Boot Bag for carry on

[nd_1975]

Going to Deer Valley in a few weeks and want to carry on my boots. Everything else will get checked. I also will have computer, Ipad, headphones, etc. Which bag do people recommend for this? Outside of this I don't really have use of a boot bag as the hotel is ski on ski off and the same is true where I normally ski in VT.

Was looking at Dakine, Thule and Sport Tube.

Thanks,

Neal Dunn

 

[Coach13]

I’ve used a few different boot bags to carry on. They don't have to be the expensive padded type, they just need to fit in the overhead area. I just picked up a sportube overhead pack that I think will be great.

https://www.sportube.com/Overheader-Padded-Gear-and-Boot-Backpack-p/bgsoh.htm

 

[mdf]

Make sure you get something that looks small. Most will fail the carry on size checker, so don't get checked!

 

[Teppaz]

I have a bag from Line Skis that fits boots, helmet, two pairs of goggles (tucked into the helmet), mittens, balaclava, some odds and ends. Best part is that it looks smaller than it is so it's never been checked for size. I don't think Line sells that bag anymore but you can easily find it online from various retailers.

 

[JMD]

Since you do not need a boot bag for daily use, I suggest you consider a 21"/22" regular carry on suitcase. The boots easily fit inside along with extra clothing. Airline / airport friendly. Worked great for me on a European Ski Trip. Available for regular travel use when not used as a boot bag.

 

[Philpug]

Transpack Sidekick Pro is my favorite bag for when I travel on planes. It is comfortable to wear, fits my laptop in a padded compartment and fits easily in the overhead compartment.

 

[graham418]

I can vouch for the Sportube Overheader. Carries everything I need to go skiing.

 

[Dave Marshak]

I fly with a 70 liter backpack and a small soft bag for my boots and helmet.

Boots take up too much room in a suitcase, and the suitcase might need to be gate checked. Even when there is overhead room, they’ll sometimes gate check them to speed up boarding.

Backpacks + loose boots hold more than a legal suitcase and are rarely taken away even if they are oversized.

dm

 

[lone pine]

I use a simple canvas carry bag, with a zipper top for my flights. It's squishy enough to get into any overhead, even on regionals, and the straps are long enough that I can backpack it if needed. I also carry a small backpack with items for the flight, like eye drops, reading material

, and necessary papers.

 

[JohnnyG]

I use a Dakine Boot Locker, but I don't recall if I put it in an overhead or gate checked it the last time I brought it with me.

 

[James]

I used this one last year to Europe and Denver. Take boots off and put on shoulder for boarding. On the way back I didn't bother to take the boots off and got on anyway. But the plane had lots of room. It's huge with the boots on though.

The previous two or three trips I used a Sync bag with boots outside. The Sync's zippers all broke on the first use. Somehow the top pocket sealed, sort of, even though it's broken.
One of the Lange's shoulder straps ripped the stitching out the first few days of use making it useless. I was lucky to be in Chamonix where I could get it resewn.

So, two bags, both not great construction.

The black sidepanels unzip and hold boots with straps. They also have stretchy covers to cover the boot top. It's useful when it's snowing.

 

[PupManS]

I have been looking for such a thing for years but no one yet has made a boot bag that also carries tech the way I want. I use one of three solutions depending on where I am going and what I am doing.

1) Dakine 50l boot bag plus briefcase/tiny backpack (Arcteryx Blade 20) for tech and small items. I've never gotten stopped. I then attach them to my DB ski bag with some custom hooks and webbing I made

Here is the dakine https://www.backcountry.com/dakine-...5yiBL07pRexMacRF8GoxvegtaI1zOw_8aAnqmEALw_wcB

2) Peak Design travel pack - this is new to me, but holds boots and gear and tech. Does not hold helmet. Which is annoying. But had one nice trip like this.

3) 22inch rollaboard - holds everything but the tech, and I put it in the briefcase. The issue is the weight; I once had my "boot bag" weighed and in this suitcase it all goes way over.

Bottom line, carrying the Dakine bag and the briefcase thru the airport is a drag. However, the benefit is, the Dakine bag is great to take to the hill on the other end. I wouldn't leave my Peak pack or suitcase sitting around the lockers but I toss the Dakine bag on a wall hook and don't sweat it.

It's all just tradeoffs. Anyone has a better answer?

 

[nd_1975]

Thanks everyone or the help. Right now I am leaning towards the sport tube overheader for carryon and checking my arcteryx rolling duffel and sport tube. I am not concerned about cost, just maneuverability. Thoughts?

