Mountainsmith might not be the first name that comes to mind when you’re looking for a new disc golf bag. The company has been in the backpacking business since 1979 and has a wide variety of options for those treks in the mountains and woods. A few of those products can easily translate to the disc golf course. The Mountainsmith Day TLS is a small-to-medium sized bag that can not only hold your discs, but provides plenty of storage for other gear.

Mountainsmith describes the Day TLS:

For hiking, travel or school, the Mountainsmith Day TLS (Technical Lumbar System) is designed to stash all of the bare essentials (and then some) that you can’t imagine leaving home without. Made from Reforge recycled PET body fabric (100% Recycled) and high tenacity nylon in key wear areas to up the ante on performance. Key features include waistbelt mesh pockets, wider shoulder strap pad for messenger carry, flat profile side bottle pockets, dedicated internal iPad/tablet sleeve, and increased ergonomic fit with our Lumbar Control Point pad. This classic keeps getting better.

While the description doesn’t scream disc golf, the features you’re looking for are certainly there and even though there is the iPad/tablet sleeve on the inside, we opted to keep our tablet at home and stick to the disc golf. Mountsmith sent us a Day TLS to check out and after loading it up we took it to the course to see how it did as a disc golf bag.

The first thing we noticed about the Day TLS is the depth of the bag. It is certainly deeper than other bags in this size and that translates to some extra storage. We were able to comfortably fit around 8-11 discs which includes two putters and a handful of midranges. If you go more on the driver side of things, you could add in a few more, but even with eight discs, you’ll find plenty of room for additional gear. What is designed as the iPad/tablet sleeve has room for a few drivers or even a putter or two.

The bag is a little wider than the discs so you’ll get some storage on the side that can be used for towels or even a small jacket. They won’t get in the way either. The front of the bag has drawstring straps that can be tightened down to hold a jacket externally as well.

The Day TLS comes with just one single strap. The strap itself has one large padded area that gives you plenty of comfort. It is setup to accommodate Mountainsmith’s Strapettes which are similar to the Quad straps we see other companies offer.

On the back of the Day TLS you’ll find a decent amount of padding which would rest against your hip if you’re using it just on one shoulder. We didn’t find the discs to be digging into us or providing any discomfort.

Flanked on the side of the back padding are two lumbar supports. These have some added storage pockets and provide a little more cushion. If you were using the Strapettes they’d provide a little more use than if you were just using the single shoulder strap. The lumbar supports can easily tuck in behind the back padding if they aren’t in use. When we had them tucked away we barely noticed they were even there. It’s a nice feature that has some utility to it to better suit the user.

The one side of the Day TLS features a bottle holder that is compressed by default. We’ve seen elastic on the top of bottle holders before, but they remain nearly fully open by default. This one is virtually closed off until you expand it manually. Mountainsmith says it will hold up to a 22 oz bottle. Smaller bottles will easily sit securely due to the style of the holder. Even though it is just a bottle holder, it is a nice design.

Finally, when you have the Day TLS loaded up, due to the wider footprint, you’ll find it to be very sturdy on the ground. Some bags of this size go with the rounded bottom or just aren’t wide enough to really give you the stability you’re wanting. We could comfortably place this on the ground without fear of it falling over. Even if you were to place it on the front or back sides, with the depth of the bag itself, you won’t have to worry about discs falling out and spilling everywhere.

It’s safe to say the first use for the Mountainsmith Day TLS isn’t disc golf, but it isn’t too far down the list of use cases. It has nearly everything you’d be looking for when it comes to a small-to-medium disc golf bag. You’ll have enough storage for around 8-11 discs, a comfortable strap that won’t wear you out, additional storage for towels, jackets, or other small gear, and a sturdy setup. It checks virtually all the boxes on your list. Plus, with Mountainsmith’s backpacking background, they know what they are doing when it comes to bags like this one.

The Mountainsmith Day TLS currently retails for $84.95 and can be purchased online at Mountainsmith’s website. The Mountainsmith Day TLS is more than just a small backpack, it can be a very versatile disc golf backpack. Plenty of disc storage, strong build quality, and more for all your needs.

 

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