Tag: baseball gear

Best Selling Baseball Equipment Bags Review

Reviewing the top baseball equipment bags in the game today! Get a full review on the Mizuno Classic Wheeled Baseball Equipment Bag, Easton Stealth Core Baseball Catchers Bag, and Nike Baseball Backpack.

Spring training’s right on the horizon, and that means it’s time to start gearing up for another season of serious baseball action! Hopefully your baseball equipment made it through last year’s long and grueling season relatively unscathed, but most likely, with all of your trips to the diamond, travel to tournaments, and horsing around in the dugout, your baseball bag has seen better days. Frayed edges, busted zippers, broken handles, ripped pockets. They’re all battle scar reminders of a great year…but who wants to start the new one dragging their favorite glove and bats around in a ratty old equipment bag?

Start the season off right, and head out to spring training with a brand spanking new, upgraded baseball bag. One that not only looks good, but will actually hold all of your gear, and maybe even last a few seasons!

But which one to get? Where to begin?

How about our 3 favorite and best-selling baseball gear bags from game-tested brands like Easton, Nike, and Mizuno?

Please Note: All of the following baseball gear bags can double as a softball bag.

1. Mizuno Classic Wheeled Baseball Equipment Bag

Review:

Mizuno Wheeled Equipment Bag

This wheeled baseball bag has it all; pockets, compartments, organization, and room to spare. Plus, it also sports durable off-road wheels, perfect for dragging it easily over any surface from parking lots to dirt roads. The bag fits up to four baseball bats (max bat size 32″), loads gear easily from the big top zip compartment, and also features an easy-access, ventilated cleat storage pouch to keep your smelly shoes away from your clothes after the game. Although it features a lot of the same options you’d generally see in most large equipment bags, (fence hooks, internal storage pockets, etc.) it’s the Mizuno quality and dedication to detail that truly set it apart from anything you’ve used in the past.

Who needs it?

The Mizuno Classic Wheeled Equipment Bag is #1 among wheeled baseball bags, and is perfect for travel. I’d recommend it for any middle or high school player who needs a seriously durable and large bag for all of their gear, especially if they expect to travel a lot to tournaments and games. It’s probably too big, a little expensive, and maybe unnecessary for younger players who don’t have as much baseball gear as their older brothers and sisters.

Mizuno Wheeled Baseball Bag Colors

Dimensions: 36″ L x 13″ H x 13″ W

Options: Comes in a variety of colors; black, cardinal, forest, navy, orange, red and royal.

2. Easton Stealth Core Baseball Catchers Equipment Bag

Review:
Easton Stealth Core Baseball Duffle BagAn incredibly durable, duffle-style catcher’s gear bag that stores and protects your equipment, without the bulk and size of other large catcher’s bags. A U-shaped top zipper, the entire size of the bag, opens up to a large main compartment, complete with organization and compartments for holding your catcher’s equipment. Your helmet and catchers mitt fit perfectly into pockets at either end, while your chest protector folds neatly into a specialized padded compartment on the side. Inside the main compartment, your shin guards fit easily into sleeves, and a specialized cleat tunnel keeps things organized. The Stealth Core also holds two bats, and features strong bottom rails with in-line skate wheels on the bottom, so if it’s too heavy to haul, you can just grip it and drag it anywhere. And with a strong 420D polyester ripstop body with 600D polyester insets, this bag will definitely last multiple seasons no matter how hard you treat it.

Who needs it?

The Easton Stealth Core is a great option for middle school, high school, or college age catchers, looking for a no-nonsense catcher’s gear bag to keep all of their equipment organized when they’re on the road. Easy to carry and low-bulk, this specialized duffle bag holds every piece of catchers gear, plus 2 bats, and accessories. It’s also affordable, making it perfect for players of any age.

Dimensions: 35″ L x 14″ H x 14″ W

Options: Comes in a variety of colors; black, navy, red and royal.

3. Nike Baseball Bat Backpack

Review:

Nike Bat BackpackStrong and fully-featured, this baseball bat bag from Nike features a large main compartment, big enough to hold some school books, plus your essential baseball supplies. A specialized sleeve inside holds your glove in place, while a ventilated and lined cleat compartment up front separates your dirty cleats from the rest of your baseball equipment. A helmet clip on the outside front of the bag fits easily through the earhole of your batting helmet, keeping it snug and locked onto the bag. On top, an accessory pocket fits sunglasses, a wallet, or a Smartphone. Finally, two side bat sleeves let you bring your main and backup bats down to the dugout. Easy to haul, sized, and priced right for the youth or casual player, the Nike Baseball Bat Backpack gets the job done, and is quality built from one of the most trusted names in sporting goods.

