Packing ski helmet in checked luggage

[Jess S.]

I would like to know if you ladies place your ski helmets in your checked luggage or instead carry it on your flight. I backpacked through Europe with a ski helmet in my checked luggage without really thinking about it and am now wondering if it got banged up. From talking with some friends I learned that they never check their ski helmet to make sure if doesn't get banged up. Should I buy a new helmet in case mine is damaged? It doesn't appear to be but I'm not sure how much banging around it can withstand. I did go from country to country for a few weeks where I often put my heavy pack on the ground when I was tired, but I don't think I necessarily banged it on the ground.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[ski diva]

Hi, Jess! Welcome to the forum!

I pack my helmet in my checked luggage all the time and haven't had a problem. I do this to free up space in my carry-on boot bag for yes, my boots and a change of ski clothes, so at least I'll have those in case my luggage gets lost. I figure I could more readily do without a helmet for a day or two than without anything else. Just put soft stuff around and inside your helmet, and it'll be fine.

 

[NewEnglandSkier]

I usually carry mine on, but I have put it in checked luggage in the past and it has been fine. I made sure to pack it toward the center of the bag surrounded by lots of puffy clothes so that there was some padding. It's probably fine, but I now try to carry it on whenever possible just because I try to think of the way they put the luggage on the plane or in the baggage carts and it could be several hundred pounds of pressure on top of it if your bag was on the bottom, which is fine for clothes but who knows about a helmet.

 

[santacruz skier]

Mine is always in my checked luggage and has been fine.

 

[Serafina]

My carry-on boot bag has a dedicated space for a helmet, so I usually carry it with me. I don't see why checked luggage would be a problem, though, if you pad it out, and treat it like anything else you don't want to get really banged up.

And yes, I inspect my helmet at the beginning of the season, and after taking any spill where I bonked my head. I do the same for my bicycle helmet and my riding helmet. This is a major piece of safety gear, so it's a good habit to get into. This site has a couple of good informative videos.
https://www.xsportsprotective.com/pages/how-to-inspect-your-helmet

 

[Jenny]

I think about that, too, when I pack it, but still do it anyway. We just try to pad around it and hope for the best.

 

[Jilly]

I've always checked it too. I put my goggles inside the helmet to keep them safe and sort of pack the helmet in the middle of things. I 've made 4 trips that way, no problems.

 

[Ski CT]

I have packed mine many times in the checked baggage. Just be sure to pad it out well with mittens/gloves, ski socks, sweater, etc. Never had a problem.

 

[Jess S.]

Thank you so much for this great information! I'm loving the forum. I've been reading lots of the previous posts and learning a ton!