In mid-November, we got our first look at Stitch Golf’s new, ultra-lightweight carry bag, the SL2 Air Walker. In case you didn’t know, SL stands for “superleggera”, which is Italian for superlight. The Air Walker joins an already robust line of bag offerings from Stitch but manages to carve out its own unique space with features that marry minimalism and comfort. This bag is unapologetically geared towards walking and carrying. We recently spent time with the SL2 Air Walker on our back and found plenty to love.
Information and Specifications from Stitch Golf
Introducing the lightest bag on the market. Having the right golf bag can really improve your game and your overall enjoyment of playing. The SL2 Air Walker is designed to get you from tee to green with ease and comfort, while also looking stylish. Featuring a double strap, the bag provides maximum carrying comfort to protect your back and neck, while also minimizing energy loss as your walk your round. We haven’t neglected storage, style or durability in this featherlight bag. This bag features 50% greater storage space than our previous generation SL2, stretch pocket construction, a magnetic ball pocket, NEW Ykk Tough Zippers, and is sure to become your favorite golf bag on the market.
- Featherlight weighing 73 oz (70 oz. without strap)
- Stretch pocket construction for easy access to your belongings
- Greater storage than the original SL2 by over 50%
- YKK Tough Zippers with 15% more abrasion strength than standard zippers
- Magnetic ball pocket holds up to 12 balls / felt lined pocket within for valuables
- Double comfort strap included
- Water and stain resistant Nylon
- 4-way divider fits 14 clubs
- Apparel pocket to keep a light layer or rain gear
- Pencil pocket
- Gunmetal hardware & finishes
Features and Performance in Action
If you’re considering a bag like the Air Walker, you probably already know the type of golfer it’s made for. You won’t find a place to store a six pack or a change of clothes in it, but you should be able to enjoy a full day carrying it in relative comfort. It’s extremely light, both on the spec sheet and in hand. Stitch says, with straps, it comes in at 73 ounces, or just over 4 lbs. I feel like I know what you’re thinking, so let’s just get this over with. Yes, if you look hard enough, you’ll probably find a slightly lighter option out there, but every ounce saved comes at a price. With some brands, you may find their lightest bag doesn’t come with carrying straps. Others may be constructed of material as porous as a coffee filter that isn’t sturdy enough to make it through the rigors of a full season. Stitch has carefully balanced weight, features, and build quality with the Air Walker, making it both imminently carriable and durable.
The Air Walker’s outer shell is made of an all-new, super-lightweight performance nylon that feels much more robust than expected. This water and stain resistant material provides a sturdy outer layer that is unlike the “parachute pants” nylon we are used to seeing. It’s easy to overlook just how nice this material is. It manages to feel luxurious to the touch while adding structure to the bag. Currently, it’s available in Midnight (the version we tested), Onyx (black), and Morning Fog (gray), but it seems Stitch may be teasing three more colorways on their website that are not yet available. If there’s any criticism of the nylon outer shell, it’s that the design is very understated. Aside from the few small adornments, the monochromatic color scheme could even be considered boring to some, but there’s just as many people looking for a clean looking bag that is void of gaudy designs and oversized company logos. The Air Walker’s ornamentations are simple – the classic, orange Stitch label and a small plate intended for your initials.
The four-way top is a personal favorite of ours, assuming it’s built on a platform than can hold 14 clubs. We found the Air Walker’s build gave us plenty of space to access our clubs without excessive grabbing or tangling. Ample padding ensures the most protection possible for your graphite shafts. A standard walker’s bag setup seemed to work best, with the long clubs at the top and wedges in the bottom slot. Robust material and stitching lead us to believe the dividers will avoid the dreaded “fray-and-rip” many of us are unfortunately familiar with.
With its limited pocket space, the Air Walker won’t be a storage-seeker’s first choice, but of course that’s intentional. Filling an ultra-lightweight bag with five pounds of accessories and extra gear just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Still, the Air Walker manages to supply 50% more storage space than the original SL2, due in large part to the top side’s magnetic ball pocket. This pocket can hold up to a dozen golf balls and has a zippered, felt-lined pocket for your valuables. The magnetic enclosure is crazy strong, but the sturdy flap enables access, even with the bag on your back. Again, coming from a full weight stand bag, the fact that storing two dozen golf balls isn’t a possibility takes a bit to get used to, but light is the name of the game here. The design encourages a “less is more” philosophy when it comes to deciding what really needs to come with you to the golf course. Anyway, if we manage to lose more than a dozen balls during a round, maybe we’d be better off just walking home.
The two side pockets are large enough for all the necessities, including a light rain jacket, and the left side has a slot for your water bottle. Most impressive was just how accessible the pockets were with the bag on our back. It was extremely simple to reach and grab something, a phone for example, as we walked up to our golf ball. Bottom line, what the Air Walker lacks in over-the-top storage capacity it makes up for with smartly designed pocket space that conveniently provides all that is necessary and nothing more. The side pockets are secured with YKK Tough zippers, again showing Stitch’s commitment to durability.
The Air Walker stand assembly seemed right in line with industry standards, extending and retracting smoothly while providing all the stability we could ask for. It’s more substantial than one might expect for such a lightweight bag. The carrying straps are sufficiently padded and attach easily by clicking into a securely fastened base. This is a great design choice, as a strapless bag is much less cumbersome when using either a motorized cart or push cart. Rounding out the features are an umbrella holder, pen pocket, and accessory ring for attaching anything from a range finder to a club brush.
Without being too overzealous, the Air Walker was really a breath of fresh air to carry around the course. The light weight was obviously easy to love, but it felt like a combination of many well-thought-out ideas worked together to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible. For example, the ease of accessing the pockets while walking cannot be overstated. Being able to reach down and grab a water bottle without fumbling around is highly appreciated. The padded area sitting against the back, while initially seeming quite unremarkable, was perfectly placed and textured for the most possible comfort. A circuitous trip around a hilly golf course never left us fighting the golf bag.
Details of the Stitch Air Walker
- Available at stitchgolf.com
- Customization available
- Price: $298
