Question: Best Ski Bag for air travel?

[alison wong]

@PowderNomad - Thanks for the info. on Douchebag. There is a store in NYC sells this product and I was planning to go and check it out. (Don't want to take a leap of faith to get it online).

@Rainbow Jenny - are you referring to something like this?


@marzNC - what is your experience w/ the Slim Jim?

 

[marzNC]

@marzNC - what is your experience w/ the Slim Jim?

I like the Slim Jim. Just flew to Boston with it and took my Absolute Joys. Didn't pad the skis much at all. Seemed fine. Light weight and easy to maneuver. My AJs are only 148cm. That's about as short as fits. Hooked underneath the carry handle. No issue at all with my BPs that are just a little longer.

There is room on the lower end of the Slim Jim to put a bit of other stuff that is a little bulky. I think I put a pair of shoes in when I used it last season.

 

[CarverJill]

@Christy I have a ski bag that has a velcro adjuster at the end so you can make it longer or shorter depending on your skis. You can't make it super short but it works for my 168s quite well. It is the High Sierra wheeled adjustable double ski bag. Here's a link: https://shop.highsierra.com/active-...eled-double-adjustable-ski-bag/53925XXXX.html

Also I think having a double ski bag is best because you can fill the rest of it with clothing since all the airlines make you pay for the bag. I am able to travel to ski for 3-5 days with one checked bag (double ski bag and boot bag) and then my two carry ons. I'm all for paying less when flying whenever possible. Note: I don't actually put my boots in the boot bag on the way to the ski area since if they get lost I'm really screwed. I do usually put them in there for the return trip.

 

[Jilly]

High Sierra makes great stuff. It's also a sponsor of the Canadian Alpine Ski and Snowboard teams. So any Canadians thinking of buying, check out the Alpine Canada store and support our athletes.

 

[marzNC]

Also I think having a double ski bag is best because you can fill the rest of it with clothing since all the airlines make you pay for the bag.

Just to clarify, Southwest allows two checked bags for free. That's one reason I put up with changing planes when flying out west for a ski trip. I check the ski bag plus a small suitcase. Having a rolling suitcase-style Transpack bootbag, plus a Transpack Sidekick for the helmet. I like having the Transpack for ski days but it's nice that it fits under the seat during the flight. The rolling Transpack has a laptop sleeve so all the weight is on wheels walking around the airports.

On the flight home, I pack more stuff into the Sportube. But only stuff that's easily replaceable. Never my Marmot ski jacket with great pockets that isn't made any more.

Slim Jim for a few days


Going out west for two weeks, very small checked suitcase (red) to fit better in the car because riding with friends

 

[2ski2moro]

Ditto the Sportube. Years ago on a Delta flight to Salt Lake City, something slit my ski bag, causing damage to the bases and edges. Ever since, I have used Sportubes.

Did I ever post how I packed a soft ski bag? If I did, just ignore this.

I was taking a pair of skis to Germany to leave at my friend's house. I calculated that if I carried an extra bag ($100 fee) over and back ($100 fee) each year we ski in Austria, I might as well well get a new pair of skis for here and leave my old ones there. I had a small ski bag that folds, so I could get the little bag back to the US in the regular suitcase without an extra bag charge.

However, I am so afraid that something will poke into the fabric of the ski bag and damage my skis, I packed it like this.

I wrapped the tips and tails in cardboard and heavy brown Kraft paper.
I taped the poles to the sides of the skis and placed the grips under the cardboard tip protection.



I compressed and rolled some jackets, layers and pants, wrapped them in a packing stretch wrap film and protected the bindings in the soft bag. Another layer of stretch wrap around the entire bundle (not shown) created a tight package. It would have been hard to break through the layers of plastic and clothing.



I wore my heaviest ski jacket to the plane. I stuffed my electronics/computer, boots, goggles, helmet, base layers and socks, shell pants, and an extra daytime outfit in my Transpack boot bag. I could ski if the checked bag or skibag was lost. I did check a bag, as I was staying in Europe for a few weeks after our weeklong ski trip and needed some extra stuff.

 

[PowderNomad]

We have just bought a DB double to replace an old bag. Maybe it depends on colour but one of the things that made it attractive was the denier weight 900D polyester vs 600D polyester on the Dakine Fall line and most other bags that I looked at.

Huh. I just looked up the specs and you are right about the denier. Attached are pictures of the damage to my DB bag. The main cut is along the zipper (a weak point -- and tricky to fix although I patched it with repair tape on the inside and some sealant on the outside). The other two spots are more like something abraded through the fabric. The biggest one is about 2 inches (5cm) long and you can see through into the bag. I've also patched these with ripstop repair tape.

I still love the design of the DB bag, but I'm not happy with its lack of durability. I have an old Athalon wheeled but unpadded ski bag (which is awkward to maneuver and floppy if not completely filled) and I have abused it with overpacking and many trips over many years. Only some stitching holding down one of the straps on the outside has started to come undone. It cost half as much as the DB.

