WTD Reviews OGIO’s top of the line cart bag for 2007

My mind had played ping pong with the idea of a cart bag for a few months. If you were to ask me, I’d almost certainly tell you that I prefer to walk (which is almost certainly a lie). I had concerns that a larger and heavier cart bag would either not fit on my Sun Mountain speed cart, or would add enough additional weight that walking 18 holes wouldn’t be quite as enjoyable. Still, I really wanted some extra space in the bag. I don’t necessarily carry a ton of stuff with me, but I do like to keep it organized. Along the same lines, the Woode (TM) top on my OGIO Exo bag is nice enough, but I would have preferred more dividers. Everything in it’s own place, right? I had already made the decision to purchase the Atlas, when OGIO made things that much easier and sent me one to try.

Unboxing the OGIO Atlas

The first thing you’ll notice about the OGIO Atlas is the 10″ 15 club Uniter (TM) top. 11 of the 15 individual compartments run the full length of the bag. I try and keep my wedges in the 4 compartments that aren’t full length. While it would have been nice if all 15 were completely individualized, I can’t say I’ve had any problems with clubs getting tangled up or banging around within that portion of the bag.

The top has a designated putter pocket, although I’m fairly confident you’re not required to keep your putter there. With a 10″ diameter, there is room for all of your clubs, plus an extra one, or a ball retriever, or whatever else you might want to stick in your bag. The layout provides easy access to all of your clubs, and you’ll never feel like you’re packing a musket when putting your clubs back in the bag.

Pockets, Pockets, And A Few More Pockets

The simple truth is that a golf bag has one purpose, and one purpose only; to carry stuff. If you can accept that, then it should be pretty simple to wrap your mind around the idea that a golf bag should be judged by 2 basic criteria.

1. How much stuff can it carry?
2. How well organized is that stuff?

The OGIO Atlas can hold a ton of stuff. As to the organization question… In a word: Really freaking awesome. Okay, so that’s 3 words, but you get the picture.

The 2007 Atlas features 13 pockets (9 Zippered). So how do the engineers at OGIO cram so much storage in a golf bag and still make it fit on the back of a golf cart? While nobody has come right out and told me so, I think the answer is probably the pocket within a pocket thing that OGIO’s got working with this bag. Either that or magic.

The pictures above show one of the large main storage compartments. What you can see (click the photos for more detail) is that the pocket is actually divided into two separate compartments. The first of which is just like any fully length zippered compartment you would find in just about any golf bag on the market. It’s the staple compartment of the golf bag. What OGIO has done is split this compartment in two. Then 2nd pocket, the “Isolation Chamber” is a plastic-lined, waterproof, wet/dry pocket which is absolutely perfect for storing your stinky socks, or anything else you might not want rubbing against other stuff in your bag. I don’t generally have a need for an extra set of socks (at least I’m never smart enough to carry a second set), but I have used the isolation chamber to hold suntan lotion and other things like that which could potentially leak all over the rest of my stuff.

On the same side of the bag, OGIO has placed a fleece-lined valuables pocket. I don’t have any valuables, and by the time I’m done paying for golf my wallet is mostly empty, but I keep my wallet and keys in there just the same. If you’re the type of guy who owns a nice watch or something, this is the place you’d probably want to put it. on the back side of the valuables pocket is a sunglasses pocket. At least that’s how OGIO labels it. I’m starting to think I’m the wrong guy for this bag since I almost never carry sunglasses with me on the course (I can’t hit a ball with them on). Like the valuables pocket it’s fleece lined, which is a nice touch. As I said, I don’t carry sunglasses around with me, but I am known to carry my digital camera from time to time, and the sunglasses pocket is a perfect spot for that.

Rounding out the right side of the bag is a small to medium-sized general purpose pocket. So far I’ve used it to hold a couple bags of tees and some granola bars. It seems to be well suited for either task. Basically anything you want to carry with you, but aren’t quite sure where to put it, is an excellent candidate to go in this pocket.

My favorite pocket (shown below) is what I think of as my accessories pocket.

In the picture to the right you can see the pocket within a pocket idea at work. The most important feature of this pocket is the cell phone holder (that holster looking thing in the 2nd picture). It’s a perfect fit for my Motorola Razr. While the pocket appears fairly small, it holds a ton of the things you may need over the course of a day on the links. Here’s a quick rundown of what I keep there: cell phone, lip balm, extra repair tools, first aid kit, cigar, cigar cutter, lighter, cigar holder(s), a tube of Advil, and a couple of Sharpies for marking my balls.

To The Left, To the Left

Moving over to the left side of the bag, you’ve got a few more pockets (as if you needed any more). Just as with the right side of the bag, the left size also features a large main compartment. Be warned though, you’ll lose quite a bit of space within this pocket because it’s primary purpose it to hold the Hoode (TM) all weather top. There’s an elastic band which holds the clamshell shaped Hoode (TM) in place, which makes storing it easy enough. The Hoode (TM) is quite large, and a little awkward, and takes up a good chunk, but not all, of the space in the pocket. I’ve tried to make a habit of storing my dry rainwear (gloves and a jacket) in there with the Hoode (TM) so that when it starts raining, everything I need is in one place.

