Sherwood 1355 Junior Hockey Bag: Finally a bag that Junior actually fits into
Written: May 25 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Huge, well made, lots of pockets
Cons: More of an intermediate sized bag, might be too big for some juniors to carry
The Bottom Line: If the size is right, this is an outstanding bag at a fair price.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Sherwood 1355 Hockey Equipment Bag |
When my huge CCM 1152 bag gave up I decided that I was going to get a smaller bag and carry my leg pads over my shoulder. My first bag had been a Sherwood, though not as nice as this one. It took a good couple years of me putting way too much inside of it before the seams finally burst. The 1355 bag made my short list and then got cut when I realized it was the junior model.
▪ It’s big!
The Sherwood 1355 along with the Graf junior bag is one of the two biggest junior bags that I’ve ever seen. In fact the 1355, is bigger than the smallish senior bag that I use for my forward’s gear.
If not for the somewhat larger senior version of this bag, I would have suspected that some overworked Canadian factory worker just slapped the wrong label on a bunch of these. In fact, there is a bigger senior version and either one of them is big enough to put most fully dressed mites inside of. This of course is very convenient for getting the kids to and from the game quickly. We don’t need no stinking locker room!
▪ Features
I like bags with lots of pockets. A big single pocket bag is just too much of a hassle which makes me rummage about looking for things. With pockets I can segregate my items by type and put them somewhere together thus losing all of them at once.
The 1355 has a pair of roomy skate pockets. These are indeed big enough for my adult size-9 skates (I borrowed one from the skate display wall to check). There are also a pair of sizable end pockets.
The overall shape of the bag is a little higher than most bags, although in overall length it is similar to most of the larger junior bags. The height and width is what makes this bag enormous.
The shoulder strap is of the duffle bag variety, in which two loops are connected by a snap on shoulder pad for lugging the gear away. There are a couple of shorter end straps that help to get a grip when sliding it into the car (very handy if your fully dressed squirt is in the bag).
▪ Construction
The 1355 is made of a very heavy nylon. The material is on par with the best bags on the market for thickness. It appears to be coated with something as the bag has a light, but still breathable, shiny texture.
Zippers are of the heavy-duty plastic (or nylon?) variety. Strap hardware is metal (some cheaper bags have plastic hardware that will not endure much abuse).
The vents in the end pockets are simply a few metal eyelets. A nice mesh pocket might have made a nice feature. Players who don’t take their gear out for such luxuries as washing and drying it, will have to open the zippers to let it breath . . . by the way, have you read any of my other articles where I mention flesh eating bacteria?
Bags in general have a fairly high return rate in the hockey industry. As the person who had the enviable task of calling the manufacturers for a Return Authorization and then scrounging up a box to ship back defective products, I never saw a single 1355 come back as defective in slightly over a year of selling them. That’s somewhat remarkable for a bag that we sold in excess of two dozen in junior and senior sizes each. This leads me to the conclusion that this is at the very least above average in durability, possibly even excellent. The punishment my Sherwood bag took would indicate the later.
▪ Final Thoughts
However, if you do have a small child who needs a hockey bag this is a possible choice. I would be hesitant to recommend this as a pure junior bag simply because of the size. It will be too bulky for most kids to carry. For bigger Pee Wees and Squirts who are big enough to carry it this is an outstanding bag. It will last them easily into their Midget years.
Smaller Bantams might like this bag as well since it isn’t as bulky as some of the senior bags are. Still, consider carefully if there will be travel hockey involved as this generally requires the purchase of a larger bag. Midgets won’t have much room for any extra gear or non-hockey necessities in this bag.
I would recommend this bag highly to anyone who finds the size to be appropriate. It is a little bit of an odd size, almost an intermediate bag I guess. Still, it is a top quality item with lots of features.
In no way would I endorse the use of this bag for the actual storage of small children, animals of any size or undepleted uranium.
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Fitting and Selecting Hockey Protective Gear
CCM 1152 Wheel Bag
Sherwood PMP 9050 Stick
Recommended:
Yes
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