What's in your pockets? And how do you deal with multiple outfits?

[abc]

My DH carries a multi tool and has used it numerous times to either adjust something on our own gear or to help someone else who has needed it (both ski friends and random people at the top of a lift who suddenly had something come loose and needed a screw driver etc.)

I'm seeing tool benches at many mountains, next to the lift and in base lodges.

Just a couple of screw drivers (philips/flat head), a clipper or knife. Haven't paid too close attention to them because I always assume that's for snowboarders.

 

[mustski]

I pack a crap ton of stuff into my jacket. Luckily it has lots of pockets. Keys, wallet, cell phone, lip balm, map, granola bar, collapsible water bottle, goggle defogger, sunscreen, ski lock, cat tracks, silk glove liners, silk balaclava, sock liners.

I tried carrying my cat tracks but they are just too big and take up the whole jacket pocket on each side. Since there is nowhere to lock things up at my local hill, I'm planning on buying some cheap tennies (most days are warm enough) and leave them under a bench. On cold days, I'll use the cat tracks and deal with the extra jacket bulk.

 

[Dianna]

I have two pair of ski pants, there the same except for size, lol. I usually strait the season with the bigger size. Pants, small wallet with cash,id,ski pass if RFID, pocket Chapstick, face mask if cold, lighter and keys on lanyards to my pockets, 7/6 wrench and little ratchet with Phillips tip and 7/6 tip for my riggers. iPod goes on my arm, and hankie in my jacket and maybe a snack. In S Cal I can wear a water bottle in a fanny pack at my ankle but tends to freeze at extreme cold temps. Some times a camera in jacket and only carry a phone on large Mt. Have a metal cig case but I am switching to a vapor cig so will have that some place.

 

[abc]

I tried carrying my cat tracks but they are just too big and take up the whole jacket pocket on each side. Since there is nowhere to lock things up at my local hill, I'm planning on buying some cheap tennies (most days are warm enough) and leave them under a bench. On cold days, I'll use the cat tracks and deal with the extra jacket bulk.

In an earlier post (quite a while back), one of the diva mentioned she kept hers just above the boot. I didn't think it would stay but surprise, surprise, it did!

Where I'm skiing, I rarely need to use cat track. But the few times I ski in places that I need to use them, I now have a place for them!

 

[Moonrocket]

Yes! It's a super thin, flat, plastic bottle and it hooks onto a lanyard and slips easily under the jacket without bulk. It doesn't hold more than "1 bottle's" worth though. Not nearly the capacity of a camel back.

Hmm for some reason this made me think of this. Which actual lays isn't that bad of an idea.

https://www.thebeerbelly.com/The_Winerack_Small_p/200-007.htm

 

[mustski]

In an earlier post (quite a while back), one of the diva mentioned she kept hers just above the boot. I didn't think it would stay but surprise, surprise, it did!

Where I'm skiing, I rarely need to use cat track. But the few times I ski in places that I need to use them, I now have a place for them!

I am trying to picture how that would work. Sadly, I am visually challenged and can't. Could you post a pic some time?

 

[2ski2moro]

In my left pants pocket, I carry a small metal 'wallet' just big enough for my driver's license, credit cards and some cash. It's about as thick as 6 credit cards. Ski lock in my right jacket pocket. Pass on my left jacket pocket with a ziplock bag of either nuts or peanut butter M&Ms, or mini Snickers. The ziplock bag also serves as an icepack when filled with snow, if I get hurt. Phone in my inside zipper pocket, although last year I fell, the phone twisted in my pocket and gouged my left breast as I landed. It was a very colorful bruise. Now I carry my tissues between my phone and me. There's a goggle wipe on an elastic band in the goggle pocket of my jacket, too.

 

[abc]

I am trying to picture how that would work. Sadly, I am visually challenged and can't. Could you post a pic some time?

Just loop the plastic thingy loosely above the top buckle of the boot (or above the top of boot, whichever works).

(If your ski pants has gaiter, the gaiter covers the cattrak. It's not going to go anywhere. )

I'm one of those jaded cyclist who only ski after the New Year! So my ski gear is still somewhere in the deepest corner of the closet. So picture will be really slow in coming.

 

[Dtrick924]

I never used to wear cat tracks. I figured I didn't need to since I always wait to put my boots on in the lodge. Even doing that the soles of my ski boots were starting to show some wear and tear after 4 seasons.

Last winter my boot fitter put canting plates on the bottoms of my boots to correct my knock kneed alignment. He handed me a pair of cat tracks and said that I should wear them any time my boots aren't clicked into my bindings; to protect the plates from wear and tear and prolong their life. They definitely take up more than their fair share of space in my pockets.

 

[MeganMT]

All I carry is my season pass on a bungee thing attached to my right hand coat pocket, a goggle wipe in the arm pocket, and $20 in my chest pocket on my bibs if I need to stop up top for a cookie or gatorade. Keys, cell phone, water, beer, food, wallet all stay in the car. My home mtn is very small though and we ski from the car right to the lift, then out of of bounds a little ways and back down to the car. Easy peasy!

