wrong with private labeling though, so I am not sure why you brought it up.

Still, fencing gear is not as bad as cars! An American car is more often than not made in Canada or Mexico and a lot of "Japanese" and some "German" cars are made right her in the US. Kind of odd really. Speaking of cars and private labeling, it goes on a lot in the auto industry. Take the Mazda Tribute and Ford Escape. Same Car, differant labels but one is "Japanese" and the other is "American". Odd...

[soygirl]

The shopELI bag looks very nice, especially for the price. The only thing is, I don't know if I really need something so big. I only fence foil, and right now I only have one blade (although I'm about to order 2 more, and then probably another a bit after that). I keep my foil(s) in PVC piping (I can't imagine not doing so.. wouldn't want any bends or rust from sweaty gear getting on something I have to tweak and pay so much for!). The two compartments would be convenient, the only thing is it just seems a bit big for me. The reason I liked the Blade bag is because it's midsized but still has wheels - but I haven't been able to find any of those with the better wheels. The shopELI bag might be a good investment, though.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by soygirl

The shopELI bag looks very nice, especially for the price. The only thing is, I don't know if I really need something so big. I only fence foil, and right now I only have one blade (although I'm about to order 2 more, and then probably another a bit after that). I keep my foil(s) in PVC piping (I can't imagine not doing so.. wouldn't want any bends or rust from sweaty gear getting on something I have to tweak and pay so much for!). The two compartments would be convenient, the only thing is it just seems a bit big for me. The reason I liked the Blade bag is because it's midsized but still has wheels - but I haven't been able to find any of those with the better wheels. The shopELI bag might be a good investment, though.

The longer you fence, the more stuff you accumulate. If you're going to go for a wheel bag, I'd go for a full sized on. The two compartments are nice because you can separate your sweaty clothing from your blades and stuff.

[CvilleFencer]

Soygirl, I will second what Prototoast said about the longer you fence the more stuff you accumulate and wind up dragging around. If you ever take up a second weapon you will need the extra room, especially if it is saber since you will need a seperate lame, mask and cuff as well as weapons.

If you do not want to spring for the full size roll bag think about one of the cheaper golf travel bags. A bit small, still hase wheels but will still give you room to add lots of kit over what you already have. You can get some decent ones for around $50 if you search around on the link from my last post, and on orders of $50ish the shipping is free. The only really down side is that they are not rigid on the bottom, but as I mentioned if you use PVC sheaths they do a fine job of keeping the bag rigid for you.

[rsy]

Blade makes (made?) a less expensive (approx $100), semi-rigid, single rolling bag. It has built-in, rollerblade type wheels, a retractable handle and plenty of room for blades, cords, mask, shoes, clothing, etc. While it's bigger than the bag you are looking at, it is not quite as big as the Uhlmann/Allstar rolling bags, but it has a rigid bottom and sides which is nice protection for your gear. I picked one up for my son last year at FenceSmart and it is still in great shape.

I don't see it on either the Blade or FenceSmart site which probably means it was discontinued, but I saw some at FenceSmart when I was there a few months back. Give them a call and they will tell you if they still have any left in stock. Blade & FenceSmart are owned by the same people so one call will cover both.

-r

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by CvilleFencer

Soygirl, I will second what Prototoast said about the longer you fence the more stuff you accumulate and wind up dragging around.

I'll triple agree with the gentlemen above!

Soygirl: carrying around empty space is much easier than, in a couple of months, having no space at all!

If I'm being unclear then I'm trying to say that you should get the bigger bag if you feel you can afford it. You will not regret it. Come on, you can trust me, I'm swedish!

