Pack It Tight

[2Valve]

Going to FL this weekend for a five day ski trip with a few buddies.

 

Dumb me sold my Sport Tube as it's been sitting in the garage for the past five years. I plan to check the ski on the flight and have removed the fin and bindings and will bubble wrap it and stick it in the ski bag. None of the local boat dealers have spare ski boxes so I figure this will work.

 

Any insight/criticisms would be welcome. Thanks!

[Booze]

It's a gamble.

[swbca]

The skis are extremely strong, but on some brands the top edges are brittle and will indent and blister with light impact on a hard corner. If I had one of those brands, I might also fold a layer of cardboard around the edge. 1 or 2 layers of large cell Bubble wrap doesn't do much to prevent a concentrated force like the edge of any door frame to press in to the edge of a ski. Otherwise, an inch thick layering of small cell bubble wrap on the ski edges can provide pretty good edge protection.

[UWSkier]

Do you have any friends who snowboard? If so, ask if they have padded travel bags.

[skialex]

Can’t you find a padded one event roller bag from masterline or Radar? If packed well, I would feel as comfortable as with the sport tube.

I have both and I think that the next time I travel to the US, I will take the one event roller as I can fit more stuff in on my return than in the sport tube.

[ski6jones]

Use pipe insulation around the outside edge of the ski, then wrap in bubble wrap. Check around locally for large cardboard tubing. I used this before my sportube. If you can't find a single price long enough they have shorter ones at Lowes/Home Depot in the concrete section used as forms. Buy 2 and tape together if necessary

[dchristman]

Leave your ski at home and just take your bindings. Demo some skis when you get there.

[ForrestGump]

nothing will protect you from cargo guys like @The_MS when they drive forklifts over it, though.

[PatM]

You can try to overnight it via FedEx or UPS. That is also a gamble

[2Valve]

really appreciate the suggestions.

 

[UWSkier]

my dad uses shipskis.com to visit me in AZ from WI.

[Horton]

I trust UPS or FedEx a billion times more than any airline

[fu_man]

It's a gamble no matter which route you go. I have a padded travel bag for my ski. I got pipe insulation tubes, fitted them around the edges of the ski, and then used some string to tie them tight. Vest , towels and other soft items then filled the other voids in the bag to give it more padding..

 

I also wen the route of UPS shipping the ski in its original shipping box back and forth.

 

I had no problems in either case, but plenty of skis have been damaged by airlines and UPS i would imagine.

[Wish]

ShipSticks dot com. They specialize in sports gear shipping. They will ship to whatever address u give them. All other shipping options do not specialize in sports gear.

 

Just shipped a ski back to FL from MN using UPS. Was not my primary ski as I have that here. The ski arrived a week late. That could ruin a nice ski vacation. Airlines are hit a miss as well. Had a sport tube that the airline lost. Week later they found it. It had arrived when I did. They just misplaced it inside their own airport ? ...how is that possible with something that big?

[klindy]

You’re in MI, right? Reach out to some of your MI buddies and borrow a SportsTube. Several are at the MasterCraft Pro tournament this weekend so once they get back they’ll likely have their travel gear out anyway. Worth a try.

[Mastercrafter]

@2Valve where in MI are you? If you're local to Walled Lake and can have it back by 11/5, you can use mine.

[disland]

I have used ship sticks and had a good experience. I was on a multi hop business trip and didnt have to mess with a ski. Got to Florida and it was there waiting for me.

[Wayne]

@2Valve I sent you a PM, I live out in the sticks but have a ski box you are welcome to.

[LeonL]

Airlines and skis! Recall my first Nationals. Got there and no ski. Borrowed one to ski. (I took my bindings as carry-on) Came the next day. Same thing going home. At that point I was hoping that it wouldn't show up and the airlines would pay me and I'd get another ski. 2 days later they drop it off at my house. No damage either way though. As @Wish commented, you never know when stuff will arrive. Better ship plenty early.

[ALPJr]

Ship sticks has a new offering https://www.shipskis.com/?utm_source=shipsticks.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=homebutton

[Deanoski]

box it and ship it

 

[andjules]

Is your ski brand new?

I'll be the reckless contrarian: yes, it's a gamble (no matter which route), but I've flown internationally a number of times, never more than pipe insulation + padded ski bag + cardboard fin guard inside a (cheap, soft) downhill ski bag, never had an issue. The idea of spending several hundred on buying a sport tube and/or shipping it separately (every time you travel?) seems like very expensive and still-unreliable insurance on something that simply isn't that big a risk. Then again, I don't buy $2500+ skis brand new, and generally wouldn't mind that much if my ski broke and it gave me an excuse to upgrade :wink:

[2Valve]

I'm going with padding the hell out of my ski in the ski bag and do a check in at the airlines. Maybe for the trip back, I'll contact ShipSkis 'cause it will be less hassle, (and based on what the airline charges for the trip down).

Thanks everyone for your help. And my ski is only a $1000 Carbon V, so if it gets broke, all the more reason to upgrade.

 

[DW]

I was able to slide a stripped down ski in the overhead on a MI > Indy flight many moons ago. It was a NWA flight so probably an MD80 at the time. Got a ton of looks and a smirk from the flight attendant, she was amused. That was when everyone was much more civil.

[RAWSki]

We have successfully traveled with skis in a rolling snowboard bag. Well packed and the skis well wrapped. But as stated it's not without risk. We now use sport tubes because @Shell 's favorite Vapor didn't survive a trip back from FL. The tail was folded 90 degrees right in front of the fin.

 

[DaveD]

I find @RAWSki and @Shell to be the most reliable shipping service. :smile:

[2Valve]

Arrived with no issues. Delta did a nice job. Great three days of skiing with Arthur and sharing stories.