New Salient Ember shows the Catalyst its tailights

[tbird888]

I carry Clif bars now, but I've carried trail mix, dried fruit, and jerky at various points in time. I'll usually take a couple bites if I miss a couple putts in a row low. It not only helps give me a little more energy to putt better, but it also gives me a chance to change my focus so I can relax.

 

[Tim_the_Enchanter]

Jeff, sorry to hear that the bag has been uncomfortable for you. I had the opposite reaction with mine, it ended up being way more comfortable than I expected. I don't know if it'd be a manufacturing inconsistency, or just not suitable for your frame. For the record, I'm 5'11", medium build.

If you're after comfort, I'd definitely recommend considering an Upper Parks Design bag. I have the Shift, and it's the most comfortable disc golf bag I've worn--they actually shaped the frame to fit curvature of the spine. I assume they do the same with the Rebel. I have been really pleased with it in most aspects, but wanted something with more storage and better rain protection in winter rounds, so went with the Ember for that.

 

[SlappyMcGruff]

I usually take Quest Bars. Decent amount of calories, lots of protein, and low sugar.

 

[squeda23]

First time trying to post a pic to these threads so i hope it works.
I'm just shy of 5'10 and around 160. I've taken the ember out around 8 rounds so far and absolutely love it. The convenient top putter spots are awesome and i really like the handle on top. It may seem a bit lop sided because i had a long sleeve shirt in one of the side full pockets. It hold two full size nalgenes quite comfortably. The only times it's tipped is when I packed less discs in the main compartment and still had 3 putters up top, on top of that I had a jbl speaker clipped to the front strap. When it did tip though, nothing was even close to falling out. Over all I say well done Salient, well done.

 

[squeda23]

[/IMG]
There I think this one works, sorry guys

 

[AndyJB]

Flash Review

Ember arrived today. Really love the ACU pattern, befitting my profession. Holds almost all the discs my Golf Mahal did (took out an Envy, Roc and 2 Teebirds). Good storage, and the rainfly is one of the best I've seen. Stitching and padding is of an extremely high quality. Plenty of storage, though there are some odd spots...like the small pockets on the sides. Not really that big but one side holds two Copenhagen cans, and the other side holds all my bag tags (I have five clubs' tags, plus an event series tag and my ever-growing collection of PDGA renewal tags.) I have three semi-gripes with the Ember which I will list, followed by my solutions:


1) Upper pencil pockets are too loose for pencils and too short for sharpies (on the inside of the long side pockets there are extra pencil/sharpie slots that work much better and are still pretty easy to access)
2) Putter pocket sits weird, at an angle (doesn't really effect performence but as a stickler for aesthetics it really bugs me; no solution yet but when I come up with a better mod I will keep everyone posted)
3) Mini pocket is shallow and too loose for one mini but super tight for two (not a huge issue; mini pockets have been an issue since the first Contender bag [still one of my favorite bags of all time, FTR] not an easy fix or mod, but as long as the minis don't tumble out it shouldn't be an issue)

All in all I am quite happy with the Ember, and even happier with the price. Especially for this quality of bag. As stated earlier in this thread, I will still use my Golf Mahal for bigger tournaments, and courses I am unfamiliar with. But at least 75 percent of my play this year will be with an Ember on my back!

Won't get into every little thing I carry in here, but these are the discs that I have in there:

TOP
Karbon Touch x2
Liquid Touch
Opto Scythe

MAIN POCKET
TP Giant
BT Giant
VIP Sorcerer
C-PD
G-PD
Liquid Vein
Brinster Teebird
Glow Champion Teebird
Champion Teebird
Star Teebird
Phoenix Hu
Z Buzzz OS
USDGC Champion Rancho Roc
Champion Roc3
DX Rancho Roc
Liquid Metal Vaccine
Armor Scale
Neutron Envy
Tiger Line Claws

So yeah...it holds a lot of discs. I can't imagine how many fit in a Helix! Last note: I could probably squeeze another driver in there if I have to, but it would be a very tight fight and could possibly warp a disc.

Note: In the unzipped picture I didn't have the Scythe in the upper putter pocket. Now that it is in there, the discs are still at that odd angle, but it's much tighter and doesn't look quite so sloppy.

 

[AndyJB]

I'll try and get a round in today to provide more feedback. Even with a large chest and broad shoulders, it fits pretty comfortably when cinched up. Rides nice and high when properly adjusted which will alleviate back pain, if one suffers from it.

I want to point out: there are better bags out there, just not at this price.

 

[AndyJB]

Well, I've had the Ember for a bit now and have played two casual rounds and two tourney rounds with it. Even if I didn't like it, I couldn't re-sell it since I managed to bleed all over it with a nasty finger injury at the tournament.

The bag held up extremely well, and I suffered no back discomfort after the tournament, as I am prone to do with other bags. Part of the reason, I believe, is I cinched up the Ember pretty good so that it rides nice and high on my back. The bag never tipped over, even on slight slopes, and has very easy access. The included rainfly was a Godsend as SNOWMAGEDDEON hit us in the middle of the second round. I saw a fair amount of people getting their stuff soaked because of it. Not for nothing, but a good chunk of people quit during that second round because of the cold, wind and driving snow. I wa sperfectly comfortable with the Ember on my back.

The mini pocket wasn't an issue since I generally keep my mini in my pocket during the round anyway. there was ample storage space for dry socks, my retriever, extra layers, my hockey puck and scorecards/pencils. Lugges around a full Nalgene and a 32 oz. Gatorade with no issues.

