The 5 Best of the Lightest Golf Carry Bags

Editor’s Note:  Check out the latest version of this article focusing on just three of the best light bags for 2023.   Click Here.

Every year, golf stand bags seem to get lighter and lighter. A bag weighing four pounds used to be considered very light.  In 2021, the lightest golf carry bags with stands weighed three pounds or less.  This desire for lighter and lighter bags makes sense.

When you walk a long, hilly golf course at noon on a hot and humid day in August, an ultralight bag can be a blessing.  But to be a great bag, an ultralight must offer more than just light weight.

The key to finding the best ultralight is to find the perfect combination of weight, features, and price.  We have identified the best five of the lightest golf carry bags that balance pounds, pockets, and pennies. 

To determine which ultralight carry/stand bags made the cut in 2021, we looked at three factors:

• Did the stand bag weigh 3 pounds or less?
• Was the stand bag a full-service bag that could hold 14 clubs, full gear, and a beverage?
• How did it stack up against our Buyer’s Guide performance specs?

The five bags featured in this post excel at all three factors and would be great for a walk on the links.

The bags are listed alphabetically by vendor.  At the end of the post, we will unveil our top choice from these five ultralights.

Before we describe each of the five bags, it is important to point out things they all have in common.  All of our recommended ultralight carry/stand bags:

• Are full-service stand bags coming in at or less than 3 pounds in weight based on manufacturers’ measurements
• Have a four-opening top with padded, full-length dividers.  This configuration allows for a slightly smaller top opening than on heavier bags because there is much less space taken up by a greater number of padded dividers
• Have a dual strap or “backpack” style strap system for carrying the bag.  These strap systems do a great job of balancing the weight of the loaded bag across both shoulders.  One of our recommended ultralight bags can be purchased with a single-strap option
• They are priced over $200.  As a category, the ultralight stand bags seem to be one of the most expensive forms of carry bag.  We believe that a significant portion of this higher expense is due to the high-tech materials in these bags
• Come with a “matching” rain hood.  We find this concept of “matching” somewhat humorous in that the hoods are virtually always black.  However, the rain hoods are individualized to attach appropriately to their given bag

With those similarities out of the way, let’s look at each bag’s specifications and features:

Callaway 2021 Hyperlite Zero Stand Bag

Weight / Construction

The Hyperlite is true to its name, coming in at three pounds.  It is a true full-service bag, even though at approximately 34 inches in length, it is the shortest of our recommended bags.

The bag is made of an advanced nylon material that is ultra-lightweight and highly durable.  Callaway upgraded its zippers in the last few years, making them larger for greater durability.

The Hyperlight has durable and lightweight carbon-fiber legs with slightly enlarged feet.  The release mechanism is partly embedded within the bag, enabling a clean and uncluttered bottom for the bag.  This internalized mechanism allows the bag to be easily used on a push or motorized cart.

Getting Clubs In and Out of the Bag

As mentioned above, all our recommended bags, among the lightest golf carry bags, have a four-opening top with padded dividers.  

Callaway’s twist on the four-top is its extended integrated handle, which is easier to grab than less extended handles. There is some debate on whether the handle extends too far, getting in the way at times.

Ease of Carrying the Bag

The Hyperlite boasts Callaway’s padded OptiFit Comfort Strap design, which it claims is the most comfortable strap in golf.  It has an innovative airflow design, which can be seen in the rolling pattern of the “aerospace-grade foam.”

The straps are complemented by a self-balancing center joining hub that allows each strap to move freely against the other, adjusting the balance of the bag as you walk.

In terms of moving the bag from point to point, the bag comes with a top handle and a handle on the spine.  The bag does not have a strap at the bottom of the bag.  This is unfortunate because we find that feature helpful in getting a bag in and out of a car trunk.

The Hyperlite is our only recommended model among the lightest golf carry bags that offer a single-strap version. 

Storage/Pockets

The Callaway Hyperlite Zero Stand Bag has seven pockets, the most of our recommended ultralight bags.  These pockets include a:

• Full-length apparel pocket
• Soft-lined valuables pocket
• Individual cell phone sleeve
• Insulated drink pocket
• Accessory pockets

Other attachment points include:

• Towel loop
• Umbrella holder

Extras / Price

Generally, the lightest golf carry bags come with few extras.  Extras add weight.  As mentioned above, a “matching” rain hood is included.

The Hyperlite comes in nine color options.  The red/white/blue option can be ordered with an American flag patch on its front pocket.

In terms of cost, Calloway has lowered the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Hyperlite to $229.99.  

