How to Choose Between Bag Styles

Surefire Cornbags come in several varieties because each is ideal for certain boards, playing conditions, and players.

Traditional bags for the purists

Surefire Traditional bags are the standard of the game. They are 100% cotton duck cloth filled to 16 ounces with whole corn. They are as simple and basic as it gets. We got our start by making ordinary bags extraordinarily-well, making them the favorite of fanatic players.

The secret to the popularity of Surefire Traditional cornbags is precision construction and uncompromising quality (read more about how Surefire Cornbags are made).

Traditional corn-filled bags shed dust and get lighter over time. Dust can be an indispensible component of cornhole play, or a messy hassle that makes bags thin and age prematurely, depending entirely on your tastes and how your boards play. Real corn is also more vulnerable to moisture and exposure to the elements. It attracts bugs and animals and presents greater storage risks. But despite all the disadvantages, corn-filled bags have their place and they always will because of their classic feel and playing characteristics.

XL Resin Extended-life Bags for cornless advantages

Surefire XL Resin Bags are identical to Surefire Traditional corn bags except they use plastic resin pellets in place of corn. Plastic filling helps bags last longer. They resist moisture and do not shed, so they won't get light, thin, and floppy like aging corn bags. Plus, no corn means no bugs, no being eaten by pets, no mold or mildew, and no rotting when put away for next season. They are like traditional bags in all other ways. Made with standard duck cloth.

XL Resin bags are available in our full range of colors. If you want even longer lasting resin bags and don't mind begin restricted to a more limited color selection, we recommend trying the XXL Resin bags which are the same except they use a upgraded (thicker) and longer lasting cloth that plays beautifully and lasts up to three times longer, making the most of the upgrade to resin bags.

Another difference is color selection. The XL cloth is not as commonly available as the standard (10oz single fill) duck cloth that most other cornhole bags are made from. As a result, there are not as many colors to choose from, and available colors will change from time to time. We try to stock all colors that we can find, but it's not yet possible to provide all the color choices of our Traditional corn bags.

XXL Extended-life Resin bags for value and long life

Surefire XXL Resin bags are made to last for about six times as long as traditional corn bags, depending on playing surface and conditions. Yet they do not feel stiff or synthetic. They are made from a higher grade cotton canvas (12oz as opposed to 10oz) that adds strength and durability without being hard or stiff. And the resin filling does not shed dust or thin over time. If you play a lot and are tired of buying new bags so often, or if you play on pavement or a public court on a patio, 6x bags are the best choice.

XXL Surefire bags are filled to 430g (15.9oz) with Plexicorn™-hd, a high density synthetic corn filling that results in size and fullness that matches corn bags, rather than the larger fuller standard that is popular with Pro Style bags. The synthetic corn resin makes the bags last longer because they don't break down or shed dust. Plus they hold up better in moisture and sun, and of course they don't rot or mildew as easily and don't get eaten by animals.

The longer life means that if we used ordinary duck cloth (10oz sf 1x1) it would be the first component to wear out. By upgrading the fabric to a thicker 100% cotton canvas, we increase the lifetime of the entire bag. And the weave we chose adds the weight and durability without being stiffer and harder to the touch, unlike synthetic fabrics or most other heavy canvas weaves.

An added benefit of upgraded fabric is more play. Normally resin-filled bags have less play than corn bags. This means that they are easier to hole, and they make the game less exciting because they slink in the hole too easily when they are near the edge. Bags with more play can be tossed near the edge of the hole, intentionally or not, to act as a blocker or target for the next bag. Of course good bags shouldn't be too dead or sticky either.

The right amount of play promotes the most exciting and rewarding games. It leads to more blocking, pushing, bounding, doubling, and so on. Added playis the reason Pro Style bags are bigger and fatter. The pros demand a more interesting game than just watching each other hole dozens of bags in a row! Heavier weight cloth is one way that we add play without making fat over-stuffed bags that novices are not used to. We feel these 6x bags are a great addition to our resin bag offerings, balancing the best characteristics of traditional corn bags with the advantages of resin over corn. At the same time their longer life and consistency makes them a great value that outweighs the added cost.

Pro-Style Bags

Surefire Pro-Style resin bags are exactly like the ACO bags used in pro tournaments. They are the same size, weight, fullness, materials, feel, and play. If you want to practice for a sanctioned tournament, these are a great choice. And they are great value. They are two-sided dual-action. One side is 100% cotton twill, just like duck cloth but a bit heavier and more pliable. The other side being a suede-like synthetic cloth that sticks better to the boards. You can select a different side for each toss or to adapt to the slickness of different boards. These bags are made of premium fabrics and filled with Plexicorn™-pc.

Squircular Pro-Style Bags

Surefire Squircular Pro-Style resin bags are Pro-Style bags with corners that are rounded rather than square. Rounded corners help prevent bags from getting hung up in the hole, especially when they are new and haven't been completely broken in. Rounded cornered bags have become acceptable in recent years by most leagues and tournaments.