First it was the Brick Bag. Then the Retro. And now, Star Frame has brought us the Bandido Disc Golf Bag – a one-of-a-kind backpack bag with an insane amount of storage and the ability to double as a cooler. With their new bag, Star Frame has completely changed the disc golf bag game completely…again.
Their first bag, the Brick Bag, offered lots of space and a full cooler. It was Star Frame’s first attempt at a disc golf bag and they nailed it, establishing themselves as THE brand to go to for a disc golf cooler bag. That bag has since been updated with the 2.0 version. You can see the 2.0 bag review here.
Their second bag, the Retro Bag, offered a smaller size, a small cooler, and enough space for all your stuff. It came with a lot of swag and some fantastic colors. Check out that bag review here.
The Bandido bag, on the other hand, is a different kind of bag. It begs the question, “what do you really want out of a disc golf bag?” With all of the style, quality, storage, and features you could ever want and need, the Bandido bag is the bag you NEED to buy this year.
So in the next few sections, we’ll talk about:
- Why I got the Star Frame Bandido Bag
- What Star Frame says about their bag
- Features of the Bandido Bag
- What’s new with Bandido Disc Golf Bag
- Pros
- Cons
- A couple of places that you can get this bag
- My recommendations for Star Frame going forward and…
- Star Frame’s full lineup of bags!
The Bandido may not be the best bag ever made, but it’s a fantastic disc golf cooler bag that easily has the potential to win “best bag of the year” in 2023. This post will show you why.
Why I got the Star Frame Bandido Bag
Before this post, I’ve already reviewed 3 other Star Frame disc golf cooler bags: the Brick, the Retro, and the upgraded Brick 2.0. All of which were great bags in my reviews. Again, here are the reviews for the Brick Bag 2.0 and the Retro Bag:
The Ultimate Star Frame Brick Bag 2.0 Review: The New #1 Cooler Bag
The Complete Star Frame Retro Cooler Bag Review [2023 Edition]
When Star Frame hit me up about an even bigger, ultra-premium bag called the Bandido, I was curious and absolutely ready to check it out. But it wasn’t out yet. I had to wait just a little bit. The Bandido dropped a few weeks later and was on my door step at the beginning of December 2022…ready to hit the course.
Star Frame sent me this bag for free, in exchange for an honest and thorough review. The first 3 bags were pretty epic. So I had fairly high expectations when I got this bag.
My first thoughts? Hefty bag. This thing is a beast.
Here’s what Star Frame says about their bag
Before we get to the bag, I want to start with a little bit about the company behind the bag:
Star Frame is a family-owned and operated company based out of Wisconsin. They decided to start creating bags after the founder, Eddy Padilla, was tasked with carrying the group’s 24-pack during a disc golf round. Thinking about how ridiculous it was to have to carry that 24-pack of drinks around, he soon realized that there had to be a better way to play disc golf AND carry drinks. So him and his friends created the Star Frame Brick disc golf cooler cooler bag – something to help disc golfers have fun and carry drinks around the course.
After Star Frame was launched in 2020, they found their mission: “to design the perfect disc golf products that allow players to focus on what’s important – enjoying the sport and making long-lasting memories.”
They started off with the Brick, then created the Retro, updated the Brick to the 2.0 version, and quickly designed and brought the Bandido bag to the market.
In just a few short years, Star Frame has cornered the cooler bag market and brought multiple high-quality bags to disc golfers all over the United States (and I’m sure to other countries as well). And they’ve done a great job with their latest bag, so let’s see what they’ve got to say about it…
Here’s what Star Frame says about the Bandido bag:
“Why did we name our new bag ’Bandido’? That’s easy, our founder, Eddie, is proudly Hispanic and the direct English translation is ‘outlaw’.
BANDIDO is the newest bag to the Star Frame line-up and stands above the competition as a true outlaw would. This ultra-premium bag has been designed with avid disc golfers in mind. It can carry over 30 discs if all compartments are used. This bag has every feature you need out on the course – whether it’s a quick round by yourself or a weekend round with your closet compadres.