 

[Aspenaut]

Hi - back again. Thanks for all your advice. I decided to go with a Dakine as the DB was too pricey (plus I couldn't get over the name...) and the sport-tube was too heavy.

 

[Aspenaut]

Hi - I'm retracting my previous post (sorry didn't know how to delete it). Although I thought I was going to buy the Dakine, I ended up with a sportube. When I went to the store to purchase the Dakine, they were out of stock :-( . I then spoke to two people, one of whom flies with his skis all the time, who told me the sportube was the only way to go to really protect skis and maneuver easily through the airport - the same advice as many of the experienced Ski Divas...
So... I'm happy to say, I have a bright orange sportube on its way.

 

[Jilly]

Ooooo orange would be great. Mine's black, but covered in stickers to help identify it quickly!!

 

[2ski2moro]

Ooooo orange would be great. Mine's black, but covered in stickers to help identify it quickly!!

Orange?!?! Very nice. I have colorful duct tape in a chevron pattern on my black one for identification. (and lots of stickers, too)

 

[Aspenaut]

I was so happy when I saw sportube did it in another color than black. It's called 'blaze'...


Also, my traveling friend said to use zip-ties to close it rather than a TSA lock - any thoughts on that?

 

[pinto]

I just went around the world (literally) with my new Db, and I must say I really like it. They have toned down the branding, it just says Db now, and yes the material could be a little thicker, but for ease of use and portability, I will deal with it and just use duct tape if stuff tears.

Four of the six people on this trip had Db's! (One was already packed, didn't make the photo.) You can see the snowboard one is rolled up and short, and then one other is full, and the third is partially rolled.

 

[2ski2moro]

Your Sportube will ship with a Wire Case Pin (if yours doesn't come with one, or you lose one, you can buy replacements), then I print this information and tape it on the tube near the alignment holes. I think the new Sportubes come with this sticker. I also have this information in a bright green luggage ID tag on the handle. I tie the 'pin' to the handle with some heavy thread/string so the airport inspectors don't lose it.

 

[marzNC]

Also, my traveling friend said to use zip-ties to close it rather than a TSA lock - any thoughts on that?

I don't bother with a TSA lock. TSA will be opening the Sportube one way or another. I don't lock my other checked bag either. Anything that's important or hard to replace goes in a carryon or stays home. That's the way I travel internationally as well (not ski trips).

What can be useful I suppose is to write down the serial number of your skis in case someone steals the entire Sportube. Haven't heard of that happening though.

 

[Jilly]

I don't lock my sport tube either. In fact I haven't found a lock to fit it. Mine has the sticker, but the agents at the airport can't read or understand diagrams. It was put back together wrong in Denver of all places!

 

[Tash]

Hi, I have recently purchased the Douchebag Slim Jim and hauled it through Japan, 4 flights, monorails, bus, and lots of trains. It held up well. It’s ultra light when empty and rolls up really small for storage. It wheels along nicely. I travelled with a hard wheely case and often popped the slim jim on top and wheeled them both together. It only fits a set of skis and poles, not boots and helmet, but you can stuff quite a bit of clothing in it. I’ve only just purchased gear so I can’t compare it with anything else but I’m really happy with it so far.

 

[nopoleskier]

@marzNC taught me to tie a string from the pin to the handle.. coming back from Revy my tube came without the pin!! (I do have extra now)

 

[lisamamot]

We travel with double sport tube(s); two of them if the whole family of 4 is traveling, one if there are just 1 or 2 of us. If I am traveling solo, I cram stuff in the other side to reduce what I pack elsewhere, just nothing that will fall out easily when they check the tube. They have wheels, so other than hoisting them in and out of a vehicle, I haven’t found them difficult to navigate with. The one exception was Snowmass/Aspen where I took the bus, and then had to haul my stuff on and off the bus, and then what felt like a 1/2 mile up a path, and several flights of stairs, lol.

I use the Dakine 50L boot backpack as one of my carry-ons on the way out, and check it on the way home as a freebie with the skis. I will gate check my boot bag though on the way out on a direct flight, or on the final leg of the journey.

If avoiding baggage fees is paramount, @CarverJill is inspirational. I was in awe watching her pack.

 

[santacruz skier]

The Db looks interesting. I'm still traveling by air with my 10 year old Burton snowboard bag w wheels. It is literally falling apart and has been all over US and Europe. I'll need a new bag really soon. Next trip could be its last hurrah. Same goes for huge rolling duffel Burton that splits in half like a suitcase... The straps are totally shredded. So will need new ski bag and new gear bag for next season's adventures. Bought the Kulkea Trekker boot bag a couple weeks ago and hope the airlines don't have a problem with it as it is a "little" over required measurements !