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Flying with Skis question

surfsnowgirl

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Air Canada supposedly has a hard case requirement. However, when we went to Banff i lost track how many soft cases i saw. We have a 2 ski carrier hard case and a couple beefy soft travel bags but last time chose to just demo skis and avoid the hassle of traveling with skis. I like the protection a hard case offers but like soft cases as they are easier to carry around.
 

scott43

So much better than a pro
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And there's the debate about whether the airline will require an actual hard shell or a soft bag will do..
 

graham418

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The hardshell case requirement by Air Canada is just so they can weasel out of any damage claims. They wont cover if it isn't in a hard case .I do know of 1 person who had their skis run over by the baggage cart and broke the tip. Air Canada denied any claim for that reason. Personally, I usually use a soft bag, and wrap my skis with my base layers . I do have a Sportube 1, but it wont carry wider skis easily.
 

scott43

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The hardshell case requirement by Air Canada is just so they can weasel out of any damage claims. They wont cover if it isn't in a hard case .I do know of 1 person who had their skis run over by the baggage cart and broke the tip. Air Canada denied any claim for that reason. Personally, I usually use a soft bag, and wrap my skis with my base layers . I do have a Sportube 1, but it wont carry wider skis easily.

Yeah, completely agree. I do the same as you and haven't had problems to date.
 

Jilly

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I've used both and yes the wider skis are not going to fit into a Sport tube one. I can get my Temptation 88's in, but just barely. I travelled AC to the gathering and noted not many hard cases. I too figure it's to get out of any damage issues.
 

Lauren

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I have a Dakine as well, but the High Roller Snowboard Bag, basically the same construction as the Double Concourse. No complaints with my skis in it, but it's big for my snowboards. They don't take up the full length and it gets floppy...something to keep in mind if you're going with a soft bag, don't get one too long. With Dakine the 165 fits my 169 skis just fine.

DH has a High Sierra soft case that has an adjustable length, which solves the problem about it ever being too long regardless of the skis in it.
 

RNZ

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We fly with skis quite a bit, including united and air Canada and use soft bags. We have a dakine fall line and a cheap local equivalent of rei bag. Both have protected our skis well from the destruction testing methods used by airlines, city shuttles, etc

Judging by the condition of one of our bags I think that united may have suggested to our skis that they be off-loaded due to overbooking, but our bag resisted and united saw the error of its ways. The skis arrived but the bag had some drag injuries.

Our next bags will be douchebags
 

ADKmel

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I have a double sport tube. fit my 88 Black pearls and 95 Atomic no problem and poles. BUT on my way home from Revelstoke last month someone took the locking pin out of the tube and did not replace it!! When I grabbed my tube from luggage it fell apart. Of course delta didn't care. If you get a sport tube, I Suggest tie a string to the pin and case so at least it may remind TSA to put it back together properly. Sporttube also sells a TSA lock that I'll try next time I fly thru dumb airports. still wonder what the heck they look for all I put in are skis/poles. I used to fly w/soft bag and bubble wrap my bindings. then I saw some wrecked skis coming thru at airports and changed to hard case..
 

Jilly

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Along withe flight attendants that wanted to know what the Sport tube was....Denver?....really?. It was May, Mother's Day event, but Denver....I could understand Pearson in Toronto.

AC also wants your golf clubs in a hard case. How come I can get one of those at Canadian Tire or Sportchek. Sport tube...no some fancy place in Toronto.
 

hbear

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AC wants golf clubs in a hard case however it's very common for PGA touring pros and college teams to travel with the Golf Glove Burst Proof padded soft case with no issues. I figure my golf clubs are WAY more fragile than my skis, so can't see how a padded bag wouldn't be fine for skis.

One other thing to consider with a hard case is weight.
 

Scruffy

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http://transpack.net/skivaultdoublepro/

transpack double soft case with rollers works fine for me. Never had the need for a hard case, but I wouldn't say hardcases have any downside, I've just haven't needed one.
 

quant

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A hard case has two advantages: 1) It protects the skis w/o having to wrap clothing around the skis and bindings as you would in a soft case, and 2) You can ship skis in a hard case. At some point, you may find it a lot more convenient to ship the skis rather than fly with them. I do. If you travel extensively, shipping can make sense. The cost of shipping through FEDEX Ground or UPS is similar to what some airlines charge for extra luggage. Also, when you ship your skis to the resort you can oftentimes get by with a smaller rental vehicle, which saves money.
 

mdf

entering the Big Couloir
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I bought a soft Dakine bag this year that has stiff foam built in. Seems to pick up a lot of the good points of both hard and soft cases.

On the Air Canada issue, I saw lots of soft bags when I flew them to the Gathering this year. I would guess that those who say it is just a pre-planned way to weasel out of liability are correct.
 

cosmoliu

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Our next bags will be douchebags

I have a DB ski bag and 30 liter backpack in transit from a German shop which saved about 30% over prices here in the US. No VAT, I guess. Should arrive this week or next. Though late for this season, I'm really looking forward to trying out the system of attaching the backpack to the ski bag to drag by one hand while the other hand drags a wheeled duffel. I did enough plane travel this season to seriously re-think the Athalon based system I've been using for the last five years. The Athalon ski bag is hybrid soft/hard, with hard plastic ends and middle, with fabric in between. The boots go in an Athalon wheeled carryon with hard plastic bottom section for the boots and soft upper section for a change of clothes. It's been a good system, but I think the design of the DB system should simplify my life by a smidge.
 

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