Individual Review Transpack Ski Vault Pro Rolling Double

[coskigirl]

I had the opportunity to use a Transpack Double Vault during a trip to Valle Nevado Chille in August. This bag has space for 2 pairs of skis and poles but I only packed one. Because of that I was able to pack in many pieces of clothing, my helmet, after ski tall boots and more. Overall, it probably isn’t the best but certainly works well and meets my needs.

Pros:
Ability to shorten bag when hauling shorter skis. This really helps when wheeling the bag longer distances.
Handle placement
Wheels function well on rough surface.
Interior straps retain skis and poles well.

Cons:
Single center zipper. I was traveling with a friend who had a TNF ski bag which had a u-shaped zipper allowing better access to the interior.
Fabric seems to get scuffs and cuts too easily.

 

[neonorchid]

^ that really got beat up! How did your friends TNF bag make out?

 

[coskigirl]

Oh gosh, I don’t remember really. It’s been over a year and when I got home from that trip I was headed straight to the hospital to see my mom before her double bypass so I didn’t look closely. This bag also went to Utah with me last year. It will function fine for more trips but when it’s time to replace I’ll choose a different option.

 

[neonorchid]

Oh gosh, I don’t remember really. It’s been over a year and when I got home from that trip I was headed straight to the hospital to see my mom before her double bypass so I didn’t look closely. This bag also went to Utah with me last year. It will function fine for more trips but when it’s time to replace I’ll choose a different option.

I'm glad that's behind you and your mom.

I asked because there are few good fully padded on all sides 2x skibag options and I'm trying to decide on keeping the Transpack Ski Vault I ordered.
The Ski Vault center zipper is one thing I'm not crazy about because with one pair of skis sittuated flat in the bag, one side of Look Pivot heelpiece ( shaped DIN boot hold down falls square on the thinner fabric flanking the zipper. Also when skis are situated flat the Look Piviot heelpiece creates an unballanced high point on both the topside and underside of the bag. With skis situated on their side the ski brake interfeers with zipping the bag by sticking out and catching the zipper.
At this point the only other two bags of interest are TNF Base Camp roller bag and Swix Gold Lite.

 

[David Chaus]

I have this bag as well; for the most part it’s fine, but I agree about the zipper, it can be a PITA to fit longer skis in. I was really struggling to get my 181’s there, until I realized there’s a second expansion zipper, plenty of length. Doh! That said, a U-shaped zipper, or two zippers would be an improvement I’ll look for the next time around.

My new skis are getting demo Tyrolia Attack bindings, so I want to see if I can get away with 3 pairs of skis: two that are mounted with standard bindings, and one with the demo tracks, with the toe and heel pieces in my other luggage or carry on. This will get easier as I replace skis, as I’m planning to get my next pair mounted with Tyrolia demos as well.

I’m happy enough with the bag for now.

 

[coskigirl]

At this point the only other two bags of interest are TNF Base Camp roller bag and Swix Gold Lite.

The issue with the TNF bag is that because it’s so long it’s a bit unwieldy to roll unless you have long skis inside to stiffen the entire length.

 

[neonorchid]

The issue with the TNF bag is that because it’s so long it’s a bit unwieldy to roll unless you have long skis inside to stiffen the entire length.

True with the older TNF Ski Roller which is made of 1000 denier base camp fabric whatever that is and 840 denier ballistic nylon which is good. However the current TNF Base Camp Roller has straps on each side to reduce the length only it's made of 900D polyester with TPE PVC coating which may help with durability but when it comes to soft side luggage, high denier ballistic nylon beats polyester any day of the week. Just as Polycarbonate beats the pants off ABS and PC coated ABS for hard side luggage. Again, not sure what the TPE PVC coating adds and where it is used.

 

[neonorchid]

 

[neonorchid]

Not to beat an old horse but -

Fabric strength challenge

Most of us believe higher weight fabric is stronger than lower weight fabric of the same kind. The test result proves that this belief is indeed TRUE, as we can see that 16oz canvas is twice as strong as 12oz canvas. We can also see a similar relationship between other fabrics such as 1680D and 1050D Nylon.

Nylon is stronger than Polyester
- compare 1680D Polyester verses 1680D Nylon, - Nylon is 1.4 times stronger than Polyester. 500D Nylon is also about 1.4 times stronger than 600D Polyester.

How strong is 600D?

600D is the most commonly used fabric for backpacks. - is definitely strong enough for making a daily backpack or school bag. - if developing a backpack that needs to be super durable, such as a military backpack, 1050D Nylon would be a better choice.

Backing material makes a huge difference
The 600D with PVC backing is about 2.4 times stronger than 600D fabric with PU backing.

- tearing strength is not the only thing to consider when determining the durability of a fabric, the other important consideration being
abrasion resistance
600D Polyester: Moderate abrasion after 25,600 cycle
500D Nylon: Very slight abrasion after 25,600 cycles
1050D Nylon: Very slight abrasion after 25,600 cycle