This disc golf cooler bag is incredibly well-built and uses premium materials, providing unmatched durability for countless outings. This bag is ultra-lightweight and has a strong interior exoskeleton to keep its shape and evenly distribute weight. We’ve upgraded the shoulder straps to be wider and more comfortable, allowing you to focus on your drive as you walk to the next hole.
We’ve also upgraded the padded handle for easy grab-and-go carrying. If you carry a lot of discs, you’ll love this bag. It can easily fit 30+ discs. The secured middle compartment holds 16+ discs, the large side pocket can hold an additional 6, there are two putter sleeves on the centerfold, and the cooler compartment can serve as additional disc storage if need be.
It wouldn’t be a Star Frame bag if it didn’t have a cooler compartment for your beverages. We’re really excited to include an insulated 4-can detachable cooler that can be used on its own. Best of all, the cooler pocket can double as added storage if desired. We also include our signature top can holder sleeve so you don’t have to bend down to get a drink. Let’s not forget the convenient bottle opener sewn into the shoulder strap. Salud!
Make a statement out on the course. Each BANDIDO bag can be customized to you with our brand-new velcro front patch. This patch is wide enough to allow you to add plenty of patches for a fun twist on an awesome bag.
We’ve also included some fun new features that you’re going to love. We added the signature phone sleeve that’s been designed to not block your phone’s front and rear cameras, allowing you to easily record your throws for Instagram or TikTok. We’ve added a new disc golf retriever or foldable stool Velcro strap for tournament use. Our drink holder can hold extra large water bottles. Be a true desperado and grab a BANDIDO!”
Features
Before I get into these features, I want to make note of something: while doing my review of this bag, I literally had to write down every single feature and storage pocket so that I wouldn’t miss or forget about any of the features on the Bandido. Pretty freakin’ crazy. I’m sure you’ll say the same. Now…let’s check out all of the features of the Star Frame Bandido disc golf cooler bag.
1. The ultra premium disc golf bag
The new Bandido Bag was a privilege for me to review. Part of the reason was the quality of the bag. It’s top notch material, first off with a 900D exterior. 900D simply means some of the strongest fabric on the market – high strength, durable, and tear-resistant material. It also features zippers from SBS, a company that has created some of the best zippers in the world for over 30 years. That’s what you’re getting out of just the material of this bag.
On top of that, you get a very stylish-looking bag. The yellow color pops and looks great over the ultra lightweight frame that keep your bag rigid and upright. Inside the bag, you’ve got an insanely strong interior exoskeleton. That helps the bag keep its shape and distribute weight evenly.
2. Slide-in cooler
It wouldn’t be a Star Frame bag without a cooler, right?! Yep, and Star Frame added one of the coolest features to the Bandido bag – a slide-in cooler that can go in the top storage section of the bag or used separately outside of the bag.
The cooler is fairly small, but does the job. It can hold about 4 regular sized cans or about 2-3 seltzers.
The great part about the small cooler is that you can use it separately from the bag itself. So that means you can take it out to prep it for the bag or you can just take the cooler with you while you do something else. In fact, I’ve already used it a couple of times separately in my work vehicle (without the bag). You can also use the cooler itself for more storage as well.
Lastly, with the cooler out of the bag, you can use the top storage pocket for even more storage if you’d like. We’ll cover that more in Feature #5. But this small cooler absolutely allows you to play and keep a couple of drinks cold while you’re out on the course!
3. Disc space
The Bandido features an awesome amount of disc space – being able to fit 30+ discs when fully maxed out! The main compartment can hold about 16-18 discs, while the putter pockets can hold about 4-5 discs, and the other pockets can hold about 7-8 total discs. You really don’t need more than that out on the course. But 30+ discs is a pretty insane amount of storage for a disc golf bag.
4. Comfort
Next up, wider, adjustable, and upgraded shoulder straps really help to take the weight off when lugging this bag around the course. It has an extremely well-padded back which provides a high level of comfort. Star Frame claims that the Bandido is, “one of the most comfortable bags on the market.”
