Camp Packing Guide

One of the best bits of attending ski camps can be the experience of all the travelling. But it can be a challenge to get all of the (expensive!) kit out and back home without breaking the bank, in one piece, and without too much struggle. This guide is based on my (Calum, Head Coach) experience of travelling as a racer/coach/recreational skier and will help make travelling for a camp a breeze!

Luggage definitions

Firstly, let me be clear about what pieces of luggage I am referring to:

• Ski bag: any long bag capable of fitting one or more pairs of skis
• Kit bag/boot bag: the (sometimes very!) large rucksack that usually (but not always) has space for ski boots, plus other gear – helmet, back protector, slalom protection, etc.
• Suitcase: any large piece of luggage that isn’t either of the above
• Backpack: any smaller wearable bags that aren’t specifically for ski kit
• Hold bag: any piece of luggage checked in to the aircraft hold on a flight (as opposed to cabin baggage)

The best way to travel

In my opinion, this is the most cost-effective way of getting all the essential kit to a ski camp:

1. Pack a ski bag in advance, and send it out ahead of the camp in the team van
   You should be able to fit all the pairs of skis and poles you need into a ski bag, or two if necessary – see below for the best ski bags to buy. You are not restricted on weight (unless I need a crane to load the van!), so you can fill the remaining volume of the bag with other kit, like your catsuit, salopettes & jacket, even ski boots. Getting rid of this bag ahead of time makes travelling through the airport much easier!
2. Pack your kit bag with remaining kit, and check it in on the flight as a hold bag
   If you didn’t fit your boots into your ski bag for the van, they can go in this kit bag in the aircraft hold. Then you can fill the rest of the bag with thermals, ski socks, fitness clothing, casual clothing, etc. Using this bag as luggage means you will then have it for carrying kit in resort, as usually we do not put boots on at the hotel, but at or on the first lift.
3. Take a small backpack as cabin baggage
   This can be for any important documents, schoolwork, personal items, snacks for travelling, portable chargers that can’t go in the hold, etc.

What if the airline loses my luggage?

We all know this happens, and it can be very disruptive to a camp. The airline is responsible for sorting it out, but it can be days until you and your luggage are reunited. Your ski boots are probably the single most important thing you want to have, because rented boots won’t be anything like your own. Having them in your ski bag in the van practically guarantees that they will arrive with you in resort.

If you pack a set of thermals and ski socks in your cabin bag, or with your skis, boots, and ski clothing, you will have the bare minimum to get going on the first day of training, whether your hold bag has gone missing or not.

Naming kit

It is absolutely essential that every single item your child brings on a ski camp has their name on it! If you pack an item that is not named, you should full expect it not to return! Camps are very intense, moving from one activity to the next, and it’s easy for things to get left behind. On top of that, lots of racers have kit that looks exactly the same (how many Lange kit bags have you seen at a race weekend?). Simply initials in permanent marker is enough, or you can buy pre-printed label stickers, or even a label maker for around £20.

Packing skis

Before packing skis for a camp, they should be fully serviced – razor sharp edges, and universal wax applied. If you are not able to do this at home, you should ask your local ski shop/supplier, or one of your dry slope coaches. The wax should be left on and not scraped off, as this will help protect the skis in transit. There is usually time to take the wax off on arrival in resort, but if there is not, it’s not a big deal. Having said that, there is never usually time to fully service a pair of skis on arrival before the first day on skis, so if you arrive on camp with blunt edges you are effectively wasting the first whole day of training.

Ski ties are absolutely essential not just to protect skis but to make them easy to carry. Two per pair is an absolute minimum, but three is best. With three tightly wrapped, correctly positioned ski ties, and wax left on, your skis are adequately protected & packed for transit.

Avoid wrapping skis with foam or bubble wrap. Whilst a padded ski bag to provide some protection in transit is good (see below), it’s really not necessary to bundle skis up in over-the-top protection. They might pick up a cosmetic bash or two, but they are unlikely to become materially damaged if they are packed properly. Ultimately the airline is responsible if they are significantly damaged or broken in transit.

What bags are best?

‘Ski’ bag

The best ski bags for racers are actually roller snowboard bags. Naturally they are wider and can therefore fit multiple pairs of skis & poles, and more kit. These bag are usually slightly padded so protects everything inside well. They are flat-bottomed so pack really well into a van, and the rollers make it easy to load/unload, or wheel around an airport if you have to. Dakine or Wedze (Decathlon) make good ones. Make sure they are long enough to fit your skis – if you squeeze a pair that’s slightly longer than the bag technically fits, they will probably poke a hole through the bag!

I would actually recommend packing skis in a ‘top-and-tail’ form, with tail/tips in opposite directions. That way the bindings ‘mesh’ together and don’t move around as much.

Thin roll-top types are not great as they provide next to no padding/protection, can be very awkward to carry, and often don’t have very big capacity. Also avoid hard-shell ski ‘boxes’

Kit bag

I think the best kit bags are the Lange ones, or Völkl make a similar one. They have internal pockets for boots (so they don’t get wet if it’s raining or snowing walking to the lift), and can still fit a helmet & goggles, back protector, shin/arm guards, water, snacks, and spare clothes.

Kit bags are always full, regardless of their size, in my experience anyway! I personally have been through the process of having a smaller bag that I’ve rammed full of things, thinking I should get a bigger bag so it’s not such a squeeze, and then getting the bigger bag and it’s just as full because I’ve got the room for more junk! So my advice would be to avoid buying the enormous bags (you know, the ones big enough for a U12 to fit inside!), because when full they can weigh more than the racer!

Suitcase

You might not need a suitcase if you have packed well enough into your ski and kit bags, but you might want one if you are doing a longer camp to pack more general clothing. If you do need one, a small soft-shell bag can work well, and you can often manage with the 10-15 kg option offered by airlines which is cheaper than the standard 20-23 kg.

Hard-shell cases are best avoided. They are fixed volume so take up the same space even if they are half-empty, but they also can’t be stuffed full if necessary. They are also very difficult to pack in a van.