Also on the left is the Hydration pocket. Lined much the same way as the wet/dry, stinky socks pocket, the hydration pocket is designed to hold a water bottle, or whatever you might use to hydrate yourself. In what I consider a stroke of simple brilliance, the OGIO design team thought to put a drainage hole in the hydration pocket so anything that spills, or overfills, or melts simply drains out the bottom.

There’s yet another small accessories pocket over the hydration pocket. I’ve found it to be the perfect size for holding fresh gloves. I’ve been able to get 5 or 6 of them neatly folded into it without any problems.

Finally, there’s a full length umbrella slot that runs behind the other pockets. It seems a little strange at first, but once you get used to it, it actually makes a lot of sense. Basically it enables you to carry an umbrella without taking space that could be better used by a golf club, or without measurable affecting the footprint of the bag itself.

What About My Balls?

What good would a golf bag be if it didn’t hold balls right? Well the OGIO Atlas has that covered. The Atlas features OGIO’s patented ZBP (Zipperless Ball Pocket). It opens with just a tug of a finger, but snaps securely back into place; saving you the embarrassment of having your balls pop out on the course. I’ve experimented a little bit to try and get a handle on exactly how many ball the ZBP can reasonably hold. It holds 2 dozen without any issues at all. As you creep towards 2 1/2 - 3 dozen it starts to lose the ability to close all the way. Why would you need to carry 3 dozen balls with you? Chances are you won’t. With a capacity of at least 2 dozen, the ZBP should be able to handle what you need it to.

But Wait, There’s More

In addition to all of the features I’ve already listed, the Atlas has a few more really cool features that are worth mentioning. Attached to the Uniter (TM) top are a couple of plastic handles which make it a little easier to tug the bag out of the back of your car. I’ve also found that with a simple carabineer, you can hang things like an extra towel or a brush of them quite nicely.

Speaking of a towel, the Atlas has a simple little elastic band that your towel slips under, which holds it securely against the side of your bag. Also along the top of the bag is a run of Velcro. The Velcro servers two purposes. It helps secure the Hoode (TM) rain top, and doubles as a handy place to fasten your Velcro backed glove as you grab your putter and walk toward the green you’ve no doubt hit in 2.

Finally, each side of the top portion of the bag features 3 tee slots (6 total). OGIO preloads the slots for you, but as is the case with most tees, they won’t last long and you’ll need to reload them.

Mounted above the ZPB (TM) is a Ball Silo (TM) which provides easy access to 3 balls. Unfortunately, the Silo isn’t capable of reloading itself, so I generally find myself reaching into the ZBP after just a few holes, but I can’t really hold OGIO accountable for my lousy golf game.

One other nice touch I noticed has to do with securing the carry strap. When you’re ready to load the bag onto a cart, you can tuck the strap into the little loop at the base of the bag to keep it securely in place. It’s by no means a huge thing, and not the type of feature that would make you chose one bag over another, but it reflects the type of attention to detail that the engineers at OGIO considered when designing the Atlas.

Oh No, It’s Raining

A quick word about the Hoode (TM) rain top… This is perhaps the one area of the Atlas bag that could use work. The clamshell design does provide convenient access to your clubs. The snap-in-place and Velcro-down system does a decent enough job of holding it in place (although working with the Velcro I found to be a little awkward). Additionally, once in place access to clubs (particularly my mallet-style putter) became a little more of a challenge. Truth be told, the Hoode (TM) system is better than most I’ve dealt with - in fact most club covers are at best adequate, but given all the engineering that went into the rest of the bag, it’s a bit of a disappointment. Ditching the Velcro for a more solid 4-point mounting system might improve things a little as well. I suspect that the only way to make it work better would be to widen the opening, which would probably make the footprint too large. I don’t know…I’m not an engineer, but as I said, there is clearly room for improvement in this area.

Final Thoughts

I haven’t walked a course yet this year so I really can’t say how the Atlas will perform in a push cart. As a pure cart bag, however, it’s just about perfect. It’s nice looking, well constructed, and overloaded with features. The only negatives are the 4 dividers than aren’t full length, the Hoode (TM) rain top, which can be a little clumsy to work with, and the overall weight of the bag (9.5 lbs), which is bit more than most bags in its class.

Those three minor points aside, you won’t find a better cart bag than the Atlas. In fact in general, you’re not going to find a better bag than an OGIO. Deducting a few 10ths for the dividers, weight, and the less than perfect Hoode (TM) top, I’m giving the 2007 OGIO Atlas a very deserving 9.7 out of 10.

Full details can be found on the Atlas page of the OGIO website.

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