Carrying on boot bag?

[Abbi]

I am flying Southwest to Utah next weekend. I have always checked my boots and skis. But after reading a lot on the forum this year, and since my feet are an ongoing nightmare, I am more paranoid this time.

What do people usually do? Do you take your boot bag onto the plane and store it in the overhead bin? Or do you put your boots in your regular rollaround suitcase and put that in the overhead bin. Then I would send the boot bag stuffed with a bunch of other things with my ski bag.

Advice welcomed!

Abbi

 

[Obrules15]

Carry on bootbag and put it in the overhead. I do pay for the early boarding to ensure there is space.

 

[MissySki]

I put my boots in my rolling carryon, along with everything I need to ski on day one: baselayers, socks, midlayer, jacket, pants, neck warmer, goggles, mittens, hotronic batteries/charger, hand warmers, etc. Then I also strap my helmet to my rolling carryon or purse. This way I would only need to rent skis if all of my checked bags are delayed, which they have been multiple times.. though I’ve always luckily received them before I was going to ski so far.

 

[Abbi]

Carry on bootbag and put it in the overhead. I do pay for the early boarding to ensure there is space.

The website won't let me add early check in at this time. I have set a notification on my phone for the 24 hour check in. Live and learn! I've paid for early check in in the past and still not gotten a really good spot.

Back in the bad old days I used to go early and sit against the gate station while reading a book to get a good spot!

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

I carried my boots on with everything I needed for a day of skiing. I used my dakine heli pack as my "personal item" and a Patagonia black hole 60 liter duffle (under packed so it squished into the checkpoint sizer) as my carryon. I had room to spare and was never questioned.

 

[Christy]

Like Missyski I put my boots in my roller carry on. I flatten my boot bag and put it in with my skis, where it serves as padding.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

I used to have a boot bag backpack. Now I have a rolling boot bag and, like others, I stuff it with the first day’s ski necessities-boots, underwear, base layers, socks, gloves, gaiter, pants. That is my carry-on. I also have a small duffel bag, where I stuff the helmet, goggles, electronics, toiletries, and a waist pack. That is my personal item. Everything else goes in a suitcase and I check that and the skis. On the flight back, I check everything and just bring on the duffel bag with the helmet and goggles so I have more leg room. Some say a direct flight has less chance of your luggage going missing, but I don’t ever want to test that theory. After a few times going out west, I got it down to a science and can wheel my single sportube, a spinner or roller suitcase, a roller boot bag, and a duffel bag strapped to the spinner with ease with just two hands.

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

Just a word to the wise: some airlines will look in your boot bag, and if it does not contain boots or it contains items other than boots, they charge you a second checked bag fee. If they find items other than skis in your ski bag, they charge you an oversized bag fee. We avoided American Airlines for that reason. I hear that most of the time they don't actually check, but we didn't want to get screwed if they did.

We went with United, who doesn't seem to have those rules, and I managed to get everything I needed (except boots, goggles, helmet, pants in my carry on) in there and it was my only checked bag.

 

[marzNC]

Just a word to the wise: some airlines will look in your boot bag, and if it does not contain boots or it contains items other than boots, . . .

I fly Southwest all the time for ski trips. No one from SW has ever asked to look in a boot bag or a ski case. As long as I board in Group B, have not had a problem finding a spot in an overhead bin.

My rolling boot bag these days looks like a carry-on suitcase. In the past, I've had boots in a rolling suitcase, a rolling backpack, or as part of my Transpack Sidekick (boots on the outside). My friend used to put his boots in a regular rolling carry-on suitcase.

When using the Sidekick for boots on the flight, I would carry the boots in my hand when boarding. Only had one time when the gate agent insisted that I had more than two items since I also had a small rolling carry-on. I went onto the boarding hallway with the boots in the Transpack. Then took them out before getting on the plane. I would put boots and helmet in the overhead. I like having stuff in a backpack with me during a flight.

One of my packing variations included a very small suitcase that I checked with the Sportube 2. The additional items besides skis in the Sportube are often my snow boots, a small backpack, Cat Tracks, and perhaps an extra pair of gloves. Essentially bulky items that are not essential and easily replaced. All my ski clothes are with me on the plane when starting a ski trip. For the return home, I have less for carry-on.

Using a small suitcase is more about what transportation I'm using after the flight. For the trip I'm on right now, I brought a 22-inch soft-sided expandable 4-wheel suitcase. It wasn't completely full on the way to SLC. It will be more filled on the way home. I needed more stuff because it's going to be frigid (single digits) most of this trip.