Click To Check Amazon Price and Reviews

 Ping 2020 Hoofer Craz-E Lite 

Weight / Construction

The Hoofer Craz-E Lite is Ping’s lightest golf carry bag with a stand.  It weighs three pounds.  The bag’s material is a high tensile strength (HTS) fabric.

The stand system is built around a full-contact, flexible base, which creates stability.  The legs are made of strong, lightweight carbon fiber. 

Our only gripe with this configuration is that we prefer the legs to have enlarged feet to prevent the legs from sinking into the ground on wet or muddy days.

Getting Clubs In and Out of the Bag

The bag features a 4-divider top with an integrated handle. 

Ease of Carrying the Bag

The Craz-E Lite has padded shoulder straps configured in an X, much like our other recommended bags.  

The straps flow through a newly re-engineered back “puck,” making it easier to convert the Craz-E Lite from dual to single-strap carry. 

A minor point is that the positioning of the “puck” up close to the strap padding diminishes the amount of self-adjusting that the bag can do in dynamic balancing.

Ping bags are unique in terms of their hip pads.  The Ping hip pad is appropriately cushioned, but it also has the added “padding” of the deployable rain hood located inside the pad itself. 

As with most other recommended ultralights, the Craz-E Lite has an integrated top handle, spine handle, and a bottom grab strap.  All three handholds allow for easy movement of the bag to shoulder or to put in your car or on a cart.

Storage/Pockets

The Ping Craz-E Lite has seven total pockets, the most of our recommended ultralight bags.  These pockets include:

• Full-length apparel pocket with internal slip pouch and key clip
• Zippered water bottle pocket
• Seam-sealed, lined valuables pocket
• Ball pocket with zip-off panel for customization

Also, the bag comes with a towel loop on the side.

Extras / Price

As mentioned, the Craz-E Lite also comes with a matching deployable rain hood.

The simplicity of the design and six color patterns enhance the bag’s rather sleek and straightforward profile.  

The bag has the highest MSRP of our recommended bags at $250.  

Check out the Golf Galaxy website to buy the Ping Craz-E Lite. Click Here

 Sun Mountain 2021 2.5+ Stand / Carry Bag 

Weight / Construction

Overall, we are big fans of Sun Mountain, how it has organized its product line, and the naming convention of its bags.  The 2.5+ Stand / Carry Bag is Sun Mountain’s lightest golf carry bag.  And, as the name implies, it weighs a little more than 2.5 pounds, coming in at 2.9 pounds.  

Like most of the other recommended bags, the legs are made of lightweight, durable carbon and have slightly enlarged feet.

One of the aspects of the bag that we are less fond of is its base and release mechanism.  The 2.5+ has its entire release mechanism exposed and uses a small kicker foot at the base’s edge to trigger the leg release.  The bag balances on this kicker foot mechanism instead of sitting on a substantial portion of the bag’s bottom. 

Getting Clubs In and Out of the Bag

The 2.5+ stand bag comes with a nine-inch top with four full-length dividers.  It is a very clean-looking top design, enabling easy loading and unloading of clubs.

Ease of Carrying the Bag

Sun Mountain offers its X-Strap System on the 2.5+ model.  It has two thick, high-density, contoured foam shoulder straps with a central connection that allows the straps to move freely against each other, continuously adjusting the bag’s balance as a golfer walks.

The bag is easy to heft and move around, having a top comfort grip handle, spine handle, and a bottom grab strap.

Storage/Pockets

The 2.5+ Stand Bag comes with six well-organized pockets, including a:

• Full-length apparel pocket
• Velour-lined valuables pocket
• Beverage pouch, and
• Three accessory pockets

This bag also offers an umbrella holder, towel loop, and pen holder.

Extras / Price

The 2.5+ Stand / Carry Bag has the nearly mandatory matching rain hood.

Sun Mountain offers a large selection of color combinations across its product line.  The 2.5+ is no exception, having nine color options.  The offerings lean towards fairly conservative color schemes, without a single bright neon bag among the choices.  Yet, each color set is unique, solid, and well done.

At an MSRP of $229.99, the Sun Mountain 2.5+ is one of the lowest priced bags among our recommended, high-quality ultralight stand bags.

Click To Check Amazon Price and Reviews

TaylorMade 2019 LiteTech 3.0 Stand Bag 

Weight / Construction

TaylorMade’s 2019 LiteTech 3.0 Stand Bag is the latest version of this ultralight model.  It weighs three pounds and is 36 inches long, which is relatively standard for a men’s full-size stand bag.

LiteTech 3.0 utilizes durable, high strength 75 denier thin-tuff fabric.  This fabric is 3x lighter than the materials used in TaylorMade’s FlexTech Lite stand bag (a bag that weighs more than a pound more than the LiteTech 3.0). 

