This could be one of the shortest reviews I have done because the concept of the product is easy to explain and because it is brilliant.
The Sun Mountain ClubGlider Journey looks like a normal flight travel bag, but the unique feature is a pair of castor wheels that pull out from the base in one move so you can glide through the airport with your clubs.
It is well named because I do mean glide. The bag becomes so well balanced and the 360° castor wheels are so good that I was pulling it around the airport with only one finger. No bending down or sore arms from pulling a dead weight.
When you want to load the bag onto a plane, bus or car, the spring loaded legs slot back into the moulded base of the bag to keep them safe and out of the way.
The legs were a bit stiff to move initially, but once I got the hang of pulling against the spring to open and close them, then it was fine. If things are still too stiff then a bit of WD40 should free them up.
The other great feature was how small the empty ClubGlider Journey is when folded. The cover folds into the base and I measured it as 65cm long by 36cm wide by 18cm high. Ideal for storing in your hotel room, car or at home.
The 1200 Denier material seemed strong enough and was closed with heavy duty two way zippers, although I would have preferred metal instead of rubber zipper tabs for putting a padlock through.
The handles are well places at the top and bottom of the bag for lifting in and out of cars and the 'leash' for pulling the ClubGlider at the top of comfortable and well designed.
There are two internal and three external cinch straps with adjustable clips for securing your clubs and the top end of the bag is well padded to protect your darling clubs. In addition there are two pouches on the inside for storing shoes or clothing.
The only slight issue was the capacity of the Journey version of the ClubGlider bag. It will easily fit a carry bag and most small to mid cart bags, as long as the circular width around the base and ball pocket is 36cm or less. If you need more space the ClubGlider is also available in Tour Series, Pro or Merdian models, all of which have an additional 5cm diameter.
I travelled with a Sun Mountain H2NO cart bag shown in the picture above, which is mid sized and it just fitted in the Journey version provided I had nothing in the ball pocket, so if you have a large cart bag or a tour bag then it is unlikely to fit.
However with today's increasingly miserly luggage allowances and extortionate baggage charges for sports equipment, maybe taking less is better anyway.
The ClubGlider Journey is one of the best products I have reviewed. Simple and innovative, it made moving clubs around when travelling an absolute pleasure. Well done Sun Mountain.