As for my opinion: the Bandido has a fairly comfortable padded back and padded straps. The bag was a little heavy overall but the padded straps and padded back help out tremendously. Pretty lightweight, though, if you’re not loading every pocket of the bag down.
5. Storage
The amount of storage that this bag has is ABSURD. Star Frame states that, “you’ll never run out of storage,” with this bag. That statement is 100% percent accurate. Here are all the pockets and storage areas on the Bandido bag:
- Front pocket
- Top pocket (in front of cooler packet)
- Cooler pocket (for included cooler or more storage)
- Front putter pocket
- Side putter pocket
- Side water bottle holder
- Dedicated Star Frame Range Finder pocket (or miscellaneous pocket)
- 2nd miscellaneous storage pocket
- Top seltzer/drink holder
- Signature phone sleeve
- Velcro stool holder/disc retriever
6. 2 new and improved putter pockets
The brand new front putter pocket allows disc golfers to have quick access to a single disc that can be quickly grabbed and used. I like this feature so far and have used it quite a few times in my first couple of rounds.
The other side putter pocket, which has been improved from the Brick 2.0, can hold between 3-4 discs and can collapse to make the bag a little smaller if need be.
Even though the Bandido is a large tournament-style bag, these two pockets can potentially make it a quick bag, especially if you’re only using a few discs for your round. But overall, they’re nice additions/upgrades.
7. Signature phone sleeve holder
The popular signature phone sleeve holder is back, carried over from the Brick 2.0 cooler bag. This awesome feature is designed to hold your phone and to not block your front or rear cameras, allowing you to record any or all of your throws.
I love this feature because it’s great for form critique or posting your progress to social media. Pretty cool.
8. Velcro disc retriever/portable stool (or umbrella) holder
The next brand new feature of the Bandido bag is the Velcro disc retriever/stool holder. This simple feature is a small velcro strap and pocket at the bottom of the bag that can firmly hold your disc retriever or foldable stool seat in place until you need it.
Whether you’re playing a normal round with friends, or you’re competing in a weekend tournament, this small feature can make a big difference. It may not win you the round, but it’s an extra convenience on your bag. It’s a cool new feature and can also be used for a small umbrella for those wet rounds.
9. Front velcro patch!
The new front velcro patch is my favorite feature of the Bandido. For this bag, Star Frame has added a large, fully-customizable velcro patch so that you can add your own personal style!
So you can choose to put on 1 large patch, a couple smaller patches, or as many patches as you can fit on the 11 inch by 3 inch patch area!!
10. Bottle opener
The Bandido comes with the standard bottle opener that has come on every other Star Frame bag. I still think this is a really cool feature to have on a bag.
11. 2 towel hooks
Star Frame has upgraded this bag to feature 2 towel hooks.
12. Price
The last feature I want to talk about is simply the price of this bag. Like I said earlier, this bag is LOADED with features, storage, and even a small cooler. And while the Bandido is much pricier than the Brick 2.0, the difference is night and day. The Bandido has it all…for just under $200 bucks. It’s a quality bag and the price is right.
New Features
Pros
1. Insane amount of features: there are so many features and things to love about the Bandido bag. It was honestly pretty impressive.
2. The velcro patch: I love this about the bag. You can style this anyway you like. Excellent addition, guys.
3. The best stability of all 3 bags: seriously top-notch stability in this bag. Right out of the box, it stands up perfectly straight, even loaded down with drinks, discs, and other gear.
4. Infinite amount of storage space: you can carry everything you need (and probably your buddy’s stuff, too!
5. The Star Frame cooler bag: again, it wouldn’t be a Star Frame bag without a cooler, right?!
6. True tournament bag: this bag is built for long rounds or multiple rounds throughout the weekend. Your choice.
7. Great upgrades: see the new features picture above for everything new on the Bandido.
8. The price: for less than $200 bucks, you get a helluva lot out of this bag.
9. No other bag like this: I’ve said this about all of the other Star Frame bags. There’s really nothing on the market today that can compare to the Retro, the Brick 2.0, or the Bandido disc golf cooler bags.
