Top Rated Travel Ski Bags to Fly in 2023/2024

Flying with your skis is quite simple, as long as you check the ski policies and regulations for the airline you are flying with, and have the right bags to pack all your skis, boots, and gear safely.  A well-designed ski bag has well thought-out compartments for all the accessories, such as boots, goggles, and helmet, so you can bring everything you need on your next ski trip.  Depending on the airline you'll be flying with, you may be able to bring a separate Boot Bag free of charge, or you may have to pack your boots together with the skis - this depends on the airline, and it is important that you know how you are expected to pack your gear to avoid extra fees.

We have compiled a list of the top-rated ski travel bags for flying to keep your gear safe and organized on your next trip.  Of course, you can fly with your skis in a simple day-use bag without padding, but you do risk arriving at the mountain with damaged skis and bent poles, as well as finding yourself with a torn bag when picking up your skis at your destination. We recommend investing a little bit more into a bag that will keep your skis safe over the years on multiple trips - you can pick up a very high-quality padded ski travel bag on Amazon for about $60-$70, such as the Element Equipment Deluxe Padded Ski Bag. [AMZ asins='B083176696,B074F945NM,B08512DLZK,B07X3MMRLX']

Be sure to check whether your airline offers to take ski gear as a single piece, or whether you can pack your boots into a separate boot bag without additional cost.  This will allow you to pack all of your snow gear together without the worry of going over the weight limit.  Some bags offer removable boot bags so they are great when flying with multiple airlines with different rules regarding ski equipment. 

Be sure to check the listing of 2023-2024 Airline Ski Baggage Rules and Policies for over 300+ airlines, to know what rules will apply to your trip. If you haven't booked your flight yet, check out our picks for the most ski-friendly airlines for your region:

Now that you're ready go, it's time to pack.  Here are our picks for the best ski travel bags and cases to get you to the mountains.  We've included everything from hard-shelled cases for flying with high-performance race skis, to padded wheeled bags to simple yet effective padded shoulder-carry bags.  We did not inlude any flimsy or notpadded day-use bags, as they are not a great option for flying with your skis.  Choosing the right bag depends on your budget, how many sets of skis gear you'll be bringing, as well as whether you want to splurge for a wheeled bag (highly recommended!).

Found this page helpful?  Feel free to bookmark it as a quick reference, and be sure to share it with your ski buddies that may find this helpful! Wishing you plenty of great snow on your next trip!

List of Recommended Items in This Article

Element Equipment Deluxe Padded Ski

Athletico Padded Ski Bag Combo

Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Bag

Element Equipment Wheeled Padded Ski Bag Ultimate Double

Athletico Rolling Double Ski Bag

Dakine Fall Line Roller Hardside

Ski Bags - Wheeled or Not?

The most common question is whether to buy a roller/wheeled or shoulder-carry ski bag. In general, the more deluxe wheeled bags have additional padding and are slightly more rigid, protecting your skis better than a simple padded shoulder bag, not to mention the ease of use when trudging bleary-eyed through the airport at 4 a.m.  The drawbacks are that a wheeled bag is generally more expensive, as well as slightly heavier, so you may be approaching the 50 lbs / 23 kg weight limit when packing 2 pairs of skis.  The rigid portion by the wheels also makes the wheeled bags not fold up as small when not in use.

Pros/Cons of Wheeled Ski Bags

Benefits of Wheeled Ski Bags

• Additional Padding


• Easy to Handle through Airport


• Typically more durable / better construction


• Integrated boot compartments

Disadvantages of Wheeled Ski Bags

• More Expensive


• Heavier Bag / Extra Weight


• Folds Up Larger

Element Equipment Deluxe Padded Ski Bag

The Element Equipment Deluxe Padded Ski Bag is a deluxe padded travel bag built to the quality of a roller bag, but without the wheels.  It will protect your skis well, and the sturdy zipper will hold up throughout the years.  Some customers have noted that the sizing is a little snug, so if in doubt, be sure to order the larger size.  It has been mentioned that the 175cm bag will fit skis up to about 170cm.  It is designed to fit a single pair of skis and poles.

