Vessel Golf Sunday III DXR Stand Bag Review

An ideal Sunday bag is about making your walk easy.  It's going to be lightweight and comfortable to carry.  It's going to have enough pocket space to carry the bare essentials.  And it's not going cause frustration with excessive club tangle.

The new Vessel Golf Sunday III DXR stand bag gives you all of that.  And then it gives you even more.

Let's start with the DXR material.  DXR stands for Diamond X-Pac Ripstop and it's more than just a fancy name.  X-Pac material is one of the most lightweight, durable, and waterproof fabrics around.  It was developed to solve the problem of torn sails in sailboat racing and has since found it's way into many kinds of products including tactical gear for the U.S. military.

 

I won't go into detail about how X-Pac is created, but the gist is it's a combination of nylon, Kevlar, and laminate layers that are bonded together with heat, pressure, and adhesives.  And the result is a material that maintains overall thinness while also being extremely strong and resilient.  Ripstop refers to the weaving and stitching technique that makes the material even more resistant to rips or tears.  The diamond pattern is the particular fabric strengthening weave used by Vessel.  And it's every bit as awesome as it sounds.

Vessel's DXR almost looks like a carbon weave making the overall aesthetic of this bag absolutely stunning.  The construction and shape of the Sunday III lends itself to nostalgic bags from long ago when walking a course was as much a part of the game as playing it is.  The DXR design and contrast between stitching, piping, and even pops of red and red carbon fiber legs is straight up badass.  It's almost something like Old Tom Morris meets Navy SEAL.

 

Vessel clearly put considerable thought into this bag with every new feature.  Case in point, the new larger 3-way top with full length dividers.  Short of a 14-way top with 14 individual dividers you'll be hard pressed to find a Sunday bag that holds all 14 of your clubs with only minimal tangle.  I have oversized grips on all my clubs and with the legs extended clubs slide out and slip in effortlessly.  Even when I have my Sunday III DXR standing upright it might only take a few seconds to wiggle clubs back into position.  Smooth and easy is the name of the game here.

 

The top, middle, and bottom bag handles are all very soft, and they're positioned in places that make them very natural to grab (especially when taking the bag off your shoulders).  This might seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised how many bags don't seem to ever get this right.  Again, that Vessel attention to detail and knowing what golfers want and need.

 

You're also getting more storage space with the Sunday III DXR bag.  Five pockets with waterproof zippers (two of which are velour lined) offer exceptional room for pretty much anything you'd want to bring to the course.  The two velour-lined pockets are magnetic and each have room for both a rangefinder and phone (something you didn't have with the previous Sunday II bag).

 

The ball pocket can easily hold two dozen balls with room to spare.  I slipped my rain jacket and rain pants in the large accessory side pocket with no problem.  Another smaller accessory pocket on the other side rounds it all out.  And you also have a dedicated beverage pocket that's insulated with a stretch to fit at least a 24 ounce bottle.  When this pocket isn't in use it stays connected to the bag with magnetic closure.

Because the Sunday III DXR is so lightweight Vessel can include carbon fiber legs with this bag.  The ultralight legs deploy and retract quickly and strongly, there is no loose droop to them.  And combined with Vessel's patented rotator base you're really getting an incredibly stable stand.

  

I know legs aren't traditionally on Sunday bags, but if you can have them while still maintaining a light weight why not?  It's better than having to bend over after every shot to pick your bag up and looking for clean dry spots on the course to not get your bag dirty.  Have to also add here the DXR material cleans up fantastic, just a wet wipe and you're good to go.

 

Going back to the rotator base for a moment, this isn't unique to the Sunday III DRX bag.  I've talked in detail about about the base with other Vessel bag styles I've reviewed in the past (like their Player models), but have to say here quickly the base really serves two purposes.

 

First, the base is designed with extra width.  And that contributes to keeping your clubs spaced out, allowing them to rest inside unencumbered.  And two, because the base sits flush on the ground even when the legs are extended, this maximizes the stability of your bag.  It's not going to get blown over by strong winds or be wobbly on uphill, downhill, or uneven terrain.  It's pretty much Sumo wrestler stability for a Sunday stand bag. 

Last but not least, the Sunday III DXR has also been upgraded to include Vessel's convertible EQ2 double strap.  And this contributes to the bag's light feel in its own right.  I've talked about EQ2 with previous Vessel bags I've reviewed and it bears repeating here.  EQ2 makes the bag feel even lighter than the stated weight because of the dial system.

When you go two straps and carry the bag across your back, the dial system balances the bag weight proportionately over your shoulders and back.  Each of the straps move independently of each other so you can truly customize your carry and even feel for body type of weight distribution preference.  The strap can also be snapped in to use as a single shoulder carry which is equally comfortable as the padding is soft, thick, and almost flexible like memory foam. 

 

With lightweight comfort, ample storage, and hassle-free club pulling, the Vessel Sunday III DXR has given me one of the easiest most enjoyable Sunday carry bag experiences I've ever known.  And quite frankly it pushes the boundaries and unleashes the potential of what a Sunday bag can and should be.