Cons
1. The bag can be heavy: this is a hefty disc golf bag. It’s not bad on its own, but once you add in drinks, discs, and other gear, it starts to get heavy. The padded back and padded straps do help alleviate some of the weight. But this is no small bag. Most disc golfers probably won’t have any problem with this, though.
2. Kids and smaller guys/women: since this is a fairly large bag, similar to what I said about the Brick 2.0, this probably isn’t the greatest bag for kids and smaller guys or women. If you can handle it, go for it. But for those who don’t want a huge bag, I recommend checking out the Star Frame Retro disc golf cooler bag.
3. Not really a quick bag: even though this bag is large and can hold A LOT of stuff, between the side putter pocket and the front putter pocket, and small cooler, you’ve got everything you need for quick rounds!
4. Phone sleeve is a little small: while this isn’t a deal-breaker, the phone sleeve was too small to comfortably fit my IPhone 13 Pro Max (the biggest IPhone in the series). Without the slim case, it was a little bit better but not much. Not too worried, though. Most phones will fit just fine.
A couple of places where you can get this bag
There are two places online where you can buy the Star Frame Bandido Bag. Let’s check those out.
I highly recommend that you go through the Star Frame website so you can purchase from them and directly support the company. They’re a fairly new business and anything you can do to help them out is appreciated by the #discgolfcommunity and myself here at DiscgolfNOW.com.
If you’d like to grab a Bandido Bag from Star Frame, get it here on their site.
2. Amazon.com
If you’d rather grab your bag off of Amazon, you can feel free to do so here. You’re still buying from Star Frame, but they get a little bit less money. If you’re just grabbing it on there to save on shipping, we highly recommend spending a couple extra bucks and getting it on the Star Frame website to help them out. Let’s support Star Frame!
Going forward for Star Frame
After the Brick Bag 2.0, my thoughts were, “this is an awesome bag. It’d be pretty tough to build a better one.” But once again, Star Frame has come through with the Bandido. It really takes the cake when it comes to features and quality. So much so that I believe it can compete with those premium bags made by the bigger disc golf companies. But there’s always room for improvement, so here are my thoughts:
- Exterior: the bag looks great. Options for colors would be a popular upgrade. If I had an option, I would’ve chosen a red, green, or blue over a yellow. But the yellow still looks good. Some would choose it. Others would choose another color.
- Continue tweaking and upgrading infrastructure: small details matter and continuing to upgrade and reinforce the bag in future updates models can make this bag even better.
- Quality: don’t ever sacrifice quality going forward. With materials continually getting more expensive, don’t cut corners with the product. Because people notice…especially disc golfers. Maintaining a standard of quality will help customers know what they’re getting for the money they spend every time they buy a new bag from ya’ll. It will also help spread the word to others.
- Keep the price down: try to keep the price down if possible. But again, if you have to, choose quality over a few extra dollars made in profit. Most don’t mind paying for a quality bag.
- Design a quick bag: PLEASE design a quick bag with a cooler. This could be such a great addition to the already star-studded lineup of bags.
Star Frame’s full lineup
Star Frame’s bag lineup features three really awesome disc golf cooler bags. I’ve outlined these some in the post above but here’s a brief summary of the other 2 bags in the Star Frame lineup.
The Star Frame Brick Bag
The Brick Bag 2.0 is an awesome, full-size cooler bag that can haul around A LOT of drinks and A LOT of discs and gear. If you don’t want to drop $189 bucks, or you’d rather have more room for drinks in the cooler, this is the next best choice.
Check out the Brick Bag 2.0 review here.
Grab a Brick Bag 2.0 from Star Frame here on their site.
The Star Frame Retro Bag
The Retro bag is a bit smaller but still a great disc golf backpack bag with a fairly large cooler.
Check out the Retro bag review here.
Check out the Retro bag here on the Star Frame site.
Check out the book!
If you’re looking for more tips and tricks on how to play disc golf, check out my book, “The Disc Golf Player’s Manual.” This ultimate beginner’s guide is loaded with over 200 pages of content, helping you to improve your game AND lower score on the disc golf course. Check it out here on my site.