TaylorMade LiteTech 3.0 offers our preferred leg release style with a partially internalized release mechanism and their proprietary collapsible base system.  This base allows significant ground contact and a very stable sitting position for the bag.

Our only quibble with the stand system is that the legs do not have enlarged feet, so the legs can sink into the mud in very wet conditions.

Getting Clubs In and Out of the Bag

The top of the LiteTech 3.0 has four padded, full-length dividers.

Also, TaylorMade has outfitted this top with three top rim handles, which we appreciate.  We believe the extra rim handles do not create a significant barrier to getting clubs in and out of the bag. 

Ease of Carrying the Bag

As mentioned above, the three-handle rim is a unique alternative in a golf carry bag.  It makes the “grab and go” easier.  Also, the bag has a spine handle and a grab strap at the bottom of the bag.  All in all, this bag is easy to move around as needed.

The LiteTech 3.0 has well-designed, padded, self-adjusting bag straps for easy and comfortable carry.

Storage/Pockets

With six pockets, the LiteTech 3.0 is well outfitted to hold all the gear needed on the course.  The pockets include a:

• Full-length side apparel pocket
• Ball pocket with a removable panel for custom embroidery

The bag has additional attachment points, including:

• Towel loop
• Umbrella holder

Extras / Price

The TaylorMade LiteTech 3.0 comes with a matching rain hood, and the bag has five different color options.

The original MSRP for the 2019 LiteTech was $219.99, but it is currently selling at a significant discount to this price. It is the least expensive of our recommended ultralight options.

Click To Check Amazon Price and Reviews

Titleist 2020 Players 4 Carbon Stand Bag 

Weight / Construction

The Players 4 Carbon Stand Bag is Titleist’s lightest golf carry bag, weighing 2.8 pounds at 35.5 inches in length. The bag is made of lightweight, durable ripstop material.

The legs are made of carbon fiber, having an excellent strength-to-weight ratio.  Unfortunately, the legs do not come with enlarged feet.

The base and release mechanism is configured with a partially flexible base, creating solid contact with the ground.

Getting Clubs In and Out of the Bag

The Player 4 Carbon has a nine-inch top and four padded, full-length dividers.  

The integrated top handle is somewhat tucked back, minimizing the extent that the top handle could interfere with moving clubs in and out of a bag.

Ease of Carrying the Bag

Unlike the other featured vendors, The Titleist Carbon has dual straps that do not dynamically self-adjust.  The straps attach directly to a center pad.  Each strap can be adjusted in length before putting the bag on for a custom, although static, fit.

As with most of our recommended models, the Carbon has a top handle, spine handle, and a bottom strap to move the bag from place to place.  

Storage/Pockets

At five pockets, the Titleist Carbon has the fewest pockets of our recommended models.  These pockets include a:

• Full-length apparel pocket
• Velour-lined valuables pocket
• Rangefinder pocket
• Exterior mesh water bottle pocket

In addition, the Carbon has the following attachment points:

• Towel ring
• Umbrella holder
• Pen holder
• Glove attachment

Extras / Price

The Titleist 2020 Players 4 Carbon Golf Stand Bag has ten color options.  The color combinations and look of the bag are sleek and stylish, with a bit of flair in some of the more colorful models.  All models come with matching rain hoods.

The Carbon comes in at $245 MSRP, the 2nd highest price point of our favored bags.

Click To Check Amazon Price and Reviews

Final Conclusions: The 5 Best of the Lightest Golf Carry Bags for 2021

After looking at many of the lightest golf carry bags, the five models we recommend are all worthy of purchase.  All five are excellent, high-quality, comfortable, full-service bags.  

In choosing our favorite model, it came down to some minor personal preferences.  Our top choice of the five ultralight bags is the:

TaylorMade 2019 LiteTech 3.0 Stand Bag

We like:

• The three-handle top makes grabbing the bag easy
• The adjustable, padded strap configuration is a plus
• The six pockets give good specialization and significant storage volume
• The proprietary collapsible base makes for a stable connection to the ground
• It is the least expensive of the five models

We are less favorable about:

• The use of peg legs without expanded feet
• If you are a brand loyalist, it might be strange to have the TaylorMade brand on the bag if you don’t play their clubs or balls

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As mentioned, no matter which of our five lightest golf carry bags you choose, you are in for a great walk on the course.

If you are looking for an even more “minimalist” golf bag, check out our recent post on Sunday Golf Bags.

If you like The Best Golf Carry Bags, check out our sister sites:

• The Best Golf Training Aids for golfers looking to improve their on-course performance.
• The Aggressive Fade if you are looking for the perfect golf-related gift.