The Best Gear for Cornhole, Bags, Sack Toss, or Whatever Y’all Call It Where You’re From

I’m a staff writer covering games and hobbies for Wirecutter and have been playing cornhole since high school, tagging along to tailgates before football games at the state university in Orlando, Florida. I have honed my throw at many a brewery and pub patio ever since.

For this guide:

• We interviewed key figures involved in the governance of the sport, as well as pro players and enthusiasts.
• We also consulted the r/Cornhole subreddit and the player profiles on Cornhole Addicts to get a sense of players’ favorite bags and boards, plus other tips.
• This guide includes research, testing, and writing by editor Signe Brewster, who has played a lot of bags. (“Cornhole” is a more widely accepted term, but in Minnesota, where she grew up, most people prefer “bags.”) Playing it was a given at backyard barbecues, weddings, and graduation parties. She later attended a state university known for its tailgating culture and badger mascot, where she spent more time playing cornhole than studying for finals.
• In accordance with Wirecutter’s standards and to avoid any conflict of interest, we don’t own stock or have any other financial interest in a company or industry that we cover or are likely to cover.
• Like all Wirecutter journalists, we review and test products with complete editorial independence. We’re never made aware of any business implications of our editorial recommendations. Read more about our editorial standards.

Cornhole is a classic yard game (and now a professional sport) that’s perfect for anyone who likes casual competition and has access to a lawn, a parking lot, or some other wide-open area.

You can practice cornhole by yourself, but it’s best played with two or four people. Keep in mind that storing the two 4-by-2-foot boards necessary for play requires a decent amount of space; if you’re low on storage space or need something portable, a more compact yard game like kubb or bocce ball might make more sense.

We’ve divided this guide between top-of-the-line professional gear, for anyone who wants the absolute best, and budget or DIY options for everyone else.

Professional bags are nicer to hold and easier to throw, and they seem to fall in the hole with more ease. However, it costs hundreds of dollars to buy professional bags and boards. If you want something cheaper for a few rounds of cornhole a year, that’s perfectly reasonable. Affordable sets still satisfy that “throw an object through a hole” urge, and most enthusiasts go their whole lives playing perfectly fun rounds of cornhole on inexpensive equipment.

Some people want to build their own boards as a simple carpentry project or prefer to support a local maker who can meet ACO specs.

After speaking with experts about their favorite bags, we reviewed pro cornhole players’ bios on Cornhole Addicts to tally up the bag brands that players most frequently listed as favorites. We also consulted the listings from retailers such as Amazon and Walmart to learn about top-selling amateur bags.

With all of that in mind, we decided to consider professional bags based on the following characteristics:

• Regulation size: The American Cornhole Organization states that bags should measure 6 by 6 inches and weigh between 15 and 16 ounces. They should also be approved by the ACL, which means players can use them in ACL tournaments. Not everyone wants to go pro, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
• Different sides: A bag made with a different fabric on each side, one “sticky” and one “slick,” allows the player more control over the types of shots they can make.
• Premium fabrics: The fabrics should be soft and a pleasure to hold, and they should represent a step up in quality from traditional duck cloth.
• Synthetic fill: While some people still fill their bags with corn kernels or beans, we’ve concluded that plastic beads are superior because they don’t produce dust, don’t mold, and don’t attract pests.
• Rounded corners: Compared with 90-degree corners, a rounded finish helps the bag sit in your palm better and allows it to roll a bit if it hits the ground or board at an angle.
• Stain resistant: It’s unavoidable — bags will slide through dirt and wet grass. The longer they can go without looking dirty, the better.

For boards, our criteria included the following attributes:

• Regulation size: The ACO requires, among other rules, that boards measure about 4 by 2 feet and weigh at least 25 pounds.
• Regulation hole: The hole should measure 6 inches across, sit 9 inches from the top of the board, and be perfectly centered.
• Regulation slope: The front of the board should sit 3 to 4 inches above the ground, while the back of the board should be at a height of 12 inches.
• Built with crossbeams: Placed across the back of the board, crossbeams improve its stability and prevent bounce.
• Made from wood between 0.5 inch and 0.75 inch thick: Although it’s tempting to buy cloth or plastic boards that are light and portable, heft is an important part of board design, as it keeps them from bending or bouncing. Regulations also say that boards should be at least 0.5 inch thick and made from wood. One of our experts recommended Baltic birch plywood because of its longevity and attractive looks when left unpainted; we didn’t require that specifically, but it does sound nice.
• Smooth finish: Boards should be smooth, without any decals, nails, or screws to catch and slow the bags. But they shouldn’t be so slippery that bags slide back down after landing.

To test our bag and board candidates, we played three games of cornhole with each brand of bag, during which we considered how they felt to hold and throw, how difficult it was to land them on the board, how the two sides of the bag reacted differently, and whether the bags seemed to fall into the hole with ease.

We also dropped them directly onto a board from a height of about 3 feet to test the differences between the slick and sticky sides of the bags.

To judge the quality of the boards we tested, we considered how the bags slid across the face of the boards and whether they bounced at all. We noted whether the boards themselves moved when a bag hit, and whether that affected the bag’s trajectory.

