Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3 Cart Bag Review: I Was Wrong…

I’ll admit that when the Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3 showed up, I was ready to not like it.

Which is a bit surprising on the surface given that I’m actually a big fan of the Big Max brand.

But this Silencio 3 bag, I thought, was too funky for me.

One, cart bags are probably my least favorite category of golf bag (even though I still totally love them like the golf gear junkie that I am). They’re big, they’re heavy, and they’re a bit of a pain to deal with off the course.

Secondly, the feature that makes this Big Max bag a Silencio model is that special 14-way silent top. And it looks goofy to me, I gotta say. It’s a molded top with a hard plastic frame designed so that every clubhead drops down into its own dedicated slot.

My honest first reaction was a bit of a chuckle. A silent golf bag? Did I miss something? Were we having a problem with golf bag noise?

So I was somewhat prejudiced against the Silencio 3, I’ll admit.

But now I’m changing my tune. Not because the bag looks any less weird than I feared. Rather, it’s because I’ve decided, screw it, I’m choosing functionality over fashion.

And this bag is functional. Very functional. In large part due to that silent top feature, which won me over almost immediately.

But the Silencio 3 is also quite large. Tall specifically. Very tall. And that stuff I was saying about cart bags being a pain to deal with off the course go extra for this bag.

Another thing to throw in the hopper is that this bag comes in at $300. And for all of its features, if you can get past the size, I think there’s serious value here.

So let’s walk through all of it. I’ll try to identify who I think should stay away from a bag like this and who I think should buy one the first chance they get. Because I can see both of those profiles as very realistic.

Big Max Keeps Winning Me Over

I guess I’m turning into a bit of a Big Max believer. But they just keep sending products that are better than they have any right to be for the price.

I’ve now owned and tested two of their push carts and another one of their cart bags. And every single time, I expect “fine,” and I get “really good.”

Big Max is big in Europe. They’ve got a decades-long reputation with major sales and success. But stateside, they’re more of a sleeper brand.

To me, the build quality, aesthetics, design, and features of Big Max bags remind me a bit of a brand like Sun Mountain. Which is to say very high quality but at palatable prices.

Interestingly, the push carts from those two brands are quite different. The Sun Mountain carts are far fuller featured, while the Big Max carts are for minimalists.

But I find the bags to be comparable in some ways.

In any case, just like Sun Mountain, the people at Big Max are clearly serious about what they’re doing, and the attention to detail shows. even from a brand that’s not boutique.

So let’s get into what makes the Silencio 3 work, starting with the feature I thought I would hate.

The Silent Top Silenced Me

The main feature of the Silencio 3 is that 14-way top, where every club gets its own full-length slot. Not only that, but all of your irons seat in slots that kind of lock them in. The whole thing is designed so that none of the clubheads ever touch each other, meaning no rattle.

Like I said, ignorantly, I didn’t fully grasp the benefit initially.

And then I got in the car to drive to the course.

I was headed to a place about 25 minutes from my house. And somewhere along the way, it occurred to me that I wasn’t hearing anything from the back of the car. Nothing. Totally silent.

It made me realize how constant the drone of club rattle is for any golfer transporting clubs. I think we become completely desensitized to it. Anyway, all of the sudden this newfound silence sounded like luxury. And I hadn’t even gotten to the golf course.

The best way I can describe it is that it’s like driving an electric car for the first time. You’re so used to engine noise that when it disappears, it’s almost alarming. That’s exactly what this is. You don’t realize how much the constant clatter has been part of the experience until it’s suddenly not there.

I didn’t think I would care about this. I was wrong. As it turns out, I freaking love this silent top system. The dorky-looking top is the best thing about this bag.

However, as I’ll get into, there are some tradeoffs to having this hard plastic divider attached to the top of the bag.

One Drawback to the Silent Top

There’s a wrinkle to this hard-top, club divider system. I’ll get to the size, which is its own issue. But something more subtle is the way that headcovers work (or don’t) with this silent top.

Every club drops down into its own hole, but only the driver and putter slots are really wide. The rest are fairly snug. That’s how the bag holds everything still.

But it means that when you’ve got a headcover on a wood, the cover ends up pressing against the top edge of its slot. That pressure slowly works the headcover up and off the clubhead.

This happened to me. By the second hole of my first round, I turned around to realize that my 5-wood headcover was gone. Luckily, it was only about 150 yards behind me. But I realized this was going to be a constant issue.

I ended up tucking the loose bottom ends of my headcovers into their slot along with the club. But I gotta say, that’s a bit of an annoyance when you pull and return those clubs. Plus, it looks a bit odd.

Is the headcover thing a dealbreaker? Not even close. I still love this top. But it is a thing and a part of it that’s less than ideal.

The bigger potential issue with the Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3 is the size.

This Is a Big Bag

The Dri Lite Silencio 3 is big even for a cart bag.

A lot of that comes down to that silent top feature. To hold every clubhead in its own slot, that molded top has to sit up tall, taller than the top on a normal bag. So the whole thing rides higher than you’d expect. If you stand this thing next to a regular cart bag, the Silencio 3 towers over it.

That has a few real-world consequences worth knowing about.

On a riding cart, it sits high enough that a shorter player might find it a touch harder to see over.

I also noticed that on carts with roofs that extend over the clubs, I’d regularly bump into the roof and have to kind of finagle my club as I was pulling it out of the bag.

Also, the bag has a dedicated cart strap pass-through, which is great. But because the bag is so tall and wide, on some carts, I found the cart strap pass-through channel to be higher up than the actual cart strap, so it didn’t line up properly.

Then there’s the sheer bulk of it. This is a lot of bag to haul around and to load and unload in and out of a car or store when you’re not at the course. It also doesn’t leave much room for other stuff in the back of your car.

