From what I gather the Nexos was intended to be OGIO’s flagship stand bag for the 2008 season.  Originally slated for an early Spring release, the Nexos has been, to put it as kindly as I can, a bit slow to find its way to market.  For those of you who’ve been lusting after this bag and managed to wait it out, your patience has been rewarded as, for the most part, the Nexos lives up to the hype.

What can be difficult to impress on some golfers is that a golf bag is every bit as important as the clubs it carries.  At times my OGIO is seemingly the only functional piece of equipment I have with me on the links.  I’ve been toting the Nexos as part of my arsenal for the last couple of weeks, putting it through its paces, playing with zippers, pockets, club configurations…basically leaving no detail unexplored.  While I can’t tell you it’s the right bag for you, as is usually the case with OGIO bags, you’d be hard pressed to find one in its class with as many features per cubic inch of bag space.

Before I get into the heart of things, I should probably confess my reservations about making the Nexos, or any stand bag for that matter, my primary bag.  I have, for the last couple of years, been a dedicated cart bag enthusiast.  I do occasionally walk, but never without the help of a push cart.

With the exception of my buddy Jon’s lack of trunk space, I’ve never had much of a reason to carry a smaller bag.  So while many of you may be interested in the performance of OGIO’s new Arc Lite Stand System, the Torq Strap, and the Wedge top, my single biggest concern was how I was going to fit an Atlas-sized pile of toys into the svelte little Nexos.  Short story short - it’s not a problem, and I’m happy to take one for the team..

The Arc Lite Stand System

There’s an indisputable irony to the fact that the single biggest problem with most stand bags is that the stand system themselves don’t work very well.  They’re either too difficult to deploy, or to eager to deploy when not needed.  The legs are often flimsy; quick to bend or otherwise lose their shape.  Some are excessively rigid, which is great on perfectly level ground, but when the terrain becomes less than level, the legs become less than stable.

Enter the Arc Lite Stand System.  All the advanced billing around the Arc Lite system suggests that the primary purpose of the design is to keep clowns like me from tripping over their bag.  Here’s what OGIO has to say about the Arc Lite System:

In our effort to eliminate so-called “leg-catch syndrome,” we have created the Arc Lite Stand System. With the stability and responsiveness of its previous leg designs, the new Arc Lite deploys in an arced motion, providing the player with a wide berth between the bag’s legs and his or her own. When it is retracted, the legs come together 50 percent faster than with traditional systems, then snap into place against the bag. The net result: no more tangles.

While I can personally attest that I haven’t caught my leg in the Nexos’ stand, being leg-catch-proof is only one small part of what makes the Arc Lite so innovative.

There’s an old expression “water finds its own level”.  It basically means that the surface of the water is always going to level out, regardless of the terrain it gets dumped on.  The Nexos’ Arc Lite stand system has a similar characteristic.

Because the legs don’t pop open as much as they arc and swivel into place, the Nexos is much more tolerant of uneven surfaces than most stand bags.  The Arc Lite system allows the bag to rock, tilt, and pivot, which allows the legs to be sturdily deployed in places that many stand bags simply can’t handle.

The design of the Arc Lite Stand System allows the legs to open on an arc (like a bird opening its wings) rather than popping straight out. The result is a nearly snag-proof, and extremely stable bag.

As a welcome side benefit to the design of the Arc Lite system; when clumsy guys like me inadvertently bump into the bag, rather than tip over, collapse, or dig in at the expense of bent legs; like a te in da win (yes, I’m quoting Nell) the Nexos gently sways back and forth without ever loosing its footing.  How cool is that?  It’s very cool.

The aluminum tubes that form the legs themselves are a little broader, and more oval-shaped than those found on most other stand bags.  The extra girth doesn’t seem to add too much additional weight, but it certainly improves the overall stability of the stand mechanism.

The Wedge Top

If you read my review of the OGIO Exodus, you may recall that I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about the Wedge top.  In the time since I’ve written that review I’ve grown very fond of the design, and have really come to enjoy - actually favor the design.

