Cornhole Bag Qualities To Look For

How do you know if you are buying the right kind of cornhole bag?  For the person who plays cornhole once or twice during the course of a summer, it may not be important to you that you purchase the right kind of bags.  However, for the serious cornhole players, you know the ones who practice every waking hour, even in the rain, purchasing the right cornhole bags is absolutely paramount.  Here are some things you should be on the lookout for when buying cornhole bags.

First and foremost, it is essential that the cornhole bag is manufactured with premium duck cloth, also known as duck canvas, or simply cotton canvas.  Some bags are made with a cheap variant of duck cloth called trigger cloth.  While this is a nice fabric that has many uses, it simply cannot withstand the beating that these bags take and will fray and unravel very quickly.  If you stick with high-quality duck cloth then you will never have to worry about busted bags and corn spilling out everywhere; now that would be a true embarrassment, especially if you are the one hosting the cornhole tournament.  It is also important to make sure the duck cloth is, at minimum, 10 oz; anything less is substandard material.  Bags should be exactly 6” x 6”.

Next, make sure the thread being used is a premium industrial thread.  Many people who are new to the sport of cornhole will attempt to make the bags themselves using basic cotton or polyester thread designed for home sewing machines.  While this thread may hold up for a short time period it is not ideal; remember these are one pound bags being lofted thirty feet through the air, your seams better be strong!  The best thread material by far is industrial-grade nylon.  Most home sewing machines cannot handle this thick thread, but an industrial sewing machine can.  Also, because nylon is a synthetic material, it is resistant to weathering and UV damage, both of which could weaken the bags seams and that’s all she wrote.  All bags should be double-stitched or even triple-stitched for added strength.

Finally, when purchasing your cornhole bags, be sure the bags are filled with whole kernel corn; not cracked corn, not popcorn, not Mexican Jumping Beans. Whole kernel corn will not break down into mush the way cracked corn will and it will provide the perfect corn dust billow that popcorn, or any other hard bean, cannot provide. If you are a cornhole purist, dust is a must. Bags should be filled to approximately 14-16 oz. Hopefully, these guidelines will help you purchase the right kind of cornhole bags – the kind that will last!