[aikijohn]

If you're interested in a cheap hard case, check out this cheapie golf case that some at my club use...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=2476193

[acaba]

Here is a wheeled golf bag from TJ Max. Its on'y $20 +$5 shipping. You just have to go to the hardware store and have them cut $5 piece of plywood to stiffen it. Three people at my club have it and it works very well for < $40. It only has one outside pocket, but is big enough for a mask, jacket and weapons.

http://www.tjmaxx.com/catalog/search...g&D=golf%20bag

[Purple Fencer]

Originally Posted by acaba

Here is a wheeled golf bag from TJ Max. Its on'y $20 +$5 shipping. You just have to go to the hardware store and have them cut $5 piece of plywood to stiffen it. Three people at my club have it and it works very well for < $40. It only has one outside pocket, but is big enough for a mask, jacket and weapons.

http://www.tjmaxx.com/catalog/search...g&D=golf%20bag

You could also make a rectangular interior frame out of 1/2" pvc pipe that would do the same thing, would be lighter tnhan wood...less risk of splinters, and you cat cut the pieces yourself instead of paying someone .50 a cut.

[Barry Paul]

The trouble with many wheelie bags is they look good, have lots of large pockets hanging of the side, but when you fill them up the centre of gravity is so high or the wheels so close together the bag keeps on flipping over as you wheel it along. Fabric can catch in the wheels and the wheel shafts and wheel start to bend and fall off.

Thats why Leon Paul wheelie bags have expensive wheels a 3/8 inch solid stainless steel bearing shaft fixed to a solid aluminium tray base at the non handle end and wheels you can replace by taking out a split pin.

Barry

[mifencer]

If you're having shoulder problems, I'd highly recommend getting a small bag (uniform, mask, 3-4 weapons). I've had wheelie bags, and I found myself loading them up with crap that I don't need. Schleping them around from practice to practice to tournament to tournament doesn't makes sense if you don't need half the stuff in the bag. If you just take what's necessary, you'll find that a wheelie bag is too big. A lot of tournaments I've been to require somekind of lifting of the bag. I find that my nimble bag is more efficient than a bulky bag. I also found out that if you're riding in the same car with other people, that a small (soft) bag is easier to fit in the trunk (boot).

Just my 2 cents.

[Inquartata]

Yes. I use a hard golf case for travel, and almost always find myself forced to negotiate stairs, which is far easier with a regular shoulder-slung bag. Because of the frames and wheels, rolling bags are heavier and more unwieldy to lift and carry when that becomes necessary. Six of one, a half dozen of the other...

Actually, your solution is clear, Soygirl: you are a lady, there should always be a gentleman or three around who is willing to carry your bag for you.

[oso97]

I have a PBT "Pentathlon" bag. Two VERY wide long pockets, (wide enough to put a large mask in either side) three side pockets. Hard bottom, and a strong metal frame, with high quality wheels big enough to negotiate stairs without getting hung up on them.

I went to Summer Nats several years ago and tried out every single bag that the vendors had there. This one was the best one, bar none (and I generally don't use PBT for equipment - prefer Swordmasters and Absolute). Since then I've used it in a number of capacities. For awhile there, I was carrying around a sabre mask, a coach's mask, a coach's jacket, a regular jacket, knickers and underarm protector, a bag of chords, and five or six weapons of various types.

And I still had room for more.

Now I use it for taking club weapons to tournaments. Last time I did so, I carried about 14 weapons in it, plus some cords.

Only problem so far is that it IS big. I also have another smaller bag that I use now just for carrying around my coaching gear, since I don't need to cart around electric gear and a regular uniform for personal use. But I did love its size when I was needing it!

[soygirl]

I guess I just realized that another consideration of mine is the fact that next year I will (hopefully) be away at college. Since I'll be in the dorms, I don't necessarily want one of these big bags taking up a ton of much-needed space. Also, since I'll be on a college budget, it's unlikely I'll start fencing sabre or epee as I just don't/won't have the money to start a new weapon, especially since I'm fairly new to the sport in general. This is why I think I should probably stick with a small case. Maybe I won't even go for wheels anymore, because a small bag just might suit my needs best for a while. I have a lot to take into consideration now...

[Purple Fencer]

So....what do we WANT in a weapon bag, anyway???? What are the good and bad points of the ones out there (not counting the hard golf cases).