As most people know snowboarding can be an expensive hobby. Boards, bindings, boots and clothes all add up for the initial cost of getting started. After getting all those things another item I’d consider essential is a travel bag. Below are some of our favorite snowboard bags for air travel.
| Bag | Price | Best For | |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAKINE Low Roller Bag |  | On Amazon / REI | Extended holidays |
| Burton Space Sack Bag |  | On Amazon / REI | Occasional day trips |
| DAKINE Tour Bag |  | On Amazon / REI | Mid Budget |
| Burton Wheelie Board Case |  | On Amazon | Extra Space |
| Thule RoundTrip Roller Bag |  | On Amazon | Mid Budget |
| Burton Wheelie Gig Bag |  | On Amazon | Regular travel |
| Winterial Bag with Wheels |  | On Amazon | Mid Budget |
| DAKINE High Roller Bag |  | On Amazon | Lots of features |
We go into more detail on each bag further below…
Do You Need One?
Yes, unless you live next to a mountain you’ll need to travel with your snowboard and a bag is an essential buy. The alternative is to carry the board exposed or maybe to wrap the board yourself. Both options will probably make your life harder than it needs to be.
If the board is exposed you can damage it. Wrapping it yourself could protect it but it will be harder to carry around than if you had a purpose built bag.
What To Look Out For In A Snowboard Bag
To find the best snowboard bag there are lots of factors to consider for example if you need something long term vs just for a one off. Maybe you just want a neat bag for storage or you plan on using it for multiple trips to the airport each year. I imagine most people will want to use their bags at least once or twice a year. Here are some things to look out for.
Is It Airline Travel Friendly
Unless you’re very lucky and live next to Whistler or the Alps most of us will have to fly to get to the best snowboarding destinations.
If you plan to use the bag mainly for flying look out for:
TSA-approved locks
In the rare cases where TSA need to open and inspect your baggage they can do so by forcing open a lock. If you have a TSA approved lock they will use special tools to open it without breaking the lock itself.
If you don’t have an apporved lock there is a chance your bags locks getting damaged if they do need to force them open.
Urethane wheels
Having wheels on you snowboard bag can be a big deal when you have to walk from one end of the airport to the other or from the airport to your room. From experience I can tell you I’d much rather have wheels vs only shoulder straps.
This is especially true if you also pack clothes and other items than your snowboard and bindings. Your shoulders and back will thank you for having wheels.
Any skateboarders out there will know how good wheels made from urethane or polyurethane are. They have lots of benefits such as being able to stand more punishing weather conditions, non marking and resistant to abrasions. They may be the better choice over rubber or plastic.
The right size and weight to not pay extra fees
Most airlines will allow you to bring a snowboard bag free of charge. It will be counted as part of your checked baggage.
Problem is they may have some strict size and weight restrictions. It’s probably best to get the smallest size (length) bag that will fit your snowboard.
When it comes to weight, the problem of just getting the lightest bag will often not the strongest bag. So you’ll have to make a trade off between hard wearing and lightness.
View our article on snowboard airline baggage policies if you’re want more info on flying with a snowboard.
Compartments
Depending on extras you intend to bring in the bag, you may want to have lots of different sized compartments. For example if you are packing your clothes, helmet, goggles and boots. As long as they don’t take away to much room from the main compartment the more the better.
Boot and Binding Bags
Some of the higher end bags will include a boot and bindings bag. As lots of airlines will allow you to use a boot bag and not charge you extra it can save lots of space for clothes. Not needed but a good bonus if the bag comes with one.
Padding
Will help if Mr Bag throwing man at the airport gets a bit to heavy handed. Your goggles and helmet will have a softer impact.
Good zips
When ever I read a review of a snowboard bag one of the most common faults is a zip breaking and that’s understandable. Try to find one with a high quality zip.
Strap Options
Though wheels are a must for me there are going to be times you’ll need to pick it up off the ground. Having multiple options such as hand held, shoulder strap or backpack straps could be highly beneficial.
Snowboard Bag Reviews
1 DAKINE Low Roller Bag
The Low Roller Bag from Dakine comes in at the middle to high price point. It’s on the larger side and can hold two boards, one pair of boots and has room for outer wear. The size is 9″ high and 22″ wide with a choice of length. As with most bags it’s made from polyester, 600D but also uses ripstop. As the name implies this ripstop helps prevent rips.
It’s a roller and comes with large urethane wheels to help transport it. The zippers are made by YKK and are lockable. It includes a removable boot bag which is useful for airline travel. The handle can pair with other rolling luggage so you can handle multiple bags with one hand.
This bag is best for people that travel a lot and like to go on extended snow holidays due to the strong construction and extra room.
Pros
- Large with lots of storage space
- High quality construction
- Includes a boot bag
- YKK zippers
Cons
- No TSA approved locks
- Large size can make it heavier than others.
- lack of shoulder or back straps
2 Burton Space Sack Bag
Burton is one of the most popular snowboarding brands on the market so they tend to have more trust with buyers. The Burton space sack comes in at the lower end of the price range.
It’s also made from 600D polyester but is one of their lighter models as it’s more compact and there isn’t any padding. They say it is capable of carrying multiple boards however it might be a struggle to get more than two board, one set of bindings and boots inside.