My biggest gripe was the putter pocket. To keep things snug I have two Karbon Touches on in the top of the divider, and an Opto Scythe and a Liquid Touch in the bottom. Several times, esepcially when the putters got a little wet, I'd go to grab one disc and it's partner would come out. Twice the Scythe just fell out on it's own and someone on my card (thankfully) picked it up for me. I'm going to work with some DIY options to prevent this. Right now, it's by far my biggest issue with the bag.

Still a great value, but if you get one be aware you might have to put in a little work with that putter pocket.

 

[Moose33]

Pretty excited to get mine. Esp after seeing your review AJB.

How do the straps adjust? Pretty easily?

 

[Phule77]

So, I've had the backback for just over a month, using it a couple of times a week, and I've run into an issue with it.

The bottom of the bag isn't very stiff, so loading it with discs pushes downward in the middle of the bag. This makes the back seam between the passing and the bottom of the bag push inward, taking the padding with it, and pulling the back strut up and back, so that either the seam or the strut are hitting you in the back all of the time, and the bag is less likely to stay upright on hills.

 

[AndyJB]

Pretty excited to get mine. Esp after seeing your review AJB.

How do the straps adjust? Pretty easily?

Very easily. I usually keep them pretty loose, and when I have any kind of long walk I can just cinch them up. They hold very well, and I have mine pretty loaded down with discs and various disc golf accouterments. I like to keep my backpacks high up on my back (I have enough lower back pain to deal with as is) and the bag rides nice and high, just how I like it.

So, I've had the backback for just over a month, using it a couple of times a week, and I've run into an issue with it.

The bottom of the bag isn't very stiff, so loading it with discs pushes downward in the middle of the bag. This makes the back seam between the passing and the bottom of the bag push inward, taking the padding with it, and pulling the back strut up and back, so that either the seam or the strut are hitting you in the back all of the time, and the bag is less likely to stay upright on hills.

I've had mine about the same time, with about the same amount of use. Can't say I've encountered that issue...yet. Looking at my bag, I can see where you're talking about though. That's right where I keep my mids, which are a few grams heavier than my other discs, and there might be a little sag. That might just be in my head after reading your post, though.

Mine doesn't tip, like, at all, either. I know it's a pain in the tucchus, but is there anyway you could take pictures of what's going on with your bag? I'd like to see if there's a way I can DIY rig something up to prevent mine from doing the same.

 

[Phule77]

I saw somebody elsewhere stating that they had the same issue, and they actually wind up doing their own DYI liner along the bottom edge.

I'm not sure how much of the tipping I'm getting is because I generally carry two hydro flask 40 oz drinks with me, which adds additional weight to the back side of the pack.

I'll try to photograph it, but I'm going to have issues with brightness/resolution.

 

[Chromezero]

The bottom of the bag isn't very stiff, so loading it with discs pushes downward in the middle of the bag. This makes the back seam between the passing and the bottom of the bag push inward, taking the padding with it, and pulling the back strut up and back, so that either the seam or the strut are hitting you in the back all of the time, and the bag is less likely to stay upright on hills.

I'm using an old disc divider from my DD Soldier bag, because I like to keep my discs separated. After the first couple of weeks using my Ember, I started to get a "slouch" in the back padding. This caused the bottom rail to start pinching/hitting me in the back. My solution was to put an old/spare disc in the back of the main disc section, to provide some support. What I mean is; if your discs are in the bag in this orientation " ||||||| ", then behind those I put an old disc in this orientation " O ". It actually worked out really well. It gives enough extra support to avoid the "slouch" in the padding and it pushes my disc divider forward a little, holding my everything in place. I used a Dragon I had in the closet. I don't really like that disc but it floats and it's not a terrible idea to have a floater in your bag...

 

[Phule77]

I tried putting the disk the other way in the back, it helped a great deal.

I couldn't figure out how to post pictures here, it seems to only allow you to link to other sites.

 

[Chromezero]

I'm glad to hear that helped. The "slouch" in the back padding is the only problem I've had with my Ember. After solving that issue, I'm really happy with this bag. It's breaking in nicely.

 

[Moose33]

Just got my new blackout Ember bag, pretty excited to try it out.

Can't wait until I get home from this work trip to get a round in with it.

 

[Chromezero]

Just got my new blackout Ember bag, pretty excited to try it out.

I think you'll be happy with it. I've had mine for a few months now, usually playing two or three rounds a week. It's holding up well and I'm glad I went with the Ember. My only complaint, which is minor, is the the putter pocket has gotten a bit sloppy. Occasionally when I sling my bag over my shoulder, a putter flies out. This could be remedied by carrying a 4th putter or thicker putters. I'm currently packing two Atoms and an Ion. I just zip up the pocket a little bit. Anyway, I'm happy with the Ember. It may not be quite as pretty as a Grip but it's half the price...

 

[Moose33]

Yeah the price is great for what you get, and I think the all black looks really sharp. My discs are mostly Pink and Orange so it looks cool having them in a black bag.

I carry two touches and two harps so the pocket is fine so far, but I may put some think plexiglass in there to make it stiffer.

Can't wait to actually get a round in.

 

[Moose33]

Now that I've finally gotten some use out of this bad boy here is my feedback;

Love the look, mine is black on black and practically disappears in shadows it's so dark. The center main compartment is easily situated on the bottomm and it could hold at least 20 drivers in that pocket. The zipper falls in a nice spot so that there is enough fabric at the bottom to hold them in with the flap open and a big enough opening on the top to make it easy to pull discs out.

The top pocket is a gray feature, but the shape is a little weird and I don't like to leave it open in case my putters slip out. I could put a fourth disc in but it would be tight.

The side storage is great, plenty of room for water mini keys my rain jacket etc.

Haven't needed the rain fly yet but it's easy to put on and east to Stowe back.

Great back and dry comfortable on my 6'2" 215 frame.