Best Baseball Catchers Bags With Wheels – Review and Buyer’s Guide

The position of catcher is arguably the most physically demanding in all of baseball.  Squatting on bended knees for games routinely lasting three hours, trying to direct the pitcher on what to throw, and then trying to catch a bewildering array of high-speed fastballs, breaking curveballs and sliders, and knuckleballs that can quickly dart in any direction.  Add in foul tips, errant throws, runners stealing bases, and collisions with runners.

Factor in dealing with all this while wearing about ten pounds of protective equipment, standing right behind someone swinging a three-pound bat as hard as he can.  It’s no wonder “Muddy” Ruel called catcher’s equipment the tools of ignorance.

As we noted, with all the specialized equipment that is needed, a catcher must have the capability to move his gear to and from the baseball park easily.  A catcher’s gear bag meets that requirement.  We have identified ten notable bags, and, in this section, will review them at a fairly high level.

In the next section, we’ll take a look at the ten best catcher’s equipment bags.

We’ll identify some of their best features, sizes, ratings, price range, and customer reviews.

Product	Best Features	LxWxH	Rating (Reviews)	Price Range	View on Amazon
Rawlings R1502	holds four bats, special pocket to protect glove, reinforced, padded straps, about 8 pounds weight	14.2 x 14.8 x 40.8 inches	5 out of 5 (1)	$$$	Check Price
Bownet The Commander	holds three bats, large wheels for easy movement, semi-hard case for helmets and cleats, personalization panel for name, number, team, etc.	18 x 10.5 x 39 inches	4.6 out of 5 (45)	$$$$	Check Price
Easton E900c	full bottom rails for durability and support, fence hook, heavy-duty zippers and wheels, vented pockets	16 x 14 x 36 inches	4.5 out of 5 (72)	$$$$	Check Price
Athletico Rolling Baseball Bag	extra pockets for personal gear, phones, etc. fence hook, vented shoe compartment, up to four bat storage	9 x 9.5 x 36 inches	4.4 out of 5 (74)	$	Check Price
EASTON E700W	Lockable zippers, valuables compartment, fence hook, four bat storage, heavy-duty wheels, four designs	15 x 13 x 37 inches	4.3 out of 5 (40)	$$$	Check Price
DeMarini Special OPS Wheeled Bag	armored four to seven bat compartment, washable shoe compartment, cell phone pocket, telescoping handle	12 x 15 x 39 inches	4.3 out of 5 (48)	$$$$	Check Price
No Errors NO E2	eight color options, large, extra-wide wheels, nine compartments (three ventilated), three bat storage	16 x 7 x 36 inches	4.2 out of 5 (82)	$$$	Check Price
Mizuno Classic	hook for fence hanging, ventilated footwear compartment, 6.15 pounds	12 x 13 x 36 inches	4.3 out of 5 (5)	$$$	Check Price
Easton E510W	in-line wheel system, fence hook, storage for four bats, removable shoe panel vented pockets	12 x 12 x 36 inches	3.7 out of 5 (105)	$$	Check Price
DeMarini Momentum	four bat storage with padded sleeves, removable personalization panel, fence hooks, valuables pocket,	11 x 10.5 x 36 inches	3.3 out of 5 (322)	$	Check Price

We’ll spend a little time here looking at the development of this specialized equipment.

It’s hard to imagine, but in the early days of baseball, catchers did not have the benefit of all this protection.  Early catchers played a few steps behind the batter, catching the ball of the bounce rather than directly.  This bit of self-protection ended in the early 1900s when rules were changed to make the catcher play immediately behind the home plate.  Even though they were available much earlier, this rule change pretty much dictated the use of a catcher’s mask.

The first mask was developed in 1876, made from a fencing mask.  This development caught on quickly and was widely used by the 1880s.

Several design improvements were made, with the aim of added protection while increasing visibility for the catcher.  In the 1970s, a hanging strap was added to the masks to protect the catcher’s throat from being hit by the ball. Interestingly, this strap was offered as an option to a 1903 mask but never caught on.

Let’s take a quick look at the next major piece of catcher’s equipment – the catcher’s mitt.  Hand protection for a catcher seems like a logical extension to face protection, and the early versions of catcher’s mitts were routinely seen in the 1870s.  The earliest mitts were basically round pads to cover the hand.

The pillow-shaped mitt came out at the turn of the century and remained in use until the 1920s.  A hand and finger -designed mitt by Rawlings Company (you’ll see that name later in this review) became the new standard, but it still required catching with two hands to the ball did not pop out of the mitt.

The result, as expected, was a lot of bruised, jammed, and broken fingers.  To solve this problem, the hinged mitt was developed and became popular in the late 1960s.  This solution allowed the catcher to use one hand to catch the pitch and keep the other hand safely protected behind his back. Except for specialty mitts like those used to catch knuckleballers, these gloves are still in use today as the catcher’s standard.