The Nexos implementation of the Wedge top, while not exactly the same as that of the Exodus, provides for ample sorting opportunity without over compartmentalizing.

I don’t know if it’s Wedge 2.0 or Wedge Jr. or what.  The Nexos features a slightly modified version of the Exodus implementation.  Specifically, a divider has been inserted to split the large compartment where I carry my wedges in the Exodus, into two smaller compartments (I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it took me quite some time to pinpoint exactly how the top had evolved from the Exodus to the Nexos).

The Nexos implementation may actually be more versatile than the original Wedge (pronounced Wedge-ee).  You can split 4 wedges between the to large compartments (similar to what I do with my Exodus), or you can use that space to divide your woods, while keeping your wedges in the smaller center compartments.  How you arrange your clubs within your Nexos is completely up to you.  My point is that the revised Wedge top gives you plenty of options.

The Torq Strap

Quite frankly, I don’t know why the people at OGIO aren’t talking up the Torq strap.  Perhaps it’s the simplicity of it.  In truth it’s little more than a flexible rubber strap with a fastener.  But when that fastener is used to secure the Nexos to a cart, well, you really start to see why it matters.

One of the reasons why I moved away from stand bags is that, despite their versatility, they don’t ride well.  Even when tightly secured to a riding cart, over the course of a round, the bag will begin to twist, turn, and slide around.  Occasionally stuff falls out.  Occasionally if you forget to zip a pocket, that stuff is your wallet.  In most cases it’s little more than an inconvenience, but quite frankly, it totally sucks.

The Torq Strap (center), used to secure the Nexos stang bag to a riding cart, is one of the many simple, yet brilliant innovations OGIO has designed into the new Nexos stand bag.

When attached to the cart using the Torq strap (I’d still recommend using the cart strap as well), the Nexos is rock-solid stable - more so than many cart bags.  It’s nice knowing your bag (and your wallet) will always be right where you left it.

Other Features

Just like most every other golf bag OGIO has ever made, the list of features is long.  In my review of the Exodus Cart bag, I talked about many of those features so I’m not going to get into too much detail, but here’s a quick rundown of what else you get with the Nexos:

A view of the top right-hand side of the bag reveals several features of the Nexos. Shown are the elastic towel loop, divot tool sleeve, velcro strip for your glove or putter cover, and the cigar caddy and pouch.

• ZBP (Zipperless ball pouch) - big enough to hold approximately 15 balls
• Ball Silo (holds 3 more - if you can’t make it through 18 holes with 18 balls, maybe it’s time to take up croquet)
• Hoode Clamshell rain hood - far and away the best rain hood on the market
• Crossbow Should Strap System - Generously padded carry strap with 4 separate adjustment points
  
  

  This picture cannot do justice to the nearly ridiculous amount of padding OGIO stuffed into the side of the Nexos that rests against your body. I'm dangerously close to replacing my favorite pillow with a Nexos.
• Scorecard holder with pencil pocket - Very handy when you’re walking
• Walking accessible water bottle holder - much roomier than it appears, it easily holds my 32oz. acrylic bottle
• Elastic Tee holders (tees included)
• GPS range finder pocket with easy view window
  
  

  Check out the pen sleeve which allows you to keep a Sharpie at the ready for those hopefully rare ocassions when you need to mark the ball replacing the one you just hit in the woods. Also shown is the texturing of the Nexos fabric. Addmittedly not necessary, it is the OGIO attention to detail that puts the Nexos in a class by itself.
• Elastic oversized towel loop
• Divot tool sleeve with OGIO divot tool
• Glove/Putter cover velcro strip
• Pen Sleeve - designed to hold a sharpie

The molded ball silo, a cornerstone of OGIO design, is yet another useful feature built into the Nexos

Gripes

At this point I’ve almost grateful to OGIO for leaving me with some legitimate points of criticism.  Given how much I love both the Atlas and the Exodus, I could use a couple of snags to help maintain my credibility.  I am after all, an admitted OGIO fanboy.

