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Sun Mountain introduced the first waterproof bag back in 2007 – how does the water-resistant 2025 model rate? Jonathan Taylor finds out…..
Sun Mountain was founded back in 1981, over 40 years ago, by Rick Reimers, a golf professional from California. The company is responsible for a whole host of ‘industry firsts’, including the invention of the first golf bag with built-in legs. Many of us will also be familiar with the H2NO, the first waterproof golf bag, which was introduced by Sun Mountain in 2007.
Let me introduce one of the new range for 2025 with the Sun Mountain E-Lite golf carry bag review…
My first impression of the E-Lite is a bag that looks smart, is durably constructed and feels lightweight for its size. The novel feature of this bag is that it is constructed from recycled water-resistant fabric , which, along with waterproof zippers and rain hood, provides a secure environment for all your golf stuff.
NCG Verdict
There is a range of three colour choices. The bag I tested was the black/steel/gold option, which I think looked pretty classy. As to the all-important pocket configuration, there is the standard full-length clothing pocket that will comfortably fit a set of waterproofs, an extra midlayer, and a couple of snacks. A medium sized, single compartment valuables pocket sits on the same side of the bag, which is velour lined. Some competitor brands have a clip to attach a set of keys which I quite like. Maybe that’s one for 2026.
The central ball pocket is pretty large. That’s where I tend to keep gloves and new balls. You could easily fit your snack(s) in this pocket as well. Just above that is a zippered accessory pocket. For me, that contains tees, ball markers, pencils and a spare rangefinder battery. There is another large pocket on the other side from the clothing pocket where I tend to keep more tees and used balls. Just over that is a sleeve for drinks, which has a wide opening, allowing you to carry a huge refreshment bottle. I would have liked a bit of elastication (is that a word?), because I’ve actually lost my bottle in the back of the car when taking the bag out on more than one occasion – (see the 2 carousel pics below).
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That gripe aside, everything else is just fine. The stand legs behave as they should. The adjustable strap system is padded and comfortable. There are a couple of robust plastic clips that you can attach towels and rangefinders to. The zips all flow smoothly and securely. I have to say that I prefer the look of the water-resistant E-Lite fabric to the waterproof H2NO material, which can look a bit shiny. All in all, this looks and feels like a bag that will give years of useful service.
The Sun Mountain website talks about seven pockets. I could only locate six, unless you include a small pen holder sleeve. I’m also uncertain about the 1.8kg weight claim. The lightest I could measure it was just over 2.1kg, excluding the rain hood.
That said, on the course, the E-Lite did feel pretty lightweight, even when fully loaded. The adjustable straps meant that it was straightforward to achieve a balanced and comfortable carry. The 8.5-inch 4-way top with full-length dividers gives lots of room for a full set of clubs, and a couple of alignment sticks.
I liked that I could easily access all relevant pockets on the move, particularly because the two central pockets have double zip closure.
The E-Lite kept everything inside it nice and dry in showery conditions. The lightweight rainhood is straightforward to deploy with six velcro closures. I have, perhaps thankfully, not had the opportunity to test this in heavy rain. I would not expect the E-Lite to match the excellent H2NO series for keeping heavy rain out, but I think it will be absolutely fine in the vast majority of conditions. And this bag does come in a bit cheaper than the H2NO range.
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You will also note from the pictures that your bag can be personalized on the outside of the ball pocket – for a small extra charge. You can arrange this through your club professional.
Final Thoughts:
In summary, this is another well-constructed carry bag from Sun Mountain that will protect your clubs in most weather and will do for years to come. It is comparably priced to most competitor bags. I would suggest that makes it decent value because of the durable construction. It comes highly recommended.
