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Skiing is a sport with very fussy gear, and ski bags are no exception. “It’s almost impossible to find a bag that will fit skis that isn’t designed for skis,” says Sarah Plaskitt, the founder of travel company Scout Ski, who has traveled to more than 100 ski resorts in the past nine years. You’ll need one if you have any intention of flying with your skis, and a good ski bag makes transporting your skis generally easier — as well as protecting them from dents, dings, and other damage.
The best ski bag for you depends on how many pairs of skis you’re carrying, how much other stuff you want to pack with your skis, and how you’re going to be traveling. Plaskitt opts for lighter, more maneuverable bags when she’s going by train from one ski resort to another in Europe, and sturdier, heavier bags when she has only one destination or is exclusively traveling in planes and cars. Other features, like internal compartments and straps or handle arrangements, come down to personal preference.
What we’re looking for
Length
Kevin Katsafanas, a bag buyer for the outdoor retailer evo, says the sweet spot for the length of a ski bag is within ten centimeters of the longest pair of skis you’ll be carrying. Those extra centimeters can be filled with a helmet, ski-clothing layers, or even boots. But you don’t want to go too far over the length of your skis: “If you go longer, especially if it’s a wheeled bag, it’ll fold in half” when you’re trying to use it, he says.
Volume
Kevin Katsafanas, a bag buyer for the outdoor retailer evo, says the sweet spot for the length of a ski bag is within ten centimeters of the longest pair of skis you’ll be carrying. Those extra centimeters can be filled with a helmet, ski-clothing layers, or even boots. But you don’t want to go too far over the length of your skis: “If you go longer, especially if it’s a wheeled bag, it’ll fold in half” when you’re trying to use it, he says.
Cushioning
This one is self-evident for anyone who has seen their luggage unloaded from the plane or tossed onto a baggage-claim carousel. There’s no shortage of opportunities for an unprotected pair of skis to pick up bumps and dings while in transit, so whether the exterior is soft- or hard-shelled, all of our experts say that a bag that’s durable and has at least some cushion, particularly around the bindings, is essential for air travel.
Carry system
Most bags are going to have some combination of handles, straps, and wheels. Remember that the bag is taller than you, narrow, heavy, and unevenly weighted by the nature of what’s inside, so even with the optimal configuration of handle to straps to wheels, every ski bag is somewhat awkward to handle some of the time. That said, wheels are usually the better bet for larger, heavier loads, as well as traveling by car and over paved surfaces. Straps and handles are nicer on trips where you have to maneuver on and off public transportation or uneven terrain.
Best overall ski bag
Length: Fits skis up to 200 cm | Volume: 150 L | Cushioning: Foam padding and stiff “rib” structure | Carry system: Wheels, top and front handles
“I love this bag — it can fit a lot, and is very sturdy. The length is adjustable to your skis, and then rolls down completely when you get to where you’re staying,” says Plaskitt, who often travels with the Djärv. It definitely might be a bit more bag than some people are looking for, but Plaskitt and Katsafanas both mentioned it as a high-quality, versatile option that could provide peace of mind on travel days, without sacrificing every inch of closet space to a massive piece of luggage on all the other days.
Best less-expensive ski bag for a single pair
Length: Fits skis up to 175 cm or 195 cm | Volume: 1 pair of skis | Cushioning: Foam padding | Carry system: Shoulder strap, top and front handles
Ross says evo has good entry-level ski-gear options, and Plaskitt recommends a basic ski sleeve like this one for anyone looking to keep their gear safe without spending a ton of money. It’s durable and cushioned without the extra features to organize and secure the interior some of the other bags on this list have. But it’s nothing a few voile straps and stuff sacks can’t make up for, and it’s certainly enough to get your gear to your destination in one piece.
Best less-expensive ski bag for two pairs of skis
Length: Fits skis up to 175 cm or 195 cm | Volume: 2 pairs of skis | Cushioning: Padded tarpaulin | Carry system: Shoulder strap, top handles
K2’s Double Ski Bag doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does have the features necessary to keep your skis safe in transit: namely, a fully padded liner and a TPU-coated bottom. “It’s the perfect size for traveling solo, and the hard bottom protects the ski edges,” says Laura Rae Thomas, a former collegiate ski racer and backcountry ski guide for Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Thomas says she can squeeze three pairs of skis in the bag, but it’s designed to handle two pairs with straps that keep the skis in place. The exterior is made from 600D Ripstop nylon, which resists tears, and has waterproof YKK zippers that can handle years of use. Instead of wheels, the bag has a padded shoulder strap, which does make carrying it more difficult, but if you’re mainly hauling your skis around in or on top of a car, you can’t beat the protection the Double Ski Bag offers for the price.
