How to Pack for a Ski Trip Without Paying Overweight Fees

Here's how to pack for a ski vacation: wear the coat and the bulkiest items on the flight, put the ski boots in the equipment bag rather than the suitcase, and compress the clothes in packing cubes inside a large, expandable suitcase. The problem with skiing is more about volume than weight, but warm layers add up fast, so weigh the suitcase at home before you leave.

The ski bag: what the airline allows at no cost

Before packing, check what the airline allows for the equipment itself, because that determines what goes into the suitcase. On El Al, according to the airline's sports equipment page, snow ski and snowboard equipment flies at no extra cost and in addition to your suitcases, on every fare except Lite, provided all the equipment is packed in one bag, up to 32 kg and with total dimensions of up to 277 cm.

The detail most worth noticing: at El Al a ski set includes a pair of skis, a pair of poles and a pair of ski boots, and a snowboard set includes a board and a pair of boots. Ski boots are one of the heaviest and bulkiest items on the trip, and if they travel in the equipment bag, the suitcase is freed up for clothes.

Other airlines have different rules, and some charge for sports equipment. Check your airline's website before booking. And if you rent equipment at the ski resort, this whole question goes away and the suitcase is all you have.

What to wear on the flight

The simplest way to save space and weight is to wear the heavy things. The ski jacket or winter coat, the thick sweater and the heaviest shoes you're taking (not the ski boots) go on you. On the plane you can take off the coat and use it as a pillow, and at the destination it's already on you when you step out of the terminal into the cold. More ideas for what's comfortable to wear on a flight are in our guide to dressing for a flight.

The ski packing list, by layer

• Base layer, next to the skin: thermal shirts and pants. Thin, light, and they roll into a small cylinder. Two sets for a week are usually enough, with a wash in the middle.
• Mid layer: a fleece or a thin sweater. One or two.
• Outer layer: ski jacket and ski pants. The jacket is on you on the flight, the pants go in the suitcase.
• Accessories: gloves, a hat, a neck warmer and ski socks. Small, but they take up space. Use them to fill gaps, for example inside shoes.
• For the evening: regular clothes and comfortable shoes for the village. This is where it's easiest to overdo it.

How to fit all of this into one suitcase

1. Packing cubes by layer. A cube for thermals, a cube for fleeces, a cube for accessories. That way you also don't turn the suitcase upside down every morning.
2. Compression for the bulky clothes. A compression bag or organizer shrinks fleeces and sweaters. Just remember that compression saves volume, not weight, and with a compressed suitcase it's easy to go over 23 kilos.
3. Roll instead of fold for the thin clothes. More methods are detailed in our guide to folding clothes for a suitcase.
4. An expandable suitcase. The expansion gives you a few more centimeters on the way back, when the clothes are no longer folded the way they were at home.

And on the way back

The return from a ski vacation is usually heavier than the outbound trip. The clothes are no longer neatly folded, some are still damp, and there are souvenirs. Three things help: a separate bag for wet clothes, so they don't soak everything else; opening the expansion zipper only now, and not on the way out; and weighing at the hotel before leaving for the airport, while you can still move something to your carry-on or wear it.

Checklist before you close the suitcase

• Ski boots in the equipment bag, if your airline allows it.
• The coat, the thick sweater and the heavy shoes set aside, ready to wear on the morning of the flight.
• Thermals rolled, fleeces compressed, accessories inside the shoes.
• Batteries and power banks in your carry-on, not in the suitcase.
• Ski goggles and sunscreen with the toiletries, inside a closed organizer.
• Free space for the way back: at least one expansion zipper that wasn't opened on the way out.
• A final weigh-in, with the number saved on your phone for the return.

Which suitcase for a ski vacation

Winter clothes take up volume, so for a week of skiing a 28 inch suitcase is usually the right fit, even for one person. What to look for:

• Large volume at a low weight. For example, our Cosmos DLX 28 inch reaches 120 liters and weighs 4 kg, with a 3 cm expansion in depth.
• Expansion, for the way back.
• Good wheels. In ski villages you drag a suitcase over snow, salt and wet sidewalks. In places like that, it's better to lift it on stairs rather than bounce it.

And once everything is inside, weigh it. In winter the layers add up, and on the way back more wet clothes and souvenirs join in. If you still went over, it's worth knowing how much overweight baggage costs, and for anyone flying expensive gear there's also our guide to protecting sports equipment on flights.