This is a simple bag with no wheels or other frills, but will do the job of getting your skis from point A to point B. Be sure to order the correct length of bag for your skis.

Read More About the Element Equipment Deluxe Padded Ski Bag...

Athletico Padded Two Piece Ski and Boot Bag Combo

The Athletico Padded Two Piece Ski and Boot Bag Combo is a great value combo of padded ski bag (shoulder-carry) and boot bag.  Fitting skis up to 200cm, it's rolled end design will adjust to the length of your skis, so you don't have a flappy loose-end.  You can fit 1 pair of skis, poles, and boots up to size 13 will fit the boot bag.  As a budget-friendly simple bag, it does it's job wonderfully, and has received over 1000 positive reviews on Amazon with a great rating of 4.7/5 stars.

Before flying, be sure to check whether your airline allows a separate boot bag beside your ski bag, to avoid any unnecessary excess baggage fees.

Buy the Athletico Padded Two Piece Ski and Boot Bag Combo on Amazon

Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Bag

Dakine has built it's reputation on creating great quality products that are thought-out and designed specifically for action sport enthusiasts. The Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Bag lives up to that reputation, offering exactly what a skier needs in a travel bag. 

The Fall Line bag will fit 2 pairs of skis and poles, as well as your boots.  The boot bag is removable if necessary. We love that the urethane wheels on this bag actually work, making it easy to maneouver around the airport.  It's lightweight design will keep you well within your 50 lbs weight limit, which isn't always an option with wheeled bags, and it even straps onto your roller luggage to be able to pull both a suitcase and your ski bag with one hand.

Overall, this bag is a winner as it offers the perfect balance of ease of use, comfort, protection, quality, and value in a ski bag. There is a reason why the Fall Line is consistently Dakine's best-selling ski bag.

Buy the Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Bag Here 

Element Equipment Wheeled Padded Ski Bag Ultimate Double

The Element Equipment Wheeled Padded Ski Bag Ultimate Double is a premium padded ski roller travel bag at an affordable price.  We like the thick padding and durable material that holds up well over multiple trips, and the multiple exterior handles make it easy to pick up and carry if necessary, either alone or with a partner.  The wheels work well as long as the skis are placed toward the back-end of the bag. 

We appreciate the interior buckles to keep your skis and poles tightly packed, and the exterior compression straps keep the bag in a nice and tight package when heading to the airport.  The bag comfortably fits 2 pairs of skis and poles, and you can fill the gaps with gloves, snowpants, mitts, or other accessories, but it is by no means a huge bag that will be floppy all around.  

Element Equipment Wheeled Padded Ski Bag Ultimate Double

Athletico Rolling Double Ski Bag

The Athletico Rolling Double Ski Bag is Athletico's premium ski travel bag offering, with a nice set up wheels that work great when rolling through the airport.  This is a large bag to fit 2 pairs of skis, poles, as well as accessories, with an interior divider and compression straps to keep your skis in place.  The one thing we think Athletico can improve with this bag are the exterior handles, that do not feel very sturdy when lifting the bag when fully packed.

Athletico Rolling Double Ski Bag

Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Hardside

The Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Hardside is a rigid hardshell ski case offering the ultimate protection for your skis.  This thing is built to take a beating while keeping your precious skis safe, but unfortunately it doesn't come cheap.  

It is large enough to hold 2 pairs of skis, along with 1 pair of boots in a removeable boot bag.  We like the interior compression straps to keep your skis from flailing around inside the case, and we also appreciate the details such as the TSA-lock zipper and the tie-down strap pass-throughs if loading it onto the roof your car.

Dakine Fall Line Ski Roller Hardside

Comments / Discussion / Questions

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