OGIO basically throws everything (including the kitchen sink) into the Nexos bag. The good news is that some of the innovations are great. The bad news is that others still need a little bit of work. Oh, and the OGIO Nexos is the heaviest and most expensive bag we tested. So if you like gadgets, usually take a cart, and are price-insensitive, then this may be the bag for you. Frequent walkers who lost their 401(k) in the stock crash might want to turn their attention elsewhere.
Retail price: $260
Availability: Discontinued; replaced by the OGIO Edge Stand Bag
Club Storage
A 10-way top splits the club storage area of the OGIO Nexos into, you guessed it, 10 sectors. Dividers that run the full-length of the bag partion off each of the sections. According to OGIO’s marketing literature, some of the sectors are slightly raised – “think of it as stadium seating for your woods” – and the system is supposed to help isolate woods, hybrids and wedges from one another. We apparently are not smart enough to figure out which sectors are for which clubs, and even if we were, we’re not sure why our clubs need stadium seating. In any event, there is lots of room for your clubs – whether your wood are banished to the back row of the stadium so as not to obstruct the view of your hybrids and wedges is up to you.
Legs
The OGIO Nexos features the “Arc Lite” leg system – the legs rotate slightly to the side as they are deployed and rotate back in when disengaged – which is supposed to keep them from smacking into your leg as you pick up the bag. Well, it must work, because we didn’t experience any problems with running afoul of the Nexos’ legs when picking up the bag. On the other hand, we hadn’t really noticed that as a burning issue with any of the other bags either. This strikes us as possibly being what some engineers call “a solution looking for a problem.”
The legs extend somewhat independently, which makes deployment on uneven lies a bit easier. We did note that, as with the Ping Hoofer Vantage, it requires an extra “oomph” of exertion on the bag to pop the legs out. Not that you need to start weight training or anything, but it takes a little bit of getting used to.
Straps
The two straps on the OGIO Nexos are integrated as a single unit, and, in a literal show of one-upmanship, are adjustable at FIVE different points, instead of the typical four (the extra adjustment point on the Nexos is the ability to fine tune the width between the straps). Combine this with some nice padding, and you’ve got an excellent strap system.
Pockets/Storage
Whoo boy – we don’t even know where to start on the OGIO Nexos’ pockets! The bag features 11 total pockets, 6 of which are zippered.
- 1 large garment pocket runs along the right side of the bag. Inside of the garment pocket is a zippered plastic-lined “isolation chamber” pocket that would be useful for storing wet rain clothes. Along the outside of the garment pocket are (a) a small pocket labeled as “Cigar Sleeve”, (b) a small pocket and (c) a medium-sized pocket. OGIO provides a plastic “Cigar Caddy” that holds 3 cigars and fits nicely in the Cigar Sleeve. They think of everything!
- 1 small velour-lined valuables pocket (non-waterproof) sits above the garment pocket. Just above the valuables pocket is a small sleeve for a divot repair tool (again, OGIO thinks of everything and includes a divot repair tool with the bag). Also on the right side of the bag is a Velcro patch for attaching a glove (we know that’s what it’s for because there’s a picture of a hand in the middle of it).
- On the spine of the bag is our favorite feature of the OGIO Nexos – the Zipperless Ball Pocket. It’s a medium sized pocket, and the nifty thing is that it has a little spring hinge, so you just pull on the handle to open it (imagine the hinged door on a big blue U.S. mailbox). Extremely handy for quick and quiet access to grab another ball.
- Inside of the Zipperless Ball Pocket is another tiny pocket (which is big enough to store a few tees or a spike wrench).
- Slots for 6 tees run along the right and left exterior sides of the Zipperless Ball Pocket
- On the spine of the bag just above the Zipperless Ball Pocket is the “OGIO Ball Silo”, a plastic structure into which 3 additional balls can be stored. Exactly how many balls does OGIO think we’re gonna lose? Sheesh, a little faith would be nice.
