The most luxurious bag your cart will ever carry? The Vessel Lux Cart Bag Review

Vessel are fast becoming the brand of choice in the premium golf accessories space, including collaborations with major manufacturers and events across the globe – but is it right for you?

The arrival of the Lux Cart Bag had perfect timing. I’ve been staring at a white box in the corner of the office, containing the new MGI ZIP X5 cart, for about a week now. I’ve been eager to take it out on the course but as a stand bag user, I get frustrated with the twisting that occurs where my bag doesn’t want to sit properly on golf carts. So, with the delivery of the premium offering from Vessel, combining the testing of the two meant I no longer needed to consult the best trolley bags from 2024 as the decision would be made for me!

The company has gone from strength to strength over the past few seasons, with a fantastic US reputation now having leaped across the pond to provide options in the previously-quiet premium golf luggage market. The brand moniker ‘Crafted for the Driven’ is an appropriate title. With prices almost double some of the mainstream brands, you need to have an unwavering commitment to high standards to consider a Vessel bag. But if that person, who demands only the best, sounds like you, can you put your trust in their hands?

The Premium Riding experience

As with every new golf bag, the first action is transferring equipment from the old to the new. This isn’t my first time using a 14-way divider but it is my first time with every division being full-length. Vessel offer both 7-way and 14-way in the Lux, with the 7-way having three full-length dividers and the 14-way being completely separate, as mentioned.

The dividers are a godsend. Rarely have I had a round of golf where there hasn’t been a moment of frustration, either taking a club out or putting one back, that hasn’t resulted in a snagged or caught shaft dragging 2 or 3 others with it.

Vessel has elevated this bag above its competition by lining each divider with micro-fiber material. It’s designed primarily for protecting your clubs, a big positive for me when I carry graphite shafts in my irons and wedges that LOVE to mark up, but the secondary benefits are that clubs glide seamlessly in and out of the bag, helping take away one more annoyance out of your time on the course.

At 10.5″ by 8″, and with a dedicated putter well, there’s plenty of space for clubs to sit in without much bag chatter occurring, and the pesky, hidden iron or wedge that I always seem to struggle to find is no longer an issue as I can spot each club quickly and without having to move any of the others out the way first.

At 6.8 lbs (3.1 kg), the Lux is comparable to other premium leather-style bags, with Motocaddy’s M-Tech coming in at 3.5 kg so you won’t have much trouble moving this between the car, the cart, and the locker room; there’s been no issues for me in braving the 200-yard walk to my local range from their car park while carrying the Vessel cart bag, with the soft lining and internal strap cushioning helping distribute weight across my entire shoulder with high levels of comfort.

Hidden depths

Vessel have made it clear they see themselves as at the pinnacle of quality when it comes to golf luggage, and it’s self-evident in the care in construction throughout the bag. Seven pockets harbor space for all your on-course essentials, with deep wells for clothing, flanked by a valuables pocket per side. There’s another larger pack on the front of the bag with a magnetic seal as well, plus all three zones for your personals feature antimicrobial lining to make sure the most important possessions are protected from both external as well as internal pests.

My favorite feature of the front valuables pocket is that, placed at the top of the bag, it lifts up and away from the rest of the material, giving you a convenient way of looping the cart straps around your bag without crushing the phone or cards you’ve left in there. Vessel have also supplied a neoprene sleeve to go around the cart or buggy strap, offering further protection to the tour-grade synthetic leather the bags are made out of.

The last two spaces on the bag are also on the front, with pockets for tees, pencils, markers, balls, or whatever else you’d like to throw in, that provide enough room for several dozen balls (Trust me, I know this because I need to carry that many at all times). Finally, adjacent to these pockets are two magnetically sealed drinks holders, meaning the extra storage isn’t hanging limply off the bag when you don’t need it.

Overall, the pocket space has impressed me. Looking at the bag, I didn’t expect as much internal storage as it offers which is just another credit to the styling and standards that have been established with the company, and why their customers are repeat buyers on the rare occasion that their purchase sees out it’s lifetime.

Final thoughts

The LUX cart bag is easily one of the best bags available on the market, no doubt. Everything we’ve mentioned is offered in some way from other golf bags but no one else has combined all these features into one offering, nor to the extensive quality that you get from a Vessel purchase.

I’ve even been impressed with the white color scheme – normaly a bad move to pick out, with dirt turning a brand new bag into a heavily-used one within a matter of a few rounds. Here though, thanks to the standard of material used, its been as simple as a wipe clean and with a damp cloth and the bag is back to looking straight out the box, regardless of dusty sand or wet mud getting attached to it.

My only gripe is the cost. I spoke about this from the beginning of the review, but £415/$415 is still quite a commitment. A lower price point would dramatically open up the market for a bag like this, although with that being said Vessel’s website is currently sold out of several color options for the LUX cart bag so it’s not like the company has a need to go down in price.

What will justify the spend though, is longevity in the product before a new purchase is required, although, having spoken with several long-term owners of Vessel golf bags, I feel safe in saying that the short-term investment of funds will be more than made up for in the many years of use that you’ll be enjoying this cart bag for.

About the author

Lewis Daff

Lewis Daff joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024, having spent more than a decade in both big box golf retail and independent stores, working as a club fitter and builder.

Experienced with every level of golfer, from beginner to professional, he has achieved Master Fitter and Builder status with most major manufacturers, including Mizuno, Taylormade, and Callaway, helping him to cement both a wide and deep knowledge base. Lewis specializes in Clubs, Shafts, Training Aids, Launch Monitors and Grips.

In Lewis’ bag is Titleist GT3 Driver (9º) with Fujikura Ventus Black, Titleist GT2 Fairway Wood (15º), Wilson Staff D9 Forged 3-iron, Srixon ZX7 MKii Irons (4-PW), Titleist SM9 Wedges (52º, 60º), Toulon San Diego Putter, and Callaway Chrome Tour Ball.

Talk to Lewis about why steel shafts are now dead and graphite is the only way forward or any other equipment you’d like to debate via his email.