Roller Ski Bags – The Only Way to Travel
A minimalist at heart, I traveled for many years with the most basic of ski bags: a single-zip padded bag with a shoulder strap. I’ve looked on with envy at those traveling with roller ski bags as they effortlessly negotiate the airport and car rental counters but have never bought in until now, and I’ll never look back.
Last winter, facing ever-stricter airline baggage regulations, I began to see the advantage of a roller ski bag that could accommodate more gear than my minimalist system. By upsizing to a roller ski bag, I reduced the rest of my bags and got an easy-to-manage ski bag. There are a variety of ski bags on the market, and in my opinion, if you are going with wheels, you might as well get a double. You know, why have just one pair of skis when you can have two?
There’s no question that it’s easy to max out the weight of a big double ski bag if you’re not careful, but with some packing limits and a good carry-on bag, you can stay under 50 pounds. I’ve even been able to run the ski bag as my only piece of checked baggage in many situations.
Here are the best roller ski bags that I’ve field tested.
Dakine Boundary Double Roller Ski Bag $280
The Dakine Boundary is more than a roller ski bag; it’s a rolling locker room for your ski gear. It offers all the space and padding you could want for a couple of pairs of skis and then some. But the best part of the Dakine Boundary ski bag is the extra compartments. It is outfitted with three additional storage zones, perfect for packing backcountry gear like your shovel, probe, ice axe, skins and such. The compartments are designed to accommodate your boots, but I prefer to carry my boots on the plane, so given the worst-case-lost-luggage scenario, at least I have my boots.
Given all its space and organization, the Boundary roller ski bag is a locker from which you can live while on a ski trip, keeping all your gear where you can easily lay your hands on it. The wheels are bomber, and the bag is well padded with just enough structure to keep its shape.
Of course, with all the space in this bag comes the burden of filling it at the risk of exceeding airline weight limits. The bag alone weighs 10 pounds on our scale (2 lb less than listed by Dakine), so you need to keep an eye on the 50-pound mark once packed, especially if you’re packing heavier alpine ski set-ups. I’ve had good luck running two pairs of backcountry skis plus all of my associated gear and staying well under the 50-pound mark.
The Dakine Boundary roller ski bag is hard to beat for gear junkies traveling by air. Just be ready to control the urge to throw in more than you need.
There are a few minor details on the Dakine worth noting: great handles on either end for hauling and lifting, nice wide cinch straps for battening down the hatches, plus a spot to secure your ski poles separate from the skis. This is one deluxe traveling companion.
UPDATE – The latest version eliminates the built-in pockets and adds two removable gear bags and smaller zip pockets. Overall storage capacity remains the same, with a little extra versatility for organizing your gear once at your destination.
Check prices on the Dakine Boundary roller ski bag
Thule Round Trip Double Roller Ski Bag $299
The Thule Round Trip Double roller ski bag is smaller than the Dakine but no less burly. I’ve used several Thule luggage products over the years, and they are built to last; this roller ski bag is too. There’s plenty of space to pack two pairs of skis, and it’s got all the right straps to secure them in place for a safe journey.
The big difference from the Dakine Boundary is the Thule has less built-in space for additional gear. That said, it still has enough space to hold your backcountry safety gear and then some, just not all, of it in dedicated compartments. There is a nice large mesh pocket inside the bag with space for skins, a shovel and a probe. If you hope to pack more gear into this roller bag, it must go in the main body. I’ve easily packed my outerwear, gloves, and miscellaneous ski touring gear. You can probably fit your boots in it if you only load a single pair of skis, but everything needs to be layered in the bag with your skis.
As with any large ski bag, it’s still easy to stuff too much in the Thule Round Trip Double Roller Ski bag and risk having overweight baggage. Again, prudent packing and the old trick of carrying your boots on board the plane will help reduce the weight issue. The Thule bag weighs in at about eight pounds, so it’s a little lighter than the Dakine, which means that’s a couple more pounds of gear you can cram in the Thule!
The wheels are bomber, and the bag has plenty of padding to protect your gear from the baggage handlers. It’s a solid option for a double roller ski bag that’s not over-the-top big.
Check the price and availability of the Thule Round Trip Double Roller Ski bag
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