Next up is the start of the catcher’s armor – the chest protector.  Chest protection also goes back to the early days of baseball, but, unlike other catcher’s equipment, has not really evolved to the same extent.  The early protectors were bladders filled with air, but soon foam padding replaced the air padding.

While the types of foam used today have become much lighter while affording additional protection, the original design is still much the same.  The only major modification is the extension of the padding to cover and protect the shoulder areas.

The last equipment we will take a look at is the shin guards worn by catchers.  These, much like the chest protector, have not changed much during their evolution.  Originally made of light cane, they were first seen in the 1890s.  Leather replaced the cane, and fiberboard later replaced the leather as the primary material of construction and was featured in an early Rawlings catalog from 1916.

The shin guards are designed to protect the kneecaps, ankles, and insteps, with hinges at the knee joint, to ease movement and flexibility.  In the 1960s, engineered plastics became the choice material of construction, offering solid protection, while lightweight and flexible.

So, there’s a quick summary of the additional equipment catcher’s need to not only wear but also to carry.  They also need the standard equipment of other position players, including bats, helmets, spikes or cleats, batting gloves, and hats.  And, obviously, they need some way to transport this paraphernalia to and from the baseball diamond.  On the right side is a picture of a fully geared-up catcher.  And this, of course, leads right into our review of the best catcher’s gear bags.

But first, let’s switch gears really quick, and take a look at the development of suitcases.  Early suitcases were along the lines of steamer trunks; large, heavy, and difficult to carry and transport.  In the early 1970s, horizontal wheeled suitcases were invented, using a cord to pull them.

The introduction of the wheeled suitcases we are used to seeing today came in 1987 when a Delta pilot developed the vertically oriented roller suitcases for use by flight crews.  They were subsequently commercialized, and are now the standard in air travel globally.

So, how did we get from the catcher’s equipment to suitcases?

This is one of the larger bags on the list, with storage capacity for up to four bats.  While suitable for youth equipment, this bag will easily carrier adult sizes.  It comes with a five- star review, but caveat emptor; that review is based on only one review.  We checked a couple of other sites, and there are no reviews available there either, so this is most likely a fairly new introduction.

Fairly large, multi-compartmented bag offering 14 separate compartments – a lot of storage area for various equipment.  It is available in seven different colors and designs and comes with a solid 4.6 rating.  It has a personalization panel for a team logo, player name, and number, etc.  This is a top ten seller in Amazon baseball equipment bags.

This is another 4.5 rated bag, but comes in a little cheaper than the Bownet, at $170.  It has wide-set wheels for stability and durability and weighs in at just under ten pounds.  There is a zippered three-bat external compartment, multiple pockets, and heavy-duty construction.  Based on consumer feedback, it is built to last.

This bag is versatile enough for baseball, t-ball, or softball equipment.  It’s constructed from 600 Denier polyester fabric and can store up to four bats with all the other ancillary equipment, yet weighs only 3 pounds net.  With several pockets for personal items, plus all the baseball equipment, it has a good rating and very attractive pricing.

Another Easton bag, much the same size as the previous one, but with a slightly different configuration.  It has a four-bat capacity, and multiple compartments, including a vented one for cleats.  Wide-set wheels with a full axle and bottom rails give the bag good stability and structure.

This is the first of two DeMarini bags in this review, and the number four seller equipment bag on Amazon.  It has an armored compartment for bat storage and will hold up to four bats in individual sleeves, and seven overall.  It has a removable, customizable decoration panel, and a separate pocket for valuables storage.

This bag is available in eight different colors and designs.  While the Amazon specs show it as 6 inches deep, the manufacturer shows 12 inches, which appears to be more in line with the photos.  We’ve taken the manufacturer’s numbers in the comparison table, which makes it one of the bigger bags.  It has nine total pockets, with three ventilated, and a three-bat capacity.

This Mizuno product also comes in highly rated, with a 4.3 customer review.  It’s fairly lightweight at just over six pounds but has some heavyweight features.  It has separate pockets for storage and heavy-duty wheels for durability over any surface.

New Easton’s new E510W wheeled bag is even more versatile than it has been before. There are new rubberized pullers and a fence hook added to increase the functionality. The vented pockets will eliminate any odor, and they will also allow the bag dry faster. Heavy-duty bracketed inline wheels are designed for stability and durability. There is also a removable shoe panel that will be highly appreciated by the players. Basically, it a good bag for any player.

This is another bag from the DeMarini line, but, as evidenced by the rating (and price), from the lower end of their catalog.  It has a pretty small storage area and is really not suitable for catcher’s equipment other than for the youngest and smallest players.  It does feature a padded, separated four bat storage area, with an interior shelf to separate gloves from other equipment in the bag.