There’s a lot of equipment needed for hockey. No one likes lugging their equipment around.
But if you choose the right hockey bag, that miserable experience can be a little less painful.
Here are our tips on choosing the right hockey bag for you as well as the best hockey bags in each category:
Best Wheeled Hockey Bag: Bauer S24 Premium Wheel Bag
Pros: Tarped interior for easy cleaning and durability, vent panels to air out, interior pockets
Cons: Extra weight from the wheels and handlebar
Bottom Line: If you hate carrying your hockey bag, this is the best wheeled bag for you at a reasonable price.
Wheeled hockey bags are fantastic, especially for goalies and younger players. Goalies have much more padding, so carrying everything is difficult. And young players typically struggle to carry their gear as well. Having a wheeled hockey bag gives both of these players more flexibility and autonomy when traveling.
It’s interesting to note that the junior version of this bag is a little cheaper yet you only lose a few inches in all dimensions. Even if you’re an adult player, if you’re not a goalie and don’t store much extra equipment, considering the junior version makes a lot of sense.
Best Carry Hockey Bag: Bauer S24 Premium Carry Bag
Pros: Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Durable tarp lining and a few pockets for storage.
Cons: There’s been reports of the seams not holding up well over time, but we haven’t seen that.
Bottom Line: This hockey bag would be the best choice for 99% of players.
Bauer has three models of hockey bags – Core, Premium and Elite. The Core bag lacks a few easy comforts like side pockets and a tarp lining, which could reduce the life expectancy of the bag. And the Elite version has so many compartments and extra bells and whistles that it adds to the weight and bulkiness of the bag. We suggest you go with the Premium as it provides the best bang for your buck.
Similar to the wheeled version, the Junior version of the bag only loses a few inches in all directions compared to the Senior version. If you’re not carrying around a bunch of extra stuff – practice jerseys, extra pads, accessories, etc – then you could save space, weight and money by going with the Junior version.
Best Coach and Referee Hockey Bag: Pacific Rink Pond Pack
Pros: Looks great, many compartments and hooks, comfortable, durable
Cons: DOES NOT fit all your equipment – this is just a smaller travel bag
Bottom Line: For refs, coaches and pond hockey, this is a no brainer
This is the absolutely perfect bag for referees and coaches, who don’t need to lug around all their hockey gear. It’s also the perfect bag for pond hockey, where you also don’t need to lug around all of your gear. This is an amazing travel hockey bag that is durable, looks great and has a hook or compartment for nearly everything. It won’t function as your main hockey bag, but when it comes to coaching, reffing or pond hockey, it’s the best way to store and transport your hockey gear.
Best Organized Hockey Bag: Conway & Banks
Pros: This bag has literally every feature you could imagine
Cons: Slightly bulkier, slightly heavier and more expensive than most bags
Bottom Line: This is the Cadillac of hockey bags
This bag has everything you need, and much more. Some of our favorite features are: the seemingly indestructible material that will last forever, the dividers, the color customizations, the removable laundry bag for your base layers, and the five different size options to choose the perfect size for you (most other brands only have Senior and Junior).
There are also small things about this bag that shows just how detail-oriented they were when designing the bag. The bag has a name tag slot on the outside for easy player identification. The jersey pocket can be accessed from both inside and outside the bag. The rivets are unbreakable. This bag has it all.
What Size Hockey Bag Do You Need?
One of the biggest mistakes hockey players commit is buying a hockey bag that’s either too small or too big.
On one hand, you want enough space to carry everything you need including backup equipment. On the other hand, if you get a bag that’s too big for you, you’re lugging around extra weight and material for no reason at all.
As an adult, if you can get away with a junior or intermediate bag, that’s perfect. Sometimes it’s good to give yourself slightly less storage space and figure out how you can efficiently cut back on things you don’t need. You’d be surprised how much extra crap accumulates in a hockey bag that hasn’t been cleaned or replaced in a while.
This is also one of the biggest benefits of buying from Conway & Banks as well – they allow Junior hockey players to upgrade to a larger bag at 20% off when they grow out of their current Junior bag. As a hockey parent, nothing is worse than paying for things you know your kid will grow out of eventually. With Conway & Banks, you won’t be throwing money out the window.
Travel Easier With A Better Hockey Bag
Hockey bags are certainly a forgotten piece of hockey equipment – nearly every other piece of hockey equipment will directly affect your performance on the ice unlike a hockey bag. You can find them all in our Hockey Equipment Buying Guide.
However, buying the wrong hockey bag will make going to and from the rink a miserable experience. Keep hockey fun and choose the best hockey bag for you!