 

Back bat backpack

Who needs it?

Because of its size and affordability, I’d recommend the Nike Bat Backpack to any youth player, particularly because they usually don’t have a lot of gear, and generally play ball after school. Also, the bat sleeves don’t really sit high enough to fit adult baseball bats. That being said, they’re great options for any youth player looking for versatile, durable, and good looking baseball bat bags.

Dimensions: 19” L x 10” H x 14” W

Options: Comes in black, red, royal.
By Brandon Porter.Brandon is a product specialist at Sports Unlimited.

How to Buy a Baseball Glove

Buying a new baseball glove can be a confusing process. Most gloves look the same to the layman, so learn how buy a baseball glove, tell gloves apart, and find the one that works for your needs, and fits into your budget.

Adult Baseball GlovesHanding down your old baseball or softball glove to your kids for a game of catch in the yard can be a loving rite of passage…and something moms and dads look forward to for a long time. But when it comes to serious little league games and beyond, that worn out old glove just isn’t going to pass muster. At some point, your kids are going to need a new glove, and hey…you might need one too! But to most new baseball moms and dads, all gloves look exactly the same.

So how do you tell baseball gloves apart, let alone find one that meets your needs and fits into your budget?

Glove Features:

Even I’ll admit that almost all baseball gloves have a similar look. But there are three main features of a glove’s build that make it unique, and determine its use and performance in the field. Recognize them, and an entire world of differences will open up before you:

  • Webbing – This connects the thumb of the glove to the fingers and expands Glove Websthe catching area well beyond the hand. There are many, many different types of webs, each with their own cool name (like the Modified Traz-eze web!), but they all generally fall within two categories:
    • Closed Webs feature tight woven patterns of leather that create a solid, strong web.
    • Open Webs use loose cross patterns of leather or leather lacing to create spaces between each piece of leather webbing, for a web you can see through.
  • Pocket – The indentation in the palm of the glove where the ball rests when it’s caught. Pockets range from shallow to deep, and pocket depth can affect your hold on the ball, as well as determine how long it takes to retrieve it from the pocket.
  • Glove BackBack– The wrist closure of the glove.
    • Open backs have a space above the Velcro adjuster for more flexibility around the wrist.
    • Closed backs have no space for more strength and support.
Glove Patterns:

Every baseball glove on the market uses these three features in various combinations to create a unique glove “pattern.” This pattern, along with the size of the glove, tailors its performance to meet the needs of players at different positions around the diamond. For instance;

  • Outfielders need a longer reach, wider catching area, and added support to catch pop-flys. To meet their needs, outfielder glovestypically feature:
    • A closed back for strength and wrist support
    • An open web to see through when catching fly balls, filtering out glare from sunlight or stadium lights
    • A deeper pocket for better hold on the ball
  • Infielders need to stop hard hit shots and make fast throws. To get that kind of performance, infielder gloves generally feature:
    • Shallower pockets for faster catches and quicker throws
    • Open backs for added wrist flexibility and faster movements
    • Open webs for 3rd basemen, to help field hard hit balls down their baseline,
    • Closed webs for short stops, 1st, and 2nd basemen, for faster transfers from glove to throwing hand
  • Pitchers are less specific in their needs, and generally rely on personal preference in a glove pattern. But almost all pitching gloves use a closed web to help hide the ball and grip from the batter.
  • Baseball Catchers MittCatchers have a very specific role behind the bag, and all they’re typically worried about is catching the ball and not breaking their hand. That’s why catcher’s mitts are unique and finger-less, designed to protect the hand with heavy padding. A shallow pocket provides easy access to the ball for fast throws, and a closed web snaps shut when catching pitches.

When choosing a new baseball glove, it’s also important to consider the leather it’s built with. Leather quality has a dramatic affect on the glove’s durability, longevity, softness, performance, look, feel, and break-in time. It also happens to be a central factor in its price! High-end gloves with pro-stock, pro-choice leather, like the Wilson A2000, are definitely worth the price as they practically last forever, and can dramatically improve your game. However, if you’re looking for a youth baseball glove for your son or daughter, who is just starting out, playing in smaller leagues, or still growing rapidly, it’s not practical to buy such an expensive glove. Instead, check out Mizuno Prospect Series baseball gloves or Franklin baseball gloves, for a more affordable, but still high quality option.

This is a great year for baseball gloves, and there are tons of new 2012 baseball gear and gloves that you and your kids are sure to love! So look around, and use all of your new-found baseball glove knowledge to find something perfect. And if you still need some more help, be sure to check out our complete Baseball Glove Buying Guide.
By Brandon Porter.Brandon is a product specialist at Sports Unlimited.