 

[tinymoose]

I am flying Southwest to Utah next weekend. I have always checked my boots and skis. But after reading a lot on the forum this year, and since my feet are an ongoing nightmare, I am more paranoid this time.

What do people usually do? Do you take your boot bag onto the plane and store it in the overhead bin? Or do you put your boots in your regular rollaround suitcase and put that in the overhead bin. Then I would send the boot bag stuffed with a bunch of other things with my ski bag.

Advice welcomed!

Abbi

If you can carry on your boot bag, just pack it with one days worth of stuff and carry on. If you can't, in the past... when I had a too large Athlon bag... I'd repack it all into a carry-on suitcase. Just an FYI... SW will consider a ski tote and a boot bag tote checked as "1 bag" so if you need extra checked space you can pack your boot bag full of stuff (not boots) and check it at no addtl charge.

 

[Abbi]

To avoid starting a new thread, and since everyone who is answered obviously has been from one airport to a mountain, or another. Who has used Uber? I am considering going from Salt Lake City airport to Park city by Uber this time. Salt Lake City does an UberSki in addition to regular Uber. I looked several shuttles, but it is almost twice as much. And since I am traveling back and forth by myself, it seems a waste for them to pick just me up. Thoughts, everyone? Thank you!

 

[rhymeandreason]

I have used both Uber and Lyft. They are very easy to book at the airport. If you have a large ski case, UberSki might not be big enough because it is sometimes a smaller car with a ski rack. See the eligible cars here https://www.uber.com/drive/salt-lake-city/resources/uber-ski/

You may be better off with UberXL or LyftXL. Also worth noting, a couple of drivers in SLC have told me that they prefer Lyft because Lyft’s software makes it easier for them to find their passengers.

 

[marzNC]

I am considering going from Salt Lake City airport to Park city by Uber this time. Salt Lake City does an UberSki in addition to regular Uber.

The only issue I've heard for UberSki in SLC is at popular times in the afternoon when a lot of people want to get to the airport more or less at the same time. For only one person with a pair of skis, should be able to fit in any UberX or Lyft. Can be useful to text or call the assigned driver.

 

[slyfox4]

Just a word to the wise: some airlines will look in your boot bag, and if it does not contain boots or it contains items other than boots, they charge you a second checked bag fee. If they find items other than skis in your ski bag, they charge you an oversized bag fee. We avoided American Airlines for that reason. I hear that most of the time they don't actually check, but we didn't want to get screwed if they did.

We went with United, who doesn't seem to have those rules, and I managed to get everything I needed (except boots, goggles, helmet, pants in my carry on) in there and it was my only checked bag.

I'm skiing United out to Wyoming in March. I read that their definition of ski/snowboard gear is 1 bag with skis/board and 1 bag with boots. Do you know if that's the case and they charge it as one item?

 

[SquidWeaselYay]

I'm skiing United out to Wyoming in March. I read that their definition of ski/snowboard gear is 1 bag with skis/board and 1 bag with boots. Do you know if that's the case and they charge it as one item?

A ski bag with up to 2 sets of skis and a boot bag count as one item of checked baggage. But the combined weight of both bags can't exceed 50 lbs.

 

[slyfox4]

A ski bag with up to 2 sets of skis and a boot bag count as one item of checked baggage. But the combined weight of both bags can't exceed 50 lbs.

Thank you! I think we're going to try and shove some clothes in his boot bag and have that be the "boot bag" while carrying out boots on with us as our personal item.

 

[mustski]

I have flown both United and Southwest with double ski bags. I always pack additional stuff in the ski bags and use it as padding for bindings, tips, and tails of skis. I have always packed ski pants, gloves, buffs, base layers, beanies, etc. in the ski bag. I also must look suspicious because my ski bag (and usually my suitcase as well) always has the "this bag was inspected by TSA" notice inside. Once I packed just one pair of skis in the bag and filled it with ALL my clothes and gear so I could skip the suitcase altogether. Neither United nor Southwest made a fuss about the other stuff in my ski bag.

 

[slyfox4]

A ski bag with up to 2 sets of skis and a boot bag count as one item of checked baggage. But the combined weight of both bags can't exceed 50 lbs.

Omg! I just noticed I wrote “I’m skiing United” that’s what I get for procrastinating at work!

 

[diymom]

Just scrolling through the pre-black Friday deals on skis.com (ends later tonight), and saw that they have the Transpack Sidekick on sale for $50.