Sun Mountain VX Stand Bag
I love golf bags. Why? I have no idea why or what it is, but I just do. It’s something I am often made fun of for by my fellow golfing companions. BUT, I’m very picky about my golf bags. Which is why Sun Mountain has generally been my go-to bag brand for well over a decade as they tend to deliver on my requirements better than most other brands. Well, after sticking with my beloved Cactus Green 4.5LS for a couple of years, something else finally caught my eye – the new Sun Mountain VX golf bag. With a whole bunch of new features and the use of a durable “sailcloth” material, I was beyond eager to get my hands on it.
The Looks
In true Sun Mountain fashion, the VX has a perfect blend of flash, character, and business. I really love the black and yellow bag pictured here for a variety of reasons, but there are three additional color options that that are also great. If you go with one of the three “lighter” colorways, the lined pattern in the sailcloth material jumps out quite a bit more. Like I said, I love the look of this bag in the review, but you really can’t go wrong with the white/inferno/black or gunmetal/black/lime options. I’ll gladly tip my cap to Sun Mountain as I feel the VX is one of the best looking bag lines they’ve ever released.
Design & Features
A LOT of new stuff to talk about on the Sun Mountain VX golf bag (we’ll cover some of it in the next section as well). Let’s start off with the climbing rope handles. The name really speaks for itself. These climbing rope handles are extremely heavy duty and durable, yet still lightweight. I prefer them because they make the bag easier to handle, aren’t bulky, and have a nice, comfortable natural grip.
Take a look at this carabiner Sun Mountain used! Plenty of golf bags these days have some sort of metal clip to attach various accessories to. NONE of them have this thing! Sun Mountain stuck with their general outdoors/climbing theme and attached this heavy-duty anodized caribiner that also locks shut so you don’t have your $400 rangefinder somehow slipping off…again! Though a fairly small feature, it’s an excellent and impressive attention to detail. I love it.
Moving onto arguably the biggest new addition of the VX bag – the sailcloth. Departing from materials typically used to construct their golf bags, Sun Mountain chose sailcloth as it’s renowned for being “more water and abrasion resistant” than materials typically used for outdoor gear, regardless of the activity. The end result is a more durable golf bag for the serious player that really puts their bag through its paces.
On-Course Performance
My first round with the Sun Mountain VX stand bag happened to be my very first “round” of the year. If you know the Chicago area and its die hard golfers, you also know that means snow on the ground. No carts. Push carts were allowed but not worth the effort, so that means carrying. While the VX weighs five pounds, it’s still an easy streamlined carry and was perfectly comfortable over 18 holes. Like any roomy bag, you just don’t want to overload it. Packed with everything I’d need on that chilly day, the X-Strap Dual Strap system was comfortable and balanced the bag nicely. I approve for carrying.
I’m not sure if these are totally new to Sun Mountain, but the Helicopter Legs are a really nice addition to the VX. This was my first experience with them and they are extremely light, low profile, stable, and strong. They deploy and retract very easily for a smooth touchdown and pickup process as you arrive at and depart from your shot. Overall, these legs seemed borderline futuristic to me and I really like both their style and their performance.
I don’t want to let you leave a stand bag review without discussing the top of the bag and divider system. The VX has a nine-inch top (with a sturdy top handle by the way) which comfortably fits fourteen clubs (plus a few extra if you’re doing some gear testing). There are then four full-length dividers so you don’t get a tangled mess when you put your clubs back in the bag. Club removal is nice and smooth.
Final Thoughts – Sun Mountain VX Golf Bag
Look, at the end of the day, personal preferences drive most golf bag opinions. It really comes down to what you want your bag to do for you as well as how you like to play the game. For me, I like a durable, well-rounded bag that’s easy to carry, has the right amount of storage, and has a good stand. Ok, and I’ll admit that I like my golf bag to look cool too. The Sun Mountain VX stand bag checks all those boxes for me. It’s sturdy, carries easily, it’s made of high-quality materials, and I love the look. It really is a very good stand bag. I’ll leave you with this thought. The VX is a refreshing and fun evolution in Sun Mountain bags, and I hope to see more bags like it in the future.
That material is called XPac. Is used in all sorts of outdoor gear. Had a few messenger bags made of that stuff when I worked as a bike courier, many years ago. Good stuff. I’ll have to check out that bag.