Sport Tube - The Thread

[SnowHot]

We've had sport tube games and give aways, Some discussion from those who have received their "prize" and Sport Tube as an advertiser on this site, but really, who has used Sport Tube and what is your impression?

My experience:
I use a Swix Soft bag, my husband has a Dakine Soft bag. Both of which hold two Pair of skis and poles.

On our recent trip to Colorado, one of our friends used a Sport Tube. I am Jealous!!! The sport tube was almost bulletproof. It pulled easier when transporting from the airport, because it stays rigid.

I have enough invested in my soft bags that I can't justify replacing them just yet, but when the time comes, Sport Tube is at the top of my list!!!

 

[abc]

who has used Sport Tube and what is your impression?

I'll bite. I got mine from the "Sportube contest"! I've taken it on two trips: Aspen ESA and Park City this past weekend. Would never go back to soft bags any more!

As a skier:

The Sportube works as advertisec, very easy to handle, tough as nail and protects the skis without any doubt. I was able to put two pairs in a "single" tube by removing the "system binding" on the One Luv...

There's only one drawback, or I should say something I never figured out: they supplied two cheezy rubber bands for holding the brakes flat and the two skis together. And one of them broke on my first try! I substituted with a strap and it works so much better. For a nearly $100 product, a 5 cents rubber band just doesn't fit in!

As an engineer: It's just a simply molded plastic tube!!!

 

[num]

I got mine from the SporTube contest as well (thanks again!). I haven't gotten to fly with mine yet, but it'll be coming to Utah with me in a mere 2 and a half weeks, and I'll be able to talk about how it flies then. I have a feeling it'll be great, from looking at the construction vs soft bags.

I have, however, used it for traveling urban travel- train/bus/walk, which it has worked out really well for. The rolling and keeping it's shape is great. I really like the telescoping length thing, it's nice to not have it any longer than necessary for maneuverability. Also, with the soft bags being too long, the excess space would kind of flop over, which is obviously not an issue here. I attached a strap with a handle for pulling, and that's been easier than doing it by the carry handle.

So far, I'd definitely recommend it.

 

[pinto]

I did not win one, but we've had a double for, uh, 3 years now. It's been to Whistler, Jackson Hole (twice), Utah ... mmm, that might be all. I think it's great.

We also have two soft bags, no rollers, and they aren't so bad. They were cheap, at least. But I feel that my skis are MUCH safer in the tube.

 

[haylmom]

I have a hard tube (not the Sporttube brand) but I flew with mine out west to Lake Louise, and it was fabulous. mine is just a single I think, so it was tricky getting everything in there. I couldn't imagine trying to take my skis in a soft bag, i'd be nervous.

 

[Ski Spirit]

I didn't win one and didn't think I would but having travelled with a soft bag and experienced a lot of difficulties, I got a Sporttube for the trip to the Mermer Blakeslee clinic in NY and I would never travel again without one. So much easier to cart around with the wheels..supposed to be bullet proof w/airlines (no guarantee w/other bags). I agree that the rubber bands are a little bizarre though. You'd think they could come up w/something better!

 

[Bravosarah]

We have a double Sportube and it was surpisingly easy to fit both sets of skis and both sets of poles in the case, especially because we have gate guards mounted on our poles. They all fit without a problem. (and I have pretty large sized bindings)

My only suggestion would be to have another hole in where the peg is as we use a TSA lock to lock the case, but if security breaks it there is nowhere else to put the peg. What I mean is that you cannot put both the lock and the peg in the case at the same time.

I realize that there are two holes right now, but they are in half incriments of each other. I would have preffered four holes in two incriments. I'll prolly end up drilling two holes on my own.

Regardless, I love the Sportube. As for the rubberbands, I threw a bunch of rubberbands that I use for waxing in the bottom of the tube before we left on our trip. I didn't have to use them, but they were there just in case.

It's also a great place to put stickers and the wheels make it very easy to pull around.

 

[abc]

My only suggestion would be to have another hole in where the peg is as we use a TSA lock to lock the case, but if security breaks it there is nowhere else to put the peg. What I mean is that you cannot put both the lock and the peg in the case at the same time.

Actually, that's a issue I forgot to mention. Thanks for bringing it up.

It's not a problem for me since I don't lock the case. But, I'd also prefer to have a bit more secure way of closing the pin. I can see eventually the metal pin would fatique and the pin no longer close tightly. Then, it'd be disastrous when the pin fails and there's no way to keep the two half of the tube together!

A much better design would be to have a lockable pin!!! (two birds with one stone anyone?) For $100, you would have thought they come up with something...

 

[TsuKata]

I just finished packing our double sport tube (with wheels). I could not get the poles to fit in the way that they show in the diagram (laid against/between the skis) for my skis, because my skis and bindings are just too small to get anything else in there, but I just took my poles and strapped them together and put them between the two sets of skis.

Without anything else in there except my DH's skis, my skis, and both of our poles, it weighs 35 pounds...well within the airport guidelines.

Oh, and I bought ours from LL Bean. LL Bean includes the easy pull handle in the purchase price, and the price was a little cheaper than Sportube's price on their website.

 

[num]

Hmm, I thought I posted in here after flying with my SporTube, but I guess not

 

[SueNJ]

I love my SporTube! Took it to Utah a few weeks ago, and with the web-strap handle that comes with it, I was able to wrap the strap around the pull handle of my big suitcase and just let the SporTube roll behind my rolling suitcase. It was fantastic! I felt sorry for all those poor people with their soft-sided ski bags sans wheels, having to drag them through the airport. When we returned to Newark, NJ, one soft-sided bag came out on the luggage carousel with a broken zipper, and the owner's dirty laundry hanging out all over the place. That won't happen with a SporTube.

Thanks, again, Ski Diva, for the opportunity to win one of these marvelous toys!

 

[LindsaySkiGal]

I read somewhere that a sportstube can dent easily. I had bought one for my first trip to CO and on the return trip, the half top side was completely dented in, so bad that it did not look like it would be functional. I didn't realize I could file a damage claim and left the airport around midnight. The next day during work I discovered I had 24 hrs to return to the airport with the damaged luggage. I had a class after work and I figured I could make it back to the airport with a few hours to spare (long drive, feeling sick and very tired). That evening when I stopped by to pick up the damaged sportstube, I discovered that it had 'repaired' itself over night. The dent had magically popped out! I don't know how-someone suggested that the plastic might have heated back up, but the plastic didn't feel cold when I tried to push out the dent the prior night, and I tried to re-create the dent after it fixed itself, and I couldn't dent it in. So go figure....

 

[LindsaySkiGal]

Oh, and one last thing... I had put stickers all over the sports tube to make mine look distinct, and they all came off :(

 

[ski diva]

Plastic has a "memory", and left to its own devices, can sometimes revert to its former shape after it's been dented or re-formed in some way. I've had this happen on things, too. Yeah, it's weird.

 

[Ski Spirit]

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my sportube, mainly because it's a lot easier to cart around. I used it on 3-4 trips last season and noticed before the last one that part of the tub had been cut open. My husband taped it up well and it worked ok for the last trip. It's pretty thin plastic....but I was pretty surprised after such a short time to find it damaged........??