Packing clothes in your board bag

A snowHead

Hi all,

sorry if this has been covered before, I'm new to the forum but have been boarding for a few years now.

When you travel with your equipment do you pack the bag full of clothes etc. to add some protection and save you from paying for hold luggage?

Reason I ask is both monarch and Ryanair have told me I can only pack one piece of snow equipment in my bag and definitely no clothes. Seems mad to me, I'm paying for 20kgs but can't use the full weight.

I've done a quick Internet search and everybody seems to do it with some of the big brand names in the industry telling us how to pack our equipment bags with clothes to save space.

Don't want to get to the airport to be told to take all my clothes out of the bag. I suppose if that happens I could just wear everything on the plane, could get a bit warm mind.

What's everyone's thoughts on this

Cheers

A snowHead

@vwmk1, I - and many others - do this all the time on BA. Can't speak for Ryanair or Monarch though, sorry. Somebody who can will hopefully be along in a minute.
Welcome to snowHeads

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Just had this back from monarch but Ryanair arnt budging

Hi Martin, snowboarding equipment like gloves, jackets, armour and thermal layers all count as ski equipment. Ski/snowboarding equipment is anything used for the sport. ^JR

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I always do. Only time anyone has ever checked to see what was in my ski bag was customs in Munich after flying via Amsterdam.

The airport staff won't give a damn, only possible the airLINE staff at checkin, but that's very unlikely, especially as they won't take the ski bag at the checkin desk anyway (always gotta take them to oversize).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I always do too, admitadly I've not flown with monach, but the others have been fine and have never checked. I always wrap everything up in a black bags, and then if they were to ask I just say its padding to protect bindings etc and toiletries, which effectively they are.

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Agreed ive never had any problem - besides its 'padding' to protect your equipment from those p1ss1ng baggage handlers who chuck our beloved skis around!!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

This seems to have been a grey area for the past 20 years or so that I have been snowboarding.

We never used to even pay for snowboard carriage, we would just walk up to the drop off point, say we had paid and put our gear through. No one ever checked.

When we got a bit older and wiser we thought why risk it for the sake of a few quid so started booking our gear on legit.

We have always packed our board bags with jackets, board pants, gloves etc. and never been checked.....but I would think at some point someone will.

No non ski equipment in a ski bag is against most airline T&Cs but it's only there to stop people taking the pee and to cover themselves.

Ski bags, like all over-sized luggage often get handled differently to standard hold luggage inside airports, they could be too physically big or heavey for the automated bag transfer system for example and as a result there's a lot more points where they could get lost or delayed. If your standard hold bag gets lost you'll be authorised (by a proper airline at least) to buy escential replacements to survive until they can get it back to you, starting with things like underware/personal grooming supplies for an over-night delay and building up from there the longer it's delayed. If you're ski bag's lost you'll be authorised to hire kit until they can get yours to you but if you say "But all my clothes, etc were in my ski bag too!" it comes down to the airline/mood they are in but they are likely to point you to the T&Cs and tell you "That's your problem, buy your own socks.".

That said most bag DON'T go missing and those that do are only lost for 24/48hrs, so you can just turn your pants inside out Wink

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Wot that @Mjit said... Well that was my explanation from Air Canada when I ran into this regulation from them a few years back.

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@vwmk1, There is a workaround , PM me wink

Anyone had experience with this on KLM? I asked on Facebook page and was told one pair of skis, poles n boots only!!! I asked about helmet etc n told need to take it in hand luggage.

You know it makes sense.

@speachmaus, I'm just going to wing it. Although I've paid for an extra bag, rather than just swapping a hold bag for a ski bag which I know you can do. So for 2 people we have 2 hold bags and a ski bag total, so all the skis and whatever else I can fit (2-3 pairs) are going in the double bag - the way I see it, you don't actually specify skis on the booking, you just pay for X bags, so I'll be using the full 3x23kg Shocked

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

The Ryanair T&Cs make no mention of what can and cannot go in a ski/board bag.

A snowHead

I'd disagree, it's not against the terms and conditions of most airlines I've flown with at least. The whole thing is a none issue, an internet meme which won't die.

The maximum weights are easy to find. Some airports used to allow up to 32Kgs, but 23Kgs works for standard airlines anywhere, in my experience. Charter / "low cost" flights may do different things for all I know.

The Montreal convention covers what the airline has to do. They will try to pretend that they control what they have to do should they lose your gear, but that's not actually what the law says. So long as you're reasonable, then they're picking up the costs. Been there, done that, didn't take any prisoners. The challenge is that you can't write your gear off for I think four weeks, so there can be quite a long period they're covering your costs for. That's still their problem.

