The Ultimate Ball Bag
from Ump-Attire

In late February (1997) I dropped into the Ump-Attire web site and started reading the material about "The Ultimate Ball Bag." A quick e-mail to Beulah Hester and I started to investigate the merits of this bag, its sizes, materials and construction.

Ump-Attire has become a full-service online store for umpires and other officials. They maintain a unique product line of coats, pants, hats and accessories many of which are only available through their store. This ball bag was one of those items that cannot be found commercially anywhere else.

What intrigued me most was not the main internal pockets for my spare indicator, plate brush or pencil. What caught my attention was a full zippered pocket in the back of the bag. Here I could keep the items that normally crowd my pockets (or a second ball bag) ... two bandages, one car key, my toss coin, a spare bullet pencil and a tiny holder in which I carry a pair of surgical latex gloves (just in case.) On wet days I also wear a tiny 10" golf towel clipped to my belt behind my ball bag. It is barely noticeable but comes in handy many times during a game.

The Ump-Attire bag looked like a solution to my bulging pockets so I ordered one: a #101, black with the zipped rear pocket. (A model without the zipped rear pocket is also available.) I also ordered the #103 dark towel Both arrived within days. I was immediately struck by the weight and quality of the fabric, this bag was actually two bags, one set inside the other. The result of the extra construction was flawless seam work. Unlike the other bags I had worn you cannot find a surged or unfinished seam anywhere. The stitching and seams are top quality throughout. This is truly detailed, meticulous work.

The pockets inside the bag accommodated my largest wooden handled plate brush, my jumbo indicator and a full sized pencil with ease. The extra body in the fabric made finding the pockets and guiding the brush in and out an easy task. (Tip: it is easier to put the brush into these pockets upside down, handle first. To remove the brush simply reach down on the inside of the bag and push the handle up from the bottom grabbing the bristles as they emerge.) The inside pockets do not have any folds, seams or stitching to impede their use.

The back of the bag sports a 6" zipper. It is invisible to anyone but the umpire. Once opened you have access an entire independent pocket large enough to hold almost any item the umpire has to carry, from a wallet, to car keys, a bottle of sun screen, even a complete contact lense kit! This pocket is completely separate from the main bag and made with the same care to attention and stitching as the rest of the bag.

A tiny loop at the front and top of the bag provides a place to attach the custom made towel (#103 - $5.00) Many other similar towels could be accommodated however the approximately 12"x12" (31x31 cm) towel designed for the bag has an extended corner and a velcro attachment to secure it easily around the loop. When wearing the bag and towel the look is very clean and professional.

As shipped the bag had no logo or company identification on it. Ump-Attire can provide custom embroidery and will provide rates a minimum order of 12 ball bags.

Let's do a side by side comparison between my usual "professional" ball bag and the Ump-Attire Model 101 bag:

You will take pride in owning and wearing this ball bag.

This definitely earns a : - a five plate rating! (5/5)

..... reviewed March 21, 1997
..... revisited March 15, 2001

	Address	Ump-Attire, Inc., 160 Somerset Street Stanford, Kentucky 40484
	Phone	(606) 365-8399
	Toll free telephone	(888) 219-2283
	Fax	(606) 365-8399
	Web Site	http://www.ump-attire.com
	e-mail	playball@ump-attire.com