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ejj

Prairie Skier
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Dec 4, 2015
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Minneapolis
Cheers gang--I have a "Flying With Skis" question for you. Our carrier, Delta, states that you can check a ski bag and a boot bag provided the total weight is under 50lbs (The combo would be billed as one checked bag).

My question--how big a boot bag are they talking here? If you have experience, please check in. I know they won't take a huge boot duffel, but most of our boot bags hold a bit more than boots alone--i.e. the Dakine DLX Backpack style bags.
 

surfsnowgirl

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May 12, 2016
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Magic Mountain, Vermont
I have a Kulkea Boot trekker boot bag that's really LARGE and I have no issue checking that with my skis. My SO has a much smaller Kulkea Powder trekker bag and he has no issue as well.
 

Doug Briggs

"Douche Bag Local"
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Are you planning to fill the big bag with stuff that isn't 'equipment' such as clothing? I have heard stories, nothing confirmed, that if you stuff your clothes in your sports equipment bag(s) you may invalidate the 'sports equipment' exception of two bags for one.

Anyone have any real experience with that?
 

coskigirl

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Most people here will say don't risk checking your boots because if the airline loses them the pain involved in rental boots and then potentially replacing and refitting boots if they are lost permanently is too much. Here's a fairly long thread on boot bags for airline travel that might help.

https://www.pugski.com/threads/boot-bags-for-airline-travel.9149/
 

Seldomski

All words are made up
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'mericuh
I think as long as the ski bag is under 50lbs, they won't hassle you for what exactly is in it, as long as there is a pair of skis or board in it. I do not have a bootbag, so I don't have experience with checking both the overstuffed ski bag + stuffed boot bag.

I have been putting the ski boots in a normal carry on and packing a few things with it as a carry on. However, not sure what to do next since many airlines have revised the carry on size downward and my current carry on doesn't quite meet the new bin size for some (though it will fit in the compartment).
 

surfsnowgirl

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When we went to Banff with our ski club a bunch of the club members were stuffing all kinds of cloths in their ski bags and noone seemed to care. I do put a little clothing in my ski bag but just as padding in and around my skis.
 

François Pugh

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Woodsrider427

Getting on the lift
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Wake Forest NC
Has anyone here had their boots as their personal item just thrown over their shoulder with a strap? Then have a carry-on also. I have read that in some online ski travel articles. I'm trying to figure all of this out too, as we will be doing our first airline trip with ski gear this season. Last year we drove to Colorado, long trip!!!
 

Pat AKA mustski

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On the way to the ski resort - carry on boots. However, checking it on the way home does make the airport stuff much easier. I always pack some ski clothes in the ski bag to pad around the bindings, tips, and tails. When traveling alone, I have even packed one pair of skis in a double ski bag and filled it the rest of the way with all my clothes to avoid needing a suitcase. Southwest is always ok with that, but I can't speak to other airlines. Usually Bob is with me. We check 2 double ski bags and one large suitcase. On the way home, we check the boot bags as well.
 

Jim Kenney

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I have flown Delta into SLC quite a bit in last three seasons. I always check both skis and boot bag. I hear the concern about losing a checked boot bag, but that has not been a problem for me with about six Delta rdtrip flights in that time. I pack the boot bag quite full with additional clothing, gloves, helmet, etc, but keep total weight of ski bag and boot bag under 50 lbs.

Ask me about the time I flew Frontier for a ten day ski trip and took everything including ski boots in just one personal bag (medium back pack, not the one depicted below) or wore on my body:)

This is the type of boot bag I've used on Delta:
538921041be01.jpg
 
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Jilly

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Belleville, Ontario,/ Mont Tremblant, Quebec
I have the Salomon "go to ski" bag. It falls into the carry on category. I have boots, laptop, e reader, camera, sunglasses and a purse too. But I did the packing school by @RachelV and learn to be a minimalist. Air Canada has that weird...only skis and poles in the bag. So I bought a Sport tube. I usually throw in a pair of hiking shoes to walk around the area in it and maybe some gloves. Wear my "down sweater" out and my après ski coat, because it's warmer than my ski jacket. Have lots of room for souvenirs.
 

Jim McDonald

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Wife & I are usually on international itineraries, and the rules are a bit more relaxed, but even on multi-stop routes with additional check-ins we've never had a problem with ski bags each also containing 3-4 pairs of gloves, 2 goggles, 2 ski pants, loads of socks, base and mid layers, heavy jackets, etc. except once when we had to do a bit of repacking to get both ski bags under the weight limit. Purely domestic flight YMMV.
 

coskigirl

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Has anyone here had their boots as their personal item just thrown over their shoulder with a strap? Then have a carry-on also. I have read that in some online ski travel articles. I'm trying to figure all of this out too, as we will be doing our first airline trip with ski gear this season. Last year we drove to Colorado, long trip!!!

I know @SBrown has. I kinda did when I went to Italy.
 

TheArchitect

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Has anyone here had their boots as their personal item just thrown over their shoulder with a strap? Then have a carry-on also. I have read that in some online ski travel articles. I'm trying to figure all of this out too, as we will be doing our first airline trip with ski gear this season. Last year we drove to Colorado, long trip!!!

My last trip to SLC there were a few people with their boots on a strap with no issues (American Airlines). I had my boots in my carry-on.

Related question. I need to pick up a double ski bag this year. Any recommendations for a well padded double bag for skis no longer than 175cm? I have a single Sportube but was thinking soft bag this time.
 

Dwight

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Has anyone here had their boots as their personal item just thrown over their shoulder with a strap? Then have a carry-on also. I have read that in some online ski travel articles. I'm trying to figure all of this out too, as we will be doing our first airline trip with ski gear this season. Last year we drove to Colorado, long trip!!!

When I took the family to Bachelor a few years ago, we all had our boots over are shoulders. Wasn't hard to tell what we were going to do to in Oregon. :)
 

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