Golf Mahal in the house, and it rules!
Received my Mahal from MR yesterday - one day early per the UPS ground estimate. Had a mini to play and didn't have the time to fit it and set it up like I wanted, so I spent a minute this afternoon putting everything together.
Here are my first impressions. I spend a lot of time traveling and as such have been a bag junkie for many years now. I tend towards the built-for-war side of things, but anything really well built is good by me. I have bags by HSGI, LBT, Triple Threat Tactical, Spec-Ops Brand, Maxpedition (don't hate me - even though they are made in China and are not the best in the world, they do have a few really good designs), Tactical Tailor, Tom Bihn... The list goes on. I have never owned a piece of Mystery Ranch gear - mostly because I am not a long distance hiker. I generally take backpacks on planes, so 3-day assault packs are usually fine for me (Spec-Ops and LBT both make excellent versions). It was a pleasure to finally be able to use a MR pack. Something approaching $300 for a disc golf bag is probably way overkill for most people, especially someone just learning how to throw, but I figure that this is probably going to be my only DG bag for a while, and I like well-made bags, so whatever.
The build of this bag is top notch. There is not a single loose thread, funky stitch, or anything else untoward. Beefy waterproof zippers all around (I first saw this type on a Tom Bihn Empire Builder - a great feature). Everything is just very refined and tight. As it turns out, I am right between sizes on the yoke. I went for the large because I am 6'3" and 240#. Unpacked, the bag sat a bit higher than the shoulder blade, but with all of my discs, it sits just right - which is good, because the yoke as shipped is as far down as it goes.
The Golf Mahal holds far more discs than I will use on a given round at my local here in Ingleside, and the compression function brings the sides in nice and tight. As many have said before, the bag is not nearly as large as it looks in photos. The main compartment is massively roomy, but the bag does not stick out from the back very much at all. Adding discs to the side pockets does increase the width of the pack, and yet, due to the yoke suspension system, the weight is very evenly distributed and comfortable to wear.
The auxiliary storage design and execution is superb. The elastic drink holders on either side are perfect. I have a 32 oz. Nalgene in one and rolled with a couple of pint oat-sodas in the other. I kept my wallet, iPhone and Verizon Jetpack in one of the zippered small pockets and all of my bug repellant options in the other (on the Gulf Coast in south TX, so the mosquitoes here are f***ing ridiculous most of the time). The main compartment small pockets house my old iPhone (running UDisc for keeping score), a pencil, and a sharpie). I tucked a microfiber towel into the top neck straps, and a golf ball retriever into one of the bladder / umbrella side pockets (because we have spider trees that eat discs on the regular).
I tend to do little modifications to bags before taking them on journeys, and this one was no exception. I replaced all of the zipper pulls with un-gutted 550 cord double lanyard knot pulls and installed some velcro cord ties to the ends of all of the straps except for the bottom and top shoulder tightening straps (because they are being tightened and loosened all the time). The GM has a lot of extraneous strappage when the side pockets and bottom compression straps are not in use. Rubber bands or zip ties would also work here, but the velcro cord keepers are really trick in this application since they are adjustable and really clean looking.
Like any adjustable backpack, it is a really good idea to become familiar with the straps on the harness to loosen and tighten the shoulder straps. I am in the habit of loosening when taking off and tightening after putting on. The GM's straps are intuitive and the pack slings on very nicely whether you want to go with one or both arms through the straps going shot to shot.
If I were to change anything about this bag, it would be to add some loop velcro on the interior compartment above the admin panel for patches, and perhaps some horizontal MOLLE on the shoulder straps for a cell phone pocket, but those are tiny gripes that could easily be modded by the end user. A stiffener on the floor of the bag would be welcome for those of us that do not tote a stool around the course as well, but with the excess strap lengths tied up in some fashion, this is not a big deal either.
This is a very impressive bag all around, and as far as disc golf bags go, you are not going to find anything on the market that approaches the quality of the Golf Mahal. It's a large expenditure, but if you like buying something quality with a world-class warranty, and want a bag that is going to be extremely ergonomic, the Mahal is worth a look.
Here are some photos of my setup today.
Full bag with and without pole...
Details of the strap keepers and zipper pulls...
Interior...
Side view...