- At the top of the left side of the bag is a sleeve for a pen (again, we know this because it says “Pen Sleeve” on it)
- A medium-sized pocket sits on the left side of the bag. Running along the outside of this medium-sized pocket is a small pocket meant for a GPS device. The GPS device pocket features a plastic window, so the user can insert a GPS device and see distances without taking the device out. This is a nice idea for use with simple devices like a GolfLogix GPS-8 or IZZO SWAMI, which focus on providing basic information, but is less relevant to owners of uPros, Garmins and the like, who are busily zooming in and out on different spots on the course (and thus might prefer to have the GPS device available for easy access either in their pants pocket or clipped to the outside of the bag).
- Also on the left side are (a) a beverage pocket, (b) a sleeve for a scorecard and (c) a sleeve for a pencil. OGIO has thoughtfully labeled each of those pockets as “Hydration”, “Scorecard” and “Pencil”. The beverage pocket is unique in that it is angled almost parallel to the ground. What this means is that when you’re walking, the beverage sits straight up, providing easy access. While this is convenient while walking, the down side is that we had the beverage fall out once or twice when we set the bag down.
- The OGIO Nexos includes a loop for attaching a towel (labeled “Towel Loop”) and a strap for securing an umbrella (complete with a small picture of an umbrella on it).
Our conclusion? The OGIO Nexos is unparalleled for storage. And as much as we mock the labeling of the different pockets and doodads, it’s actually quite useful to know what they’re for.
Rain Hood
In principle, the concept of the rain hood for the OGIO Nexos seems great – instead of a zipper for access to the clubs, the rain hood uses spring tension to close what looks like a gigantic clamshell. Installing the hood is supposed to be easy, involving plugging the hood’s two posts into two receptacles on the bag and Velcroing the hood all along the edge of the bag and around the straps. Unfortunately the process isn’t intuitive – it took us some time to realize that the posts must be rotated so that they are inserted in the proper direction. This involves closely examining the post each time – something we don’t think we would want to do when the raindrops start falling quickly. More importantly, we had a problem with the posts occasionally slipping out of the receptacles. Our conclusion is that in swinging for the fences, OGIO ripped one foul into the upper deck. Nice effort, but in the end, just a loud strike.
Carrying Impressions
The downside of all the gadgets and gizmos on the OGIO Nexos is that they add weight. The Nexos is quite a load to carry, and may actually fare better as a cart bag.
- Weight. The OGIO Nexos was the heaviest bag we tested, weighing in at 9.2 pounds (including the rain hood).
- Balance. OGIO gets this right, as the bag sat well and the weight felt evenly distributed when both straps were in place.
- Padding. A large pad is placed where the bag rests against the user’s lower back – nothing fancy, but it provides adequate cushioning.
- Handles/Straps. The “TORQ Strap” is a rubber strap that can be clipped around the retaining bar of a golf cart to provide additional stability beyond the golf cart’s normal retaining strap. An integrated lift handle at the bottom of the bag makes it easier to put this behemoth into the trunk at the end of a round.
Style
The OGIO Nexos has a look that only a mother would love. It’s a bit rotund, and has some funny bulges. It is only available in 3 color combinations:
- Black and gold, with white trim
- Tan, with navy trim
- Black, with white piping
Oh, and did we mention the plaid lining inside the pockets?
Innovation
OGIO earns the highest score in this category as they go farther in trying creative ideas than any other manufacturer. Of course these experiments achieve different levels of success, but kudos to OGIO for putting themselves out there with new features.
- Successes include the Zipperless Ball Pocket, the “isolation chamber” pocket for wet clothes, and the plethora of pockets.
- Innovations that need a little work or only fall into the “nice-to-have” category include the multi-level club divider, the Arc Lite leg system, the vertically oriented beverage pocket, and the spring-tension rain hood.
Cost/Value
Innovation apparently doesn’t come cheap, because the OGIO Nexos retails for a whopping $260, making it the most expensive bag tested. The price, combined with some of the weaknesses we found in using the Nexos as an every day walking bag, tempered our rating of the bag’s value.
