Bowling Bags Carry Bowling Balls…how Do you Choose the Right One for You, and What Other Items Should you Carry?

Bowling bags are available in many styles and sizes and are built to accommodate from 1 to as many as 6 bowling balls. Many will include separate compartments for bowling shoes as well as additional pockets for other accessories. They range from something as simple as a cloth sling to units that resemble hand trucks and come apart into multiple units.

When choosing a bowling bag, you need to pay attention to the construction of the bag. It is very important that the bowling bag has a very strong and durable bottom and handle. After all, a single bowling ball can weighs up to 16 pounds – you need a bowling bag that can handle the weight of as many bowling balls as you are transporting as well as your bowling shoes and any other items you carry for bowling.

Most bowling bags are available in roller models, on bags for 3, 4 and more balls this is almost a necessity, however is really appreciated even for 1 or 2 ball bags. You should look for a bag with a heavy duty frame which is constructed of a heavy duty material, with heavy duty zippers or some other style of heavy duty closure. If you are going to be traveling to tournaments by air, and carry more than 2 bowling balls, you should look for a bag that comes apart into 2 separate bags. Almost all airlines will only allow 2 balls in a bag to be checked, even though a 3 ball bag would still be under maximum weight.

What other items should you carry with you? This should be dictated by personal preference as well as how much you bowl. If you are just a recreational bowler who goes bowling only on occasion and are not real concerned with scoring, you probably do not need to carry anything other than your bowling ball and shoes.

As you become a more accomplished bowler and find that you need to adjust to changing conditions quickly you may find that you need to carry items to adjust your shoes, your grip or your ball.

Tape - both black, very similar to electrical tape, and white, very similar to first aid tape is used to adjust how your ball fits as your fingers and or thumb swell or shrink as you are bowling. Today tape is, very conveniently, available already cut to the correct shape, size and width for most bowlers, and is usually available in the pro shop, at the control counter or from a vending machine.

Ball Cleaner - You may wish to carry rubbing alcohol or an approved ball cleaner fluid, if so there are a couple of things to keep in mind; current bowling rules allow you to clean your ball before you start bowling, however during league or tournament play you are not allowed to apply any substance to the ball, if you are traveling by air, most ball cleaning liquids are flammable and will not be allowed aboard an aircraft, if you are carrying these items they will have to be discarded.

Miscellaneous Items - Many bowlers will carry a small bottle of baby powder, in case their thumb is sticking in the ball, a rosin bag in case their thumb is slipping. You need to very careful to not get these items on the approach or other lane equipment as they could interfere with others bowlers. There is a product called ez-slide which is applied to the soul of your slide shoe to help if you are sticking to the approach. Some centers and or tournaments will not allow this product to be used.

Other items to carry include extra shoelaces, a nail clipper, small pocket knife, or tape removal tool, one or two extra finger grips, small tube of instant glue, skin patch or small band-aids for blisters. All of these accessory items, if sized correctly, could be carried in a small pouch you could put in a pocket. You can even purchase a custom pouch that has most of these items already in it from a bowling supply retailer.