Question: What type of bag do you use to carry boomerangs?
It is easy enough to grab a boomerang or two on one's way out the door and stuff one of the arms in a jacket or pants pocket. However, as with Pringles chips, "Once you pop, you can't stop." Almost overnight, two boomerangs give way to 20 more, and suddenly, one finds oneself in dire need of a travel bag in which to carry all those sticks.
Manny, Charles and I can generally expect to carry between 10 and 40 'rangs at any given time. We also need to leave enough space to carry water, snacks, pocket cameras and tripods, as well as various boomerang throwing and tuning supplies. These boomerang paraphernalia typically include: throwing gloves, wipe-down rag, wind direction indicator, rubber bands, tape, coins and various print-outs containing throwing or tuning tips. All this makes for a fair amount of bulk to haul around.
I suppose almost any bag would do for this task. When Manny and I stopped by the S.C.O.R.E. National Beach Boomerang tournament in Hermosa Beach in 2010, I saw that participants were sporting carrying cases of all kinds: plastic bags, briefcases, standard backpacks, messenger bags, laptop bags. If it could carry boomerangs, it was pressed into service.
As for Charles, Manny and me, each of us uses a variation of the messenger bag. I cannot think of any particularly compelling reason why we opted for the messenger type bag over other configurations. Messenger bags have been around for a while--for cyclists, for example. They tend to allow for easier access to the contents while the bag is shouldered. The most obvious reason one might spring for the messenger bag may be its aspect ratio. Messenger bags tend to be longer (side to side) than they are tall, so they might initially appear to be more convenient for placing typical two-arm boomerangs elbow- or tips-down in that type of bag. A standard backpack, on the other hand, tends to be taller than it is wide, which would appear to make sense for carrying 8.5 in x 11 in notebooks in typical upright orientation. Of course, a backpack would be quite capable of carrying boomerangs (in whatever orientation works best).
So, I guess it comes down to a matter of style. Messenger bags seem to have been in vogue in the last several years. I myself opted to buy one for general use after watching several seasons of 24 in which Jack Bauer used a messenger bag to haul around firearms, grenades, PDAs and kitchen sinks.
Manny: CalPak Goal
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| From Rang Messenger Bag |
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| From Rang Messenger Bag |
Manny seems to be pretty pleased with his purchase of this bag. It carries everything he needs and has been durable enough to haul boomerangs to and from our weekend throwing sessions without showing significant signs of wear. I think it is the smallest bag of the three of ours, and accordingly, he tends to carry fewer boomerangs than the rest of us.
Charles: Osprey Elroy
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| From aLAcrity Miscellaneous |
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| From aLAcrity Miscellaneous |
This bag is pretty rugged and spacious; in fact, I have sometimes wondered whether Charles bought the "bottomless" version from a space alien or a man from the future. I would guess that I have seen it carry up to 30 or 40 boomerangs in addition to boomeranging supplies and a water bottle or two. To facilitate carrying so many 'rangs, Charles also fashioned from a hunk of packing foam a boomerang holder compatible with typical two-arm booms:
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| From aLAcrity Miscellaneous |
phnxhawk: Timbuk2 Classic
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| From Return 2 Thrower |
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| From aLAcrity Miscellaneous |
I use the Timbuk2 Classic, medium size, messenger bag. It is long enough to fit any of the boomerangs currently in my inventory. In terms of volume available, I would guess that it is comparable to the Elroy. I can fit about the same number of boomerangs in the bag in addition to my boomerang-related field supplies. However, the Elroy has more pockets, which can be good or bad, depending on the user. The Classic features one large, spacious main bay and a few thin zip-up pockets on the inside-front of the bag. The smaller pockets are adequate for smaller or thinner items, such as my gloves or a packet of rubber bands. Bulkier items, such as my tripod, camera and water bottles, sit on top of my boomerangs in the main bay. The lack of separate pockets for these different items can be an inconvenience, I admit, but it is a minor one for me; I seldom need to rapidly withdraw boomerangs from the bag, one after another in quick succession.
Timbuk2 also sells a "large" and "extra large" version of the Classic. These are slightly wider (front to back thickness), but are predominantly longer (side-to-side length). In other words, the larger size bags would not enable me to fit many more boomerangs back-to-back--certainly not enough to warrant the additional expense.
So, why should one pick a particular bag over another? Most types of bags would probably do the job ably; I would not say that there is a particular bag that I would extol as the must-have boomerang thrower's bag. So, common sense will generally be one's guide. It obviously has to carry anything one would typically want to have available for boomerang throwing sessions: boomerangs, gloves, tape, water bottles, snacks, medicine, first aid kits or whatever else would seem necessary. In addition, would the bag be used for other purposes (e.g. cycling or hiking)? Or does the bag have to provide other capabilities (e.g. fit in certain spaces, sturdy enough for impact resistance)?
Between the three bags we use, Manny's CalPak bag would be more than adequate for the thrower on the go. It is small, light and relatively inexpensive, but could carry field supplies and enough boomerangs for adequate variety. If the aim is to haul as many boomerangs as possible, either the Osprey Elroy or Timbuk2 Classic may be a better investment. The Elroy, with its extra pockets and rugged construction, may also do well doubling as a hiking or as a commuter bag while the Classic is typically marketed as a cyclist's messenger bag. Even between these bags, I find that there is no clear winner.
So, my best advice is: take stock of what you need and want in a boomerang bag as well as how much you are willing to spend, and just make a call. Almost any bag will ably do the job of carrying boomerangs, so in many ways, you can't go wrong.
"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."
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