Finally, we assembled test panels of five to seven people, each of whom played at least a half game with each brand of bag. They then ranked the bags from favorite to least favorite.

Top pick

The best cornhole bags

Reynolds Pro X

With a gentle learning curve and high-end performance, these bags are terrific for beginners and seasoned players alike. The different materials on each side are well balanced, and the bags feel great to throw.

$90 from Amazon

$90 from Reynolds Bags

Reynolds Pro X bags are our top pick because of their slightly underpacked, malleable feel. That looseness makes the bags a little less susceptible to bouncing off the board when they land and more likely to drop into the hole if they slide by a little off-center.

The balance of their two fabric sides — one slicker, the other stopping the bag better when it lands — is simple to understand, so these bags are easy to learn with as a beginner yet still fun to use when you’re more experienced.

The two materials work well together. The Pro X bags — like all of the higher-end bags we tested — use two different materials, one on each side. The slicker side is ideal for sliding the bag up the board, while the higher-friction side is best for precise placement.

They were the easiest bags to get used to. The Reynolds Pro X were the most forgiving bags we tested, which also made them the easiest to adjust to. The difference between the slow and fast fabrics was easy to gauge, simplifying our decision-making process. The end result was that we felt more competitive with them sooner than we did with other bags.

They’re a little floppier than other bags we tested. All ACL-approved bags have to meet certain weight and size specifications, but manufacturers have some flexibility to adjust fill and packing within those restrictions.

The Pro X bags felt slightly less filled and therefore more floppy than others we tried, which meant they bounced less on the board. We noticed that they tended to drip into the hole easier than others, and we also felt the loose packing made them more comfortable to throw.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They’re not the cheapest bags out there. The Reynolds Pro X bags cost less than some other ACL bags, but that doesn’t make them cheap. At just under $20 per bag, they are more than three times as expensive as our budget pick. However, we think that if you play with any regularity, it’s worth spending the extra money to get bags with better control and more reliability.

Budget pick

A solid, basic cornhole bag

SC Cornhole Games Weather Resistant Cornhole Bags

If you play cornhole only a few times a year, these inexpensive bags are fun, but they’re harder to control than their pricey pro-level counterparts.

$25 from Amazon

Although all of our panelists ranked the SC Cornhole Games Weather Resistant Cornhole Bags dead last when testing them against professional options, these bags work well and are available at a significantly lower price.

They’re good enough for casual, once-in-a-while play. If you play cornhole only a few times a year and don’t care about developing a consistent throw to ensure which side your bag lands on, these bags lend themselves to a fun game.

Most people haven’t experienced using a nicer bag, anyway, and few would think twice about tossing these good-enough bags around at a backyard barbeque.

They’re stickier than pro options. The SC Cornhole Games bags are made entirely from a rough duck canvas, a thick fabric commonly used for tote bags and upholstery, that makes them slow and sticky.

Because they don’t slide much, they tend to stay wherever they hit the board. (Some of our testers actually described them as extra slippery, but this difference in perception might come down to pitching style.)

But they still provide a level playing field. Our experts emphasized that it isn’t the bag but the player that makes for an interesting and skillful game of cornhole. Although we don’t think the SC Cornhole Games bags stack up to professional options, they’re still a regulation size and weight.

Once you practice with them for a bit, you’ll find yourself adapting to their quirks and making shots. Note too that the bags mimic those found in many amateur leagues, so if you plan to enter a tournament, check what bags they use and practice with a similar set first.

Even if a league allows you to bring your own bags, culture sometimes dictates that you use what is provided or else you risk offending the other team with your “cheater bags.”

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They stain easily. Among the bags we tested, the SC Cornhole Games bags were the fastest to pick up dirt and grass stains. As with all bags, we recommend buying darker colors to hide the worst of it.

Their design makes them less likely to fall through the hole. Like the Reynolds bags, these are filled with plastic pellets. Compared with the more loosely filled Reynolds Pro X, though, the SC Cornhole Games bags felt overstuffed to us. This means they are more likely to hold their shape over the hole, rather than drip down into it like floppier bags do.

In addition, their stickier texture makes them more likely to stay on the board and less likely to slide up from a short shot and into the hole.

Top pick

A pro-level cornhole board set

AllCornhole Tournament Series Cornhole Boards

Unlike lighter, portable options, this board minimizes bounce and lets bags slide, allowing more consistent play.

$350 from Wayfair

Whether you’re buying amateur or pro bags, a well-built board is essential to playing a frustration-free round of cornhole. We like the AllCornhole Tournament Series Cornhole Boards because they are built to ACO regulation specs, designed with a smooth finish that doesn’t catch on your bags, and sturdy enough that they don’t move when bags hit them.

They’re used by the pros. The Tournament Series boards meet ACO regulations for size, weight, and design, and the ACL uses them for professional tournaments.

They’re well designed to prevent shaking and bouncing. If you turn the board over, you see legs that fold down for more compact storage, plus a series of crossbeams that keep the board from bending or bouncing when bags hit it.

