Best Ski Bags for Traveling
Travelling to ski is still the reason this bag exists, and the case for a proper one has not weakened: airline handling has not got gentler.
Padded, wheeled, and one pair only, unless you need otherwise. A double bag looks like better value and is a nightmare to move alone once it is loaded. Single padded roller bags are what most people should buy.
Size it to the ski, not to the future. Measure your longest pair and add about ten centimetres. An over-long bag lets the skis slide and hammer the ends, and oversize charges start at lengths a lot of ski bags exceed.
Boots travel separately and in the cabin where possible. A boot bag as hand luggage is the single best insurance in ski travel: skis can be hired at any resort, your own boots cannot be replaced in a morning.
What has changed since this was written. Most airlines now treat a ski bag plus a boot bag as one checked item, which was far from universal in 2009, and many have dropped the separate sports-equipment fee in favour of ordinary weight limits. It is worth checking your specific carrier, because the ones that still charge charge a lot.
Packing notes that still hold: straps around the skis so they cannot move, base to base with the edges inward, and clothing packed around the tips and tails where the damage happens. Put a luggage tag inside as well as outside; the outside one is what gets torn off.
Part of the guide to ski and snowboard.