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The Vessel Lux Looper is an ideal bag for golfers who prefer to carry. Plenty of features. Premium materials and looks to match.
Introduction
Vessel is one of the big names in golf bags these days and for good reason. Their products are gorgeous, and no expense is spared with premium materials and carefully considered functionality executed down to the smallest detail. My introduction to the company came two years ago with the Player IV (review HERE) which has since become my go-to for rounds using a push cart or riding in a golf cart. I was excited to test out the new Vessel Lux Looper, a lighter weight bag geared toward carrying.
Looks
The Vessel Lux Looper looks excellent. It has a classic carry bag silhouette which is kept slim by its lack of large pockets running the length of the bag. Upon close inspection, every material is premium and every detail has been carefully considered. From the zipper pulls to the handle to the material lining the pockets, Vessel has spared no expense in creating a bag that looks nice from every angle.
I tested the crosshatch green colorway, which has a deep, rich color with a subtle texture that enhances the look and also appears to help resist blemishes. If I had one complaint about the bag, it’s that the color options are limited with only green, black, and white being offered as of the time of writing. In the grand scheme of things, if this is your biggest flaw, you’re doing really well.
Features
Feature-wise, the Vessel Lux Looper provides just about everything you would want. It features two insulated beverage pockets for those who like to enjoy more than one type of beverage at a time. While it doesn’t have a large apparel pocket down the side where you can pack a bunch of stuff, it does have smaller pockets at either side which can fit a packable rain jacket or similarly sized item.
One of my favorite features is the magnetic rangefinder pocket. This padded pocket has two sections. One is perfectly suited to a rangefinder and the other is where I keep my tees, ball markers, green repairing tool. It’s a small thing, but I found it much quicker and easier to use than unzipping a rangefinder case that hangs from the side of the bag.
The Vessel Lux Looper also features two small valuables pockets which are lined with a soft material to protect your phone and other belongings. The depth of these pockets make it easy to grab your keys, wallet, watch, so you don’t have to go fishing around for them.
The Vessel Lux Looper also includes a matching rain hood which can be attached and detached about as easily as one could expect. While the bag is designed to be carried, it also comes with a matching leather cart strap that can be placed over the strap on the back of the cart in order to protect the leather from being scratched up. This is a nice touch that emphasizes the company’s attention to detail and care for its product as well as the player.
Performance
The legs of the Vessel Lux Looper are made from carbon fiber, so they are very light and strong. They unfold easily when you set the bag on the ground and retract quickly when you pick it up again. The company’s patented Rotator Stand System ensures the bag sits flush to the ground when the legs are deployed, enhancing its stability and giving the user more confidence that it won’t be knocked over by a stiff breeze.
The Vessel Lux Looper comes with backpack-style dual straps, which work great. I find that I like the versatility this offers. If I’m walking up a hill or down a fairway, I’ll typically distribute the weight across both shoulders. When I’m just taking a short walk from green to tee, I’ll only use one strap for ease and convenience. The dual straps can be removed and replaced with a single strap, which is also included. The single strap is wider and features a bit more padding.
The double strap mechanism sets itself apart with some very smart design features. Vessel calls its system the Equilibrium 2.0 Double Strap and it uses an 8-point swivel mechanism so the straps adjust smoothly with you as you walk. I can confirm walking with this bag just feels easy. It isn’t the lightest carry bag you can find, weighing in at 5.45 pounds, but I don’t think it can get much lighter without eliminating features.
Getting clubs in and out of the Vessel Lux Looper is as easy as it gets. Sometimes as a golf bag gets slimmer and lighter it becomes that much harder to get the clubs in and out. The top on the Lux Looper is noticeably smaller than my other Vessel, the Player IV, so I wondered if that would affect the ease of club retrieval. Happily, it doesn’t. Its four-way top provides ample space for me to get my 13 clubs in and out with virtually no snagging or tangling. The top is also lined with soft velour fabric so you don’t need to worry about scratching.
There are two other models that are worth comparing to the Vessel Lux Looper. One is the Lux Stand, a bag that is very nearly identical but features the larger side pocket as well as a couple of features that make it a bit better suited to cart usage (cart pass-through strap and the absence of dual hip pads). As a result, it weighs a touch more. The other is the Sunday III [review HERE], a slightly lighter and slimmer bag with fewer features also designed for walking.
Conclusion
The Vessel Lux Looper is an excellent choice for walkers. The looks, material, and features are as good as it gets. If you want to carry but still want modern conveniences like a stand or pockets specifically designed for beverages or valuables, this is an ideal choice. At $369 it’s not cheap but for what you get and on a cost-per-use basis, it is well worth the asking price.