During our tests, these boards barely budged, in stark contrast to a cheap set of portable boards we tested that shook and popped bags back into the air upon impact.

They’re made of premium materials. The Tournament Series boards are made from birch plywood and have a smooth-finished surface free of nails, screws, stickers, or other obstacles that catch or slow bags.

We tested a version of the boards featuring the ACL logo and found that because the logo was underneath the finish, it didn’t slow bags down. (You can also get the board customized with the logo of your favorite college sports team, if you’re going for more of a tailgating vibe.)

You can have them customized to suit your preferences. You can choose to buy the Tournament Series boards finished or unfinished; if you don’t want to pay more for a customized or licensed design and would rather add your own paint job, you can save about $30 buying the unfinished version, though even then you’re still spending over $200 for this high-quality board.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

They’re difficult to store and travel with. A lot of the things we love about these boards — their sturdiness and extra bracing materials — also make them heavy and cumbersome. They measure 4 by 2 feet, and each weighs more than 25 pounds. That’s a lot to lug around if you’re constantly putting them away and then taking them back out (or transporting them to picnics and campsites).

They’re expensive. $300 is not cheap for a lawn game, but we feel that the quality finish and sturdy construction make it worth the extra cost. If budget is a concern for you, we have a cheaper option in Other cornhole gear worth considering.

Google “how to build a cornhole board,” and you’ll find hundreds of tutorials, but we don’t think they’re all created equal.

After talking with our experts about what qualities a DIY board should have and reviewing the ACO’s criteria in materials, design, and size for its approved boards, we recommend consulting a how-to that includes the following board features:

• Appropriate support: This means at least three crossbeams on the back and an additional brace on the legs to decrease the amount of bounce. When a bag hits a board hard, it should slide straight and flat.
• Wood as the primary material: One of our experts recommended Baltic birch plywood, which will last for years and looks nice even if you leave it unpainted. The wood should measure at least 0.5 inch thick, though up to 0.75 inch is okay. A local lumberyard or Home Depot store should have an acceptable plywood in stock and may even be able to cut it to size for you.
• Polyurethane finish: This makes the board smooth but not too slick.
• Regulation size and design: The ACO rules spell out the details.

One tutorial that comes close to meeting all of the above requirements (we recommend adding an extra brace on the back and finishing the board with polyurethane) was created by MossBoards for Instructables.

No matter what set of instructions you choose, it’s a good idea to confirm whether the board meets the above requirements and adjust its design as necessary.

If you want a cheaper regulation-size set: The GoSports Solid Wood Premium Cornhole Set is a good option. Though the boards weigh less than 25 pounds and have only one crossbeam as opposed to the two on our pick (a shortcoming that can cause a bit of wiggle on more energetic, arcing throws), they’re made from 0.5-inch pine and are regulation size.

The set also comes with a carrying case and regulation-size bags that our test panel rated in the middle of the pack. Despite including those extras, the set costs less than half of what you’d pay for a pair of AllCornhole boards.

After a year of use, the GoSports set has held up to being shipped cross-country, going through two moves, and several backyard games. The included carrying case has been surprisingly durable, as well.

This is not a comprehensive list of all the cornhole bags and boards we have tested. We have removed any models that are discontinued or no longer meet our testing criteria.

Bags

The American Cornhole Association Synergy Pro bags were among the cheapest multi-fabric bags we tested, but they also felt the cheapest when holding them. The plastic fill material was noisy and made the bag unpleasant to hold and throw. The suede high-friction side performed well, stopping almost immediately, but the slick side was very fast and too hard to control.

The Cornhold Addicts Blackened bags were good performers, with a stop-on-a-dime slow side and moderately slidey fast side. We liked the feel of the bags and were eventually able to dial in our throws. However, they weren’t as consistent as the Reynolds Pro X bags we recommend.

AllCornhole’s Gamechanger Blackout bags are similar to our former pick, the Gamechanger 2.0. Instead of two sides with different fabrics, they feature a suede patch surrounded by the slicker material on the slow side. This gives them solid stopping power but allows them to slide into the hole easier — a useful trick when dealing with things like opponents blocking the hole with their own bags. We like the Gamechanger idea, and if you put the work in you can really learn how to use it to your advantage. Ultimately, however, we feel most people will be up to speed quicker with our pick.

In our original round of testing, only one of our panelists ranked the Reynolds Pro-Advantage Bags as their top choice, and six people listed them as their second favorite (after a former pick, the original AllCornhole Gamechanger bag). Like our pick, it uses different fabric on each side to make one side slicker (about a six out of 10) than the other (a four); as a result, it’s a good all-around bag for switching between slide shots and trick shots. However, though we liked these bags overall, we thought we didn’t play quite as well with them.

Boards

While out at the beach or a park, you might spot fabric or plastic sets like the GoSports Portable PVC Framed Cornhole Set. They’re easier to carry and store because they roll up. We didn’t test any, but it’s safe to say they aren’t likely to be nearly as sturdy as a wooden board. They’re also not regulation size, weight, or material.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.