I will say that Big Max cleverly included a grab handle on each side of the bag that is perfect for when you want to pick the bag up from the top and move it short distances. I love this feature.

Anyway, the size of the bag isn’t really a knock. I mean a big bag is kind of the whole point of a cart bag. But if garage or closet space is tight, or you’re the type who likes your gear more sleek and low profile, just know that the Silencio 3 is definitely not subtle.

Silencio 3 Build Quality and Pocket Space

The payoff for having all that size is that you get a ton of storage space with this golf bag. Actually more of it than I can reasonably see filling. You’ve basically got space for anything you could possibly want to bring to the course. And then some.

There are 11 pockets, and the layout is mirrored, so you get matching storage on the left and right sides plus more up front.

These pockets aren’t just numerous, they’re seriously deep. I overpacked just for the hell of it and still felt like I was barely pushing the capacity of this bag.

Two of the pockets are dedicated valuables pockets, one on each side. They’re nice with deep internal organizers to keep your stuff separated and from sliding around. The lining is soft enough that it won’t scratch up any valuables, but the material isn’t quite as plush or premium feeling as what you get in something like the higher-end Vessel Lux Cart 2. But for what this bag costs, I’ve got no complaints.

The details updates from the Silencio 2 model are also nice. There’s a zinc towel hook with a built-in bottle opener, a second hook for whatever else you want to hang, and an external tee holder.

Build quality across the whole thing is very nice. I keep coming back to that Sun Mountain comparison, but it fits. Nothing here is flimsy feeling.

The Silencio 3 is built from a mix of durable nylon and Big Max’s SoftGuard PU, which is the same vegan-leather material they use on their pricier Prime bags. The zippers are waterproof and seam-sealed, and the fabric is water-resistant throughout.

What I love most is how easily it cleans up. A quick wipe-down and it looks fresh again. It really is very easy to keep clean.

I will say that the material has a bit of a PVC-ish look and texture to it. It’s not the soft, tactile, almost-luxurious hand-feel you get on the all-SoftGuard-PU Prime bags. Some people may run a hand over the Silencio 3 and think that it feels a little cheap.

Personally, I’ll take it. The functionality is there. It cleans up so easily. And it seems like it’s built to hold up to tough regular use.

Is the Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3 a Good Deal?

The Silencio 3 costs $299.

I actually think that’s a very fair price and potentially even a very good deal. I mean, this is just a lot of golf bag for $300. And I really think it’s going to be durable enough to last for several seasons.

Big Max has a few similar-looking bags, and it’s easy to get them tangled up.

Their top Silencio bag, the Silencio Prime, runs $379. It has the exact same silent top this bag has. The difference is that the Prime is wrapped in that soft, premium SoftGuard PU. So that’s roughly $80 you’d spend just for a nicer material and better hand feel. It is not buying you a better-performing bag.

Then there’s the Dri Lite Prime, which I reviewed and loved. That bag is $349, a full fifty bucks more than this one. But the Silencio 3 actually gives you more function than the Dri Lite Prime. It has the silent top, the oversized putter well, and even one more pocket. What the pricier Dri Lite Prime gives you is that nicer material and some slicker magnetic pockets.

The reason I think this bag is a good deal is that you’re getting the single best, most distinctive feature in the entire Silencio line, that silent top, plus the oversized putter well, plus 11 deep pockets, plus full waterproofing. And you’re getting it for less money by giving up nothing more than a materials difference.

I think overall that’s a strong value story.

Who Should Buy the Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3?

If you’re a rider and the constant rattle of your clubs has ever bugged you, even a little, give this Big Max Silencio 3 bag a serious look. The silent top is the real deal.

Honestly, once you’ve played with this, going back to a normal bag suddenly sounds oddly loud. It’s kind of like this bag introduced a problem for me that I didn’t know I had. Thanks.

I also think this is a good bag for a value hunter. I think you’re getting a bag that’s going to last from a proven brand, and I think you’re getting it at what amounts to a bit of a discount.

If $299 is still a little too much, I’d check out the Sunday Golf Big Rig, which comes right around $250 after our discount.

Who should skip the Big Max Silencio 3?

If the hand-feel of your bag matters a lot to you, I don’t know, you may be turned off by this one. I don’t have that big of a problem with it, but it definitely doesn’t have that smooth, nice-to-the-touch, soft feel you get with other materials. You may be happier spending up for one of the SoftGuard PU Prime bags.

Another thing to think through is that headcover issue I described. I found it to be a legitimate concern. I can work past it, but you should think about whether or not you can.

And if you’re tight on storage, or you just prefer a trimmer, lower-profile bag, this is definitely not the right fit.

But for golfers who want a quiet, spacious, well-made cart bag at a price that makes sense, the Big Max Dri Lite Silencio 3 is an easy recommendation.

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The silent top feature won me over. The $299 price sealed it. But... This bag is BIG!

8.8 Excellent

I came in a skeptic, but the Silencio 3's silent top is a feature I didn't know I wanted until I tried it. And at $299 it delivers nearly everything the pricier Big Max bags do for noticeably less. The material won't fool you into thinking it's a luxury bag, and the overall size is going to be a problem for some. But this is one of the best value cart bags I've used.

The Good

1. The silent top works exactly as advertised with zero club rattle
2. Big, deep pockets
3. Design and build quality on par with leading brands
4. Great value

The Bad

1. Headcovers on woods ride up and off the molded top
2. The bag material has a slightly cheap, PVC-ish look and feel
3. The overall size may be too big for some

• Presentation 8
• Performance 9
• Features and Quality 9
• Price 9
• Personal Affinity 9