 

[Pequenita]

I use a simple canvas carry bag, with a zipper top for my flights. It's squishy enough to get into any overhead, even on regionals, and the straps are long enough that I can backpack it if needed. I also carry a small backpack with items for the flight, like eye drops, reading material, and necessary papers.

What are the dimensions of the tote? I love this idea and want to investigate whether anything sitting at home would work.

 

[raytseng]

@nd_1975 Looks fine,
I would say, keep or carry a helmet bag (either one it came with or just a drawstring pouch; or buy one on ebay for less than $10). In the rare case they make you check the boot bag, you still want to carry your helmet as carryon.

One thing to consider is getting some extra carabiners, straps/webbing or clips/hooks, (e.g. https://myheroclip.com/products/heroclip) so you can get things hooked up and free a hand.

Dragging even a roller bag through a long airport will be stress on your hands. If you can hook the sportstube up to your shoulder with a shoulder strap that is worth investigating (e.g. go look at Db's removeable shoulder strap method).

Usually though just find or pay for the cart at the airport.

 

[Wade]

The Sportube or a Dakine Boot Locker DLX would both work well. If you don't want the hassle of taking out your boots and putting them back in to get on and off the plane, a bag like one of these works well because the layout has the boots laying flat in an interlocking pattern rather than standing or next to each other. Usually it's the overhead height that will mess you up with a more traditional boot bag.

I'm not sure about the current DLX, but the version I have is a couple of years old and has cinch down straps to compress the bag once packed. As long as I don't go nuts with what I put inside (usually boots, one day's ski clothes and laptop, ipad, chargers etc) it will fit in the frame they used to check carry-ons. I don't pack my helmet in the boot bag as it adds too much bulk to pass the carry on test, so that either goes in my checked baggage or is strapped to the outside of the carry on.

 

[lone pine]

What are the dimensions of the tote? I love this idea and want to investigate whether anything sitting at home would work.

About 17" long, about 9' or so wide, and 15" tall. This one is a soft canvas which makes it easy to squish them around in the overhead. I have several LL Bean bags of the same dimensions, but they are a tad unwieldy in the squishing department.

 

[laine]

I have a bag from Line Skis that fits boots, helmet, two pairs of goggles (tucked into the helmet), mittens, balaclava, some odds and ends. Best part is that it looks smaller than it is so it's never been checked for size. I don't think Line sells that bag anymore but you can easily find it online from various retailers.

I have the Line bag as well - https://suburbanskiandbike.com/Line-Slope-Boot-Pack-A1601004010/
Brought it to Japan - and it meets the carry-on size restrictions. And the price has been reduced. I think I paid $60 when I got it. It fit my boots in the boot compartment and my laptop, Kindle, and other travel conveniences in the other front pocket.

My husband has this one: https://www.amazon.com/Athalon-Glid.../B0028CICKI/ref=asc_df_B0028C93PQ/?th=1&psc=1 - which I used for a trip to Canada. It's about one inch larger than approved carry-on size, but since it's soft, you can squish it a bit. This has a larger front section than the Line bag.

Note: We both have Kulkea bags for our regular weekend trips to our local mountains in Tahoe.

 

[oldfashoned]

I have the Line bag as well - https://suburbanskiandbike.com/Line-Slope-Boot-Pack-A1601004010/
Brought it to Japan - and it meets the carry-on size restrictions. And the price has been reduced. I think I paid $60 when I got it. It fit my boots in the boot compartment and my laptop, Kindle, and other travel conveniences in the other front pocket.

My husband has this one: https://www.amazon.com/Athalon-Glid.../B0028CICKI/ref=asc_df_B0028C93PQ/?th=1&psc=1 - which I used for a trip to Canada. It's about one inch larger than approved carry-on size, but since it's soft, you can squish it a bit. This has a larger front section than the Line bag.

Note: We both have Kulkea bags for our regular weekend trips to our local mountains in Tahoe.

Laine, you finding the kulkea larger than needed for the flyaway trips? A little large for the overhead ?

 

[laine]

Laine, you finding the kulkea larger than needed for the flyaway trips? A little large for the overhead ?

It doesn't meet the overhead guidelines and I don't like to risk the forced gate check. I know I can pull the boots out, but I also generally have a small bag (with this as my larger carry-on), so that just makes for more things to try and stuff overhead or under my seat. So we bought these bags for our trip to Japan and they worked out pretty well for us for travel. I'm not sure they are the most durable/sturdy bags - but we fly with boots maybe once a year. We also wanted something less bulky - something where the boots lay flat - since we were on buses and trains and getting around with the bags on our backs.

The Kulkeas are built like tanks. I've had my Powder Trekker since 2015 with about 25-30 ski days in Tahoe per season, and it looks like new. (I'd kind of like it to break I some way so I can justify the heated one.)