Itech BG1500XL Hockey Equipment Bag: A Great No Frills Bag
Written: Jul 23 '04 (Updated Jul 24 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well constructed, big enough, durable, inexpensive
Cons: Shoulder strap is a tad short
The Bottom Line: It isn't flashy, it just works. The price is right too
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| puckmugger's Full Review: ITECH BG1500XL Hockey Equipment Bag |
This bag came from the dark days when Itech couldn’t get much respect. Why? They just didn’t deserve it. Everyone knew that if it said Itech on the side, someone bought it because it was dirt cheap. There was no other reason to buy Itech. Still, it was a time when they were turning the corner and improving not only their gear but their image. The 1500 is a pretty nice bag.
▪ Features
The 1500 is a fairly feature rich bag that sells at a very affordable price. It has remained unchanged for at least three years as it continues to be a good, albeit plain looking, bag.
The central compartment is substantial enough that I can fit my goalie pants, chest protector, helmet, blocker, knee brace and a few other odds and ends inside. Putting player gear in this bag is a breeze by comparison.
There are also two end pockets. These are big enough to hold all my sundries in either, (jock, a pair of jerseys, a towel, tee shirt, socks, hockey socks, etc.) I toss my small bag of accessories and spare parts along with my trapper in the other bag.
The skate pockets are big enough for my size 10 skates to nestle into comfortably. I suspect that if you have a size 12 or 13 skate, not only are either your skates or feet too big, but they might not fit in the skate pockets.
▪ Quality of construction
The skate pockets feature a heavy plastic divider to keep the skate blades from tearing up the skate uppers. This is apparently a nice feature. I am guessing this because the skate blades have cut through the plastic in the three years since I bought this bag. It is the only damage to the bag and doesn’t affect its usefulness, but it makes me wonder what putting the skate in the bag without the divider being there will do to my skates in a similar amount of time.
The fabric of the bag is a heavy nylon, similar to Cordoba. It is very durable. All the seams are well sewn. Two years of very heavy use has yielded no holes or splitting seams.
There are a pair of shoulder straps for carrying the bag that combine with a small Velcro closure to go over one shoulder. The strap is a tad too short for my lanky frame and the only real complaint I have about the bag’s design.
The zippers have all held up remarkably well. These are of the double pull variety and with the single exception of one pull that got broken from being smashed in the car trunk, all the zippers are fine.
▪ Final Thoughts
The 1500 is a fairly plain looking black and grey bag. It isn’t flashy. It just gets the job done.
Despite the stigma that Itech had when this bag came out, it is a quality item and will last a long time. For the amount of money that you might pay for one of these, it is a hard bargain to beat.
Coaches who carry a lot of items along with their player gear or travel players might opt for a slightly larger bag. The 1500 is sufficient for a game or drop in, but there just isn’t a lot of extra room for other things inside.
Will I buy an Itech bag again? Absolutely. Bags were a common item on the return shelf in our store with broken zippers, torn seams and the like. Itech was one brand that we never saw come back as a defect.
Some of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting and Selecting Hockey Protective Gear
CCM 1152 Wheel Bag
Sherwoood 1355 Hockey Bag
Recommended:
Yes
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puckmugger
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