Flying with Skis question

[James]

After two years with flying with the Douchebag, I fell out of love with it after this happened this past February to my 100Eights:

View attachment 76181 View attachment 76182

In fairness to DB, I have to say that American Airlines had to have dropped the bag on the sharp corner of a very firm object, stragegically between two of the DB's protective "ribs". And likely from a height. The design of the bag seems adequate for most other vagaries of travel, but failed in this specific "sh*t happens" scenario.

On the upside, American made good on the skis. I had used the skis for 2.5 seasons and had put about 50 days on them. They asked for a purchase receipt and refunded me all but $50 of the original amount. Kudos to AA for that.

I have since bought the SporTube soft sided bag, after reading a review of it the very week that the above happened. I used it on the last couple of trips of the season and am very impressed with its construction. https://www.sportube.com/Ski-Shield-2-Ski-Bag-Padded-Wheeled-Gear-p/bgssd.htm My only complaint is that it only comes in a 185 cm length, leaving the bag to sag from the excess length.

Edit: I just re-read my post #68 above. "I suppose that a very strategically placed, or very unlucky impact between the plastic strips could dent an edge" seems eerily prescient.

What packing style were the skis in at tbe time?
Do you think the soft Sport tube will prevent that?
I had this and the tail of one ski sanded looking me a belt sander. Plus a synthetic vest was melted enough to be destroyed. Soft bag, two pair inside. Must have been dragged at speed on the tarmac.
I did get a voucher for the skis.

I've since gone to a Synch double roller bag which I sort of loathe for extended train/air travel. It's heavy and big. Not many bags can accomadate a 192 though.

 

[cosmoliu]

What packing style were the skis in at tbe time?
Do you think the soft Sport tube will prevent that?

They were packed as in Douchebag's online video- the 100Eights side by side at the bottom, base down. The other, narrower pair was on their sides, bases facing out. I frankly had never tried the conventional side by side orientation of the two pairs you pictured above. No way to know if the 100Eight would have sustained the same damage in that packing scenario. Or if it would have resulted in both skis being dinged identically. The soft SporTube would have prevented that specific damage pattern- the hard plastic tip/tail protector feature of the bag would have covered that spot on the sidewall.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Typically you ski with skis, however, if you want to fly I would suggest ultrawide rockered powder skis, held outwards one in each hand and take a good running start.

If you crash and burn don’t blame me it was your idea.

Wait, wait, just read the OP’s initial post, my bad, you meant how do you pack the skis.....

 

[James]

The soft SporTube would have prevented that specific damage pattern- the hard plastic tip/tail protector feature of the bag would have covered that spot on the sidewall.

I guess I don't understand the damage photo. Looks way beyond the tip or tail where the plastic on the Sportube is.

 

[cosmoliu]

I can't say with 100% certainty that the area would have been covered by the plastic portion of the SporTube bag, I left the skis behind in Utah with a friend who was going use them in a ski chair. But it was close either way. I previously used the Athalon bag with similar plastic shields at tip and tail for 5 years. I like that feature in both. And the central portion of the SporTube bag is well padded, while the Athalon bag has no padding there at all.