Best less-expensive ski bag with wheels
Length: Fits skis up to 175 cm or 195 cm | Volume: 2 pairs of skis | Cushioning: Foam padding | Carry system: Wheels, top and front handles
Katsafanas says the Fall Line is a popular do-it-all wheeled option for anyone looking for sturdy construction, ample padding, and wheels — without breaking the bank. Strategist editor Maxine Builder was pleased by how easy it was to carry her avalanche gear as well two pairs of skis in her Fall Line through snowy parking lots and crowded airports on a recent ski trip to Montana. She suggests getting a color that will make it easier to find your bag in the crowd. “I would really warn against getting all black; that’s what my husband owns, and lots of other folks do too,” Builder says. “He almost grabbed someone else’s all-black Fall Line at the oversized luggage gate.”
Best hard-shell ski bag
Length: Fits skis up to 190 cm | Volume: 1 pair boots and 2 pairs skis | Cushioning: Hard shell | Carry system: Wheels, top and front handles
Katsafanas also likes the hard-shell Fall Line, which offers a little extra security (and extra weight) compared to its soft-shell cousin. It’s big, rock-solid, and costs almost as much as an unmounted pair of skis, but the Fall Line comes with a lot of useful bells and whistles in addition to a reassuringly sturdy exterior: straps to secure skis, a removable boot bag, space for two pairs of skis and one pair of boots with room left over, and a combination lock on the zipper. If it doesn’t fit in your car, Dakine sells a system to attach it to a roof rack.
Best ski bag for carrying
Length: Fits skis up to 192 cm | Volume: 1 pair Alpine skis | Cushioning: Padded soft shell | Carry system: Shoulder strap, top handles
For trips when Plaskitt needs a bag she can carry on and off crowded European trains, she opts for a light, padded option like the RoundTrip. It’s wheel-less but comes with a handful of nifty features, including external cinch straps; an S-shaped zipper that helps keep its contents distributed evenly; and internal pockets, straps, and sleeves to keep everything organized. Most important, the padded strap makes it easy to toss onto your shoulder, perfect for uneven ground or crowded areas that would be difficult to maneuver with a long roller bag.
Best ski bag for local travel
Length: Fits skis up to 200 cm | Volume: 1 pair Alpine skis | Cushioning: Padded soft shell | Carry system: Shoulder strap and top handles
If I were planning a big ski vacation at a faraway locale, I wouldn’t carry my stuff in the High Sierra Ski Bag and Boot Bag. But it’s perfect as an inexpensive solution to the hassle of juggling skis, poles, and boots between house and car or car and hotel. The unlined fabric doesn’t have enough padding to protect my gear during the jostling of a commercial flight, but it’s plenty sturdy for the trunk of a car and keeps my skis and poles in a neat, easy-to-carry bundle with a handle.
Best ski bag for more than two pairs of skis
Length: Fits skis up to 183 cm | Volume: 3 pairs Alpine skis | Cushioning: Hard shell | Carry system: Wheels, top and front handles
Sportube is a well-reviewed brand outside the usual big names in snow sports and luggage (your Dbs and Dakines). It also makes one of the roomiest ski bags we looked at. The Series 3 fits three pairs of adult skis, or two pairs of adult skis and two pairs of kids’ skis, which means it could potentially carry everyone’s gear on the next family ski trip. It’s not so big that it exceeds airlines’ restrictions, but Sportube says oversized baggage fees probably add up to about the same as the cost of just shipping it to your destination.
One Amazon reviewer, who says he used the Series 3 to ship two snowboards via FedEx, writes that he picked the case up after delivery with a FedEx worker’s boot print on it, but that “the boards were well protected inside.” He also notes the Series 3 telescopes; when empty they can be collapsed and stored at a length of under four feet.
Best ski bag for overpackers
Length: Fits skis up to 195 cm | Volume: 2 pairs of skis | Cushioning: Memory foam padding | Carry system: Wheels, top and front handles
Loaded with features and smart details, the Ski Vault Double is an ideal choice for skiers traveling with two pairs of sticks who want to stash all their gear in one place. Kristen Lummis, founder of the blog Brave Ski Mom, has been using the Double Vault for years. “It’s really substantial, with heavy-duty fabric and room to carry a lot of stuff,” Lummis says. “It has just enough pockets to keep my gear organized, and I can pack my boots and helmet in there too.”
External compression straps keep the load tight, while padded handles and low-profile wheels make toting the bag through the airport a breeze. As for protection, the entire bag is made from 1680 ballistic nylon with a thick memory-foam-padded liner, while the bottom of the bag has a water-resistant tarp exterior with plastic runners. Another one of Lummis’ favorite details: the adjustable length. The tip of the bag can be unzipped to add 30 cm. of extra space if you need it.
Some more Strategist-approved ski gear
Our experts
• Maxine Builder, Strategist editor
• Kevin Katsafanas, buyer, evo
• Kristin Lummis, founder, Brave Ski Mom
• Laura Rae Thomas, backcountry ski guide, Jackson Hole Mountain Guides
• Sarah Plaskitt, founder, Scout Ski
• Alex Ross, CEO, Fresh Turns
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