Background: So over last Summer I went to some county fairs and festivals with my fledgling yoyo skills and people loved it. Kids, parents, older folks, everybody. I ended up giving away a couple of my beginner plastics to a budding 9-year-old who showed promise.
Next Summer I’m going to do the same thing but I want to be prepared this time.
So my question is, what can y’all recommend for a yoyo storage system that I can either wear or sling for easy access, which leaves both my hands free and unobstructed while I’m playing?
My requirements are as follows:
Must be able to transport at least three of my nicer throws in padded, enclosed comfort, away from scrapes and dirt and grab-n-run attempts by the occasional hoodlum.
Must also be able to transport a half-dozen or so cheap plastics that I can hand over to people to try out. These can all be stored in one large compartment as I don’t care if they knock together.
Must be wearable while I play. I want to be able to play while I stroll so it’s gotta be something like a messenger bag, fanny pack or that vest that Blues Traveler wears for his harmonicas.
Must look good with a fool’s hat. Anything that is obviously a grenade vest, game coat or safari jacket will probably not match with the motif although I’m open to modifying my get-up (within limits) to fit the right yoyo carrier’s aesthetics.
So, with those parameters in mind I’d love suggestions! Particular models or just general ideas for other sports I can cannibalize equipment from are appreciated!
I would recommend a Duncan yo-yo bag. I have been using mine for about 4 and a half years !!! It just seems to consistently hold up . I think it’s a bit superior to the yoyoexpert case because it can hold more yo-yos with a smaller size. And on the inside it has two horizontal padded foam slots (kinda hard to explain sry) that could hold up to 12 (probably slimline) yo-yos so it would be perfect for beginner throws. I’ll post some better pics of mine later
I always drag my Essential with me to work. They’re really nice, you could easily fit like 6-8 plastics in the main pouch along with your phone and wallet or whatever else you want to carry.
That Essntl bag does look real close to what I need. Question though, how secure are the three internal yoyo pockets? For instance if the bag is zipped shut and hung end-wise or laid on it’s side in the trunk of a car or worn while jogging, can the yoyos work their way out of those pockets and end up loose in the main compartment? It seems like there’s nothing holding them in there except gravity.
Hopefully someone that owns it can confirm, but to me it looks like there is only 1-2 centimeters clearance from the top of the pouch to the zipper, so if the bag is closed, I feel like the yo-yos will stay put. If you are crafty, you could add elastic Velcro straps to the top of each pouch to be extra secure.
If your yoyo is average size they fit in the pockets very snug, they’re padded elastic pouches. Anything that’s like 40+mm wide will be a snug fit. It fits even very wide yoyos, though 50mm wide is around the limit, my Galaxy Diver fits well but I don’t think you could squeeze a giga wide yoyo like the Atlas in. Anything below that width will be a loose fit, if you’re wearing the bag like a fanny pack you won’t have to worry about it falling out. But if you’re wearing it cross body or just slung over your shoulder you might have a slimline wiggle out.
Sub 40mm width yoyos are the only things I’ve had wiggle out on me, everything else though is secure. If slimlines are your main jam this might not be the bag for you, for everything else it’s great.
This is what you want. Holds 8 in the front and has a very large inside pocket that could hold 12+ more and/or accessories. Comfortable to wear and seems to be pretty durable.
Just a quick update, I was considering the Unknown bag as it ticks the right boxes but the price is high enough to make me look into what I could build for about that price.
I came across this rigid MOLLE plate, they sell them as inserts for backpacks and also for vehicle mounting. So I ordered some grenade pouches for about four bucks each and will make my own MOLLE plate out of Kydex or Boltaron.
The plate, with grenade pouches mounted, will be secured inside a butt pack or messenger bag which I have yet to select. That way the bag will retain it’s normal look on the outside and the “tacticool” MOLLE equipment will be safely out of sight inside.
I will almost certainly spend more than the price of the Unknown bag, but the end result will be custom-tailored to my liking and, to be honest, I have an addiction to little projects like this so I’ll have fun on the way.
The YYF bag that @TheThrowingGnome posted looks good too, but it seems to be unavailable online. And, once I got the MOLLE plate idea in my head, I lost interest in much else. I’ll post an update when I’ve made progress in case anyone’s interested! Thanks to everyone for the suggestions and information thus far!
So I’ve been trying a couple things and this is what I think I’m going with! Been using it for a few weeks and it ticks all the boxes for convenience, protection and security from grab-and-runners.
It’s a “medic pouch” made to attach to MOLLE or PALS webbing. (Black pouch in the pictures.) This one in particular is Red Rock brand, but there are many similar pouches from other manufacturers. These medic pouches generally come with elastic webbing sewn inside them which work great for securing yoyos!
In order to prevent the yoyos from knocking together if the soft pouch gets bumped or crushed, I cut two pieces of .125" Kydex to size and slipped them into the pockets behind the webbing areas. (Ignore the holes in the Kydex, it was recycled from a previous project.)
Now, although the yoyos’ edges are quite close together, no amount of violent shaking or jarring will cause them to make contact. I wouldn’t put too very wide ones next to each other though.
This pouch will hold four throws, I can’t use the middle row of webbing for throws because it’s too close to the top row and the edges touch. So I use the middle row to hold a tube of strings. Other strings of different lengths, used for when I hand off my sacrificial throws to people of different heights, are hung on the rows of webbing adjacent to the yoyo side of the pouch.
The bag itself is a Summit Side Satchel, by First Tactical. Normal cost is about eighty bucks but I found a site selling the Coyote color for about $47 which is an insane deal considering the quality of the bag. PM me if you want to know the site, I know it isn’t really a competitor site but might still be frowned upon to post direct links here.
Inside, the bag has plenty of space and a couple large pockets that I can use for my plastic loaner yoyos.
I added some humorous patches and colored cord to try and break the “tacticute” look that always stigmatizes anything with PALS webbing.
An honorable mention goes to the grenade pouches as well, I initially used them inside an old laptop bag I have. The idea was sound, but the bag is flimsy, shapeless and ugly. The grenade pouches worked quite well, if I need auxiliary yoyo storage on the First Tactical bag I can attach the pouches to it’s shoulder strap.
Anyway that’s where my quest has resulted! Total cost for the bag and medic pouch was around $60, plus a few bucks’ worth of Kydex. I’m very pleased with the result since this bag is not just my yoyo bag, but holds everything else I need for a day out as well!
Thanks! I love customizing stuff as well, especially military-style stuff since it’s such a good balance between function, durability and low cost.
I forgot to add for those that are unfamiliar with webbing systems, the MOLLE straps on the pouch enable it to attach to a belt as well so it would make a nice fanny pack on it’s own.
. I think it’s a bit superior to the yoyoexpert case because it can hold more yo-yos with a smaller size. And on the inside it has two horizontal padded foam slots (kinda hard to explain sry) that could hold up to 12 (probably slimline) yo-yos so it would be perfect for beginner throws. I’ll post some better pics of mine later 