In my time with the Nexos I’ve discovered a few minor issues:

The Stand System

While the Arc Lite Stand System is a step above any other I’ve seen, it’s not perfect.  Although it retracts quickly as advertised, the legs (at least one of them on my bag) doesn’t always find its way back to its magnetic fastener.  A gentle nudge usually pops it back into place, but one leg simply doesn’t sit as flush to the magnet as the other.

I’m going to give the OGIO engineers a little bit of leeway here.  The Nexos, after all, represents generation I for the Arc Lite System.  I fully expect next year’s bags to reflect the evolution of the system.  Even with its minor flaws, the Arc Lite represents a huge leap forward in stand system design.

Yet another example of brilliance through simplicity, the magnetic fastening system for the Arc Lite Stand system keeps the legs fastened securely against the bag, which prevents them from bouncing around when the bag is slung over your back. (Note: The legs normally sit flush against the magnets shown in the image. I intentionally pushed them off to the side in order to provide a better view of the fastener)

The Putter Pocket

It’s too narrow.  Instead of dropping easily down into the bag, if I don’t insert the putter grip into the exact widest point, it takes a bit of work to get into the bag.  Even at that widest point, there’s a bit of excess rubbing on the grip while the putter falls into place.  It’s worth noting, my putter has a fairly standard grip.  It’s certainly not oversized.

I’ve tried to spread the pocket out a bit by yanking and bending with my hands.  It may have gotten a little better, but it’s not at smooth as it should be.  Unless my specific bag is an anomaly (and I hope that it is), this is a truly rare oversight on OGIO’s part.

The Color Selection

Or lack thereof, I suppose.  The Nexos is available in Sand Navy, Black Gold, and very soon, Black.  They’re not bad colors necessarily, but it would be nice to have something brighter to choose from (yes, I’m pining for the bright orange of my first OGIO; the original Exo).

OGIO sent me the Black Gold, and while I do like the look of it, there’s a fair amount of very bright white fabric, which I suspect is going to turn a very dusty gray before too long.  I’m just not sure white makes a ton of sense on a golf bag, especially one designed to be carried or pushed/pulled on a cart close to the ground.

Final Thoughts

At only 6.5 pounds, the OGIO Nexos holds way more gear than I ever imagined it could.  Everything I normally carry in an Exodus or an Atlas fit in the generous pocket space of the Nexos without any cramming, although some of it was less accessible than it is in my other bags.  This is, of course, understandable given that the other two are larger cart bags, and aren’t really designed with portability concerns in mind.  I’m actually in awe of how easy it is to fit all my junk in the Nexos.  A zero sacrifice stand bag, man, what an idea.

With its easy-wearing Crossbow Strap and ridiculously soft, quilted side pad, you won’t find a more comfortable carry than the Nexos.  As a pure carry bag it’s already as good as it gets, but when you factor in OGIO’s Torq Strap, you have the most versatile golf bag on the market today, and the first stand bag I’ve seen that’s every bit as at home on a cart as it is on your back.  OGIO has delivered on their promise of a true hybrid bag.  This, for me anyway, is the defining characteristic of the Nexos, and what truly makes it stand out (sorry) from its competitors.

Admittedly, the Nexos is not perfect - and that’s hard for me to say.  The Arc Lite Stand System could use some refinement.  The problem I have with the putter pocket is the most significant issue I’ve ever encountered with an OGIO bag, and one that certainly needs to be addressed.  Oh, and yes, although it’s purely subjective, I’d love to see some livelier color options.

Annoyances aside, the OGIO Nexos mostly lives up to the advanced billing, and that’s probably what you should take away from this.  No doubt the beauty of being OGIO is that the bar you raise is your own.  While the Nexos is a very good golf bag, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if the design team in Utah isn’t already hard at work on the next version; a bag which I fully expect I’ll be able to label the first great stand bag to feature the Arc Lite System.

OGIO, the gauntlet has been thrown down.

The OGIO Nexos is available in Sand/Navy, Black/Gold, and All Black, and will be available from eBags.com.

For those looking for a larger bag, you might want to consider the OGIO Atlas or Ogio Exodus.  Both are also available from eBags.com.

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