A snowHead

@dublin2, you are down a cravasse you can not receive PMs. Care to share your work around?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@speachmaus, on KLM, you can pack whatever you want, just don't go over the weight limit. Furthermore, I see people wearing their helmets, which means hooked on to their carry on.

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@HeidiAmsterdam, thanks. I also have seen people with boots and helmets as carry on but as there is room in my double ski bag I don't want to have to carry them about. I shall just turn up n hope all goes well but I think I'll take out some ski gear and put in hand luggage incase my bag goes missing as I have a tight transfer in AMS.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

speachmaus, AMS are pretty good at handling luggage. We literally had to run off the plane and run to the gate to make the connection thinking the luggage wouldn't make it ( didn't matter on the way home )back in the UK and off comes all the gear, including skis

We always pack the ski bags up to the limit, never a problem as HeidiAmsterdam, says.

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I've not seen anywhere say that we can't take 2 pairs of skis in a bag with Monarch. My cousin booked our flights and ski carriage for us, he works for Monarch (although he has nothing to do with baggage/check in) and he didn't say anything.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I never used to pay either but that seems like a long time ago now. I have though always packed all my snowboard gear in a low roller (20kgs ish) and taken my civi clothes in a cabin bag (10kgs). I would need to stick and extra pair of kicks (trainers for you old folk) in the sb bag too. This has always worked for me.

After all it is free

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'll just risk it and just put all my gear on if they kick off.

Never had a problem with any airline and I do this every time I go, I've flown Monarch but it was some years ago now but if you pay for a board bag then you can put anything in it as long as it's allowed aboard a plane.

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@vwmk1, I have a big ski bag, and stuff it full of gear. Flown BA, Easyjet, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic, Air Asia, Swiss, Lufthansa, Monarch, and all the rest… Never had a problem. But do keep it under the weight limit.

On another note, many T&Cs say your ski bag cannot be over 190cm! But again, never had an issue.

I always take my precious boots as cabin baggage; together with other essentials incase my ski bag gets lost/delayed.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I've personally packed my board bag with clothes plenty of times and never had any issues. However, it's always a good idea to check with your airline's specific policies to avoid any surprises at the airport.

If you're worried about being told to remove your clothes from the bag, you could consider wearing some of the bulkier items on the plane to save space. It might get a bit warm, but it's a small price to pay for not having to leave your clothes behind.

Overall, packing your board bag with clothes is a smart move, just be sure to double-check the rules before you head to the airport. And if you're looking for some quality safety t-shirts, you might want to check out https://www.fullsource.com/safety-shirts/

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The airline are covering ones own backside against you possibly making a claim on everything in the boardbag if they lose the bag.... Its nothing to do with anything else except money so its all about the airline ONLY having to pay out on just 1 x board or a pair of skis .
Hardly a grey area .
They will try and talk your damage or loss down to nothing too ....if you let them .

Put whatever you want in the bag up to the weight limit only and tell them exactly what they want to hear is inside the bag and nothing else .ie say its snowboarding equipment or your snowboard obviously ...if they ask.
If you have more than one board or set or other items say its my snowboard im going snowboarding but its unlikely they will hassel you unless they are pi ssed off for some reason .

Ski snowboard gear is durable but the baggage people will rip or tear the bags eventually if you travel enough mainly long haul ,short haul is less likely but happens .
Surfboards are far more fragile thru the Canaries and South east asia we have seen them just throwing luggage out of the plane from 12 foot up into a big pile onto the concrete tarmac

The airlines will snap your sports gear completely in half and also damage good bags so if time allows claim on anything and everything whenever ....because if you travel enough with mainly fragile sports gear that is ... they are going to destroy it sooner or later and you will be left short jumping thru hoops .
Dealing with them is a circus some damage claims you win some you lose and all of it takes a month of sundays.
They make certain of that.

You know it makes sense.

I am a skier, but it has always made me nervous packing cloths and jackets in with my skis for fear my ski edges will cut them. My solution is to either put the skis in a clear plastic travel bag or a cheap thin ski bag with no padding and then put that inside my good padded ski bag.

I also pack all the cloths in 2-4 various nylon or whatever bags before it goes into the ski bag. I also put name tags on each of my skis, poles, and nylon bags that way if someone behind the scenes checks my bag and takes everything out there are only a few things to put back in rather than a zillion things that could get left out. I also take pictures of each of the zillion items that goes into my ski bag and a pic of the ski bag when it is all zipped up and ready to go.

Lastly, I try to carry on whatever I absolutely can't go without or what is light and expensive. Gloves, goggles, jacket and/or shell, and ski pants are some ideas. I would rather have those than street cloths I may wear after skiing.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Help!!

Packing clothes in your board bag

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