 

[pinto]

I used to carry the Cat Tracks inside my pants gaiters, but sometimes they would migrate and they are very uncomfortable if you are skiing and they are biting your shin! lol. But I have just started leaving them on a ski rack at the base. No one has stolen them yet, but I'm sure it's a possibility.

This doesn't work if you aren't starting and ending your day at the same place, but usually I only do that when I'm ski in/ski out, and when I'm doing that I generally don't need the Cat Tracks....

 

[pinto]

Phone -> Napoleon pocket.
Driver's license/credit card/cash -> zippered inner pocket.
Car keys -> somewhere it won't hurt if I fall on them.
Sunglasses ->jacket pocket.
Lip balm ->pants pocket.
Spare hat -> usually tucked into pants gaiter.
Pass -> attached to pants somewhere.

I think that's all I carry regularly. I'll add a small snack sometimes, or a buff if it's cold but maybe not cold enough to wear it the whole day, and a small tube of sunscreen in spring.

 

[num]

One pants pocket takes my phone, the other pants pocket takes my id, a credit card, my insurance card and a note with the name, phone number and location if appropriate of the best emergency contact for that outing.

I do the majority of my skiing alone, in which case I list the emergency contact type person in my life in closest proximity to the place I am skiing that day. If I'm on a trip with others, I'll list one of them. Sometimes my partner hangs out at the lodge while I ski, and on those days, I list him and say that he's on site at the lodge.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

My pockets pretty much have what everyone else seems to carry. Did want to mention one of my tricks, though: DEDICATED POCKETS. This is always somewhat challenging early in the season: what’s where. By March, it’s rote.

This means that I have some pockets which must NOT be accessed when on a lift or doing anything other than using the contents for their intended purpose. Those 2 pockets are: car keys (do not open that pocket until AT car), and money, id, credit card pocket. Do Not Open until needed. Never keep kleenex or similar in your keys pocket. Or lip balm in your money pocket.

It’s unimaginable what can be found lying beneath chairlifts when the snow pack begins to diminish in spring. It’s literally a treasure hunt. Untold amounts of cash. Smart phones. Car keys.

I’ve seen phones drop when skiing near chairs, had people yell down to me, and I’ve waited until they got off and skied down.

Dedicate your pockets.
Have Do Not Open pockets, and remember which ones they are!

 

[abc]

I totally agree on the dedicated pocket idea.

It's actually quite simple for me. There's minimum of 1 inside pocket with zipper on all my jackets. If I see a jacket I like, the first thing I check is does it has at least 1 inside pocket with zippers? If it doesn't, I move on.

In that pocket, I put car key and wallet! During the day, it got open once, at lunch. End of day, key is used. Nothing else goes in that pocket, not even cell phone.

Cell phone has its own dedicated pocket to prevent too much contact with snow and ice.

The rest of "stuff" got spread among the remaining pockets.

 

[snowski/swimmouse]

Count me in the "dedicated pocket club". Right upper inside pocket always has my (Eagle Creek small) wallet that I use all the time, + keys and, only when I'm on a trip, dumb cell phone. It doesn't work on our North Carolina mountains, so no point in taking it out of the car. As others have said, NC Mountains are not big enough to worry about food and beverage. I keep a soft cooler with sandwich beverages and water in the lodge. Out west I include small water bottle in right outside pocket with ski strap and maybe small sandwich to which I add a local beer at some lodge on the mountain. Lower left pocket always has glove liners and baclava, if not already on me. Upper left pocket has kleenex, cough drops &/or hard candy in case I get "coughy" and trail map when at larger mountain. Season pass and chapstick are on lanyards. Hand and toe warmers are in upper outside upper pocket originally intended for phones. I get cold easily and can't afford to be anywhere without warmth resources!

I can't put anything in pants pockets as I always seem to have holes in them. Today was my first ski day of the season and accidentally put my wallet in pants as I left the mountain. Wallet migrating awkwardly to knee area! ACK!

 

[snowbeach]

There is definitely an art to what goes in what pocket and I'm all for dedicated pockets.

Important stuff ie small compact ski wallet and iPhone go jacket inside zipped pocket with keys going in the inner velcro pocket in the zippered pocket.

Lip balm, tissues, sunscreen/moisturiser sachets and goggle wipe goes in one jacket outside zippered pocket and in the other pocket I carry a trail map and whistle. I started carrying a whistle about 6 years after first skiing Japan, decided it's louder then me trying to shout if I got lost or fell down a gully etc.

Inner gloves or buff/ balaclava gets stuffed into my jacket inside goggle net pocket. Tend not to carry food or nibbles. I hate feeling bulky with extra stuff making me look like I'm carrying a tyre around my waist so if I do carry more stuff then my backpack comes out to play.

 

[Xinga]

I have a tendency to not trust the netted "goggle" pocket inside all my jackets. I rarely use it for anything! Have you guys ever lost anything you've put in there? Am I being overly paranoid about the lack of security of that pocket type?

 

[bounceswoosh]

I only trust pockets with some sort of closure. I would be fine with something non-essential like a water bottle going in the netting ...

 

[Jilly]

I glued and sewed a velcro button on the one in my Salomon jacket. The Avalanche jacket has really deep stuff pockets on both sides. They are cut so things don't fall out.