There are no wheels instead you have a few different options on the straps. There is a removable shoulder strap along with the smaller hand held strap
This bag is best for the occasional day trips or weekend getaways but not so good for extended stays due to lack of storage.
Pros
- light weight
- Affordable
- TSA Locks
Cons
- No wheels
- No shoulder straps
- Lack of compartments for outerwear
3 DAKINE Tour Bag
The Dakine tour bag is more affordable and lighter then their low roller option but offers the same high quality 600D ripstop polyester.
It is 8″ high and 15″ wide with different length options. It can easily handle a board, boots and outerwear. It comes with padding all around to give extra protection.
There are no wheels but comes with a padded shoulder straps and end handles instead.
Is best for boarders that need something light and budget friendly but can be used often.
Pros
- Padding
- Lightweight
- Affordable
Cons
- No back straps
- No wheels
4 Burton Wheelie Board Case 
The Burton wheelie board case bag is one of the most expensive bags on this list but with good reason. It is made from a combination of thinner and thicker materials 600D and 1200D polyesters so you get extra protection where needed but the bag isn’t super heavy.
There is padding inside to help protect your gear along with webbing straps to hold your board(s) in place. It can case multiple boards with lower board deck storage. It comes with a boot bag, TSA approved locks and Ixion skate wheels.
Best for snowboarders that travel often and need extra space.
Pros
- Quality construction
- TSA Locks
- Wheels
Cons
- Not the lightest bag
- Expensive
5 Thule RoundTrip Snowboard Roller Bag
I’m not that familiar with Thule but they are a Swedish company that make bags for all types of sports and activities. The Thule RoundTrip Snowboard Roller Bag is a mid-priced bag that seems competitive compared to others on this list.
It’s constructed from 600D polyester and weighs around 7 pounds. It’s a padded bag with wheels and a shoulder strap. It fits snowboards up to 165cm and includes compression straps to stop stuff moving around.
Pros
- YKK zippers
- Padded
- Wheels
Cons
- No boot bag included
6 Burton Wheelie Gig Bag
Another option from Burton is the Wheelie gig bag which is a step down from the wheelie board case. It offers much of the same other than the removable boot bag and lower board desk storage.
The bag is fully padded and made to fit two boards. It comes with the same Ixion skate wheel, TSA locks and has a removable shoulder strap.
Best for boarders that travel often and need extra space.
Pros
- More affordable version of the Burton Wheelie Board Case
Cons
- No Boot bag
- No lower deck Storage
7 Winterial Bag with Wheels
Winterial has been producing products in the outdoors market since 2014 and is a relatively new player.
Their wheeled bag will carry a board up to 157cm in length and has dimensions of 60.5″ x15″ x 6.5″. They say it will carry multiple boards and includes interior straps to keep things tight as well as being water proof lined.
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- Wheels
- Straps
Cons
- Limited options for sizes
- Non-branded zips
8 DAKINE High Roller Bag
The High Roller from Dakine is priced on the higher end but offers a lot of good things. There are options on sizes, it can handle multiple boards (although only 1 with bindings attached), large urethane wheels and YKK zippers.
The bag offers a lot of storage room and is easy to transport with its quality wheels and straps.
Best snowboarders that don’t mind paying extra for more features and storage space.
Pros
- Boot bag
- Lots of space
- 2 outer zipped compartments
- Wheels
- Size options
Cons
- More expensive than most
Other Things To Consider
Materials Used
Polyesters – A man made fabric is the most common, 600 D seems to be a popular version. The “D” stands for Denier. The number corresponds with the weight and thickness of the fibers. So 1000 D would be thicker than 600 D.
Higher quality bags will usually blend different weights of polyester. Thicker in areas that need harder wearing materials. It will be a balancing act as the thicker it is the heavier the bag.
Size and Weight
As stated earlier you’ll need make sure you don’t go to big or you’ll risk paying oversize baggage fees. The same goes with weight.
The harder wearing and stronger bags will usually be the heaviest. If you have a large size snowboard you’ll also need a bigger and heavier bag. Try to find a middle ground on quality and weight, get the smallest size your board will fit into.
Durability & Protection
Another complaint I often see in bad reviews is stitching coming apart or holes forming. I’ve had this happen to me when I bought a light weight affordable bag.
I wasn’t expecting it to last all that long and only needed it for one flight but it did chaff quickly and the stitching started to unravel. Avoid the very cheapest bags, if it seems like a steal it will most likely break very easily.
Most brands here will boast about their quality but it can be hit and miss even with the best brands. It’s best to avoid pushing the bag to it’s limit by over packing.
It’s best to go with the highest quality you can afford. Quality zips, mix of heavy and light polyester and any extra reinforcements are a plus.
Storage Compartments
As I stated earlier, personally I think the more compartments the better as long as it doesn’t take away from the main compartment.
It’s nice to have an area for each item like your boots, bindings, googles and clothes. With more compartments for storage try to avoid over packing as this will put more pressure on the bag and it could wear out more easily.
Common Types of Snowboard Bags
Wheeled Bag
Just like a normal snowboard bag but with wheels. The better ones usually have larger skateboard style wheels. They’ll typically have a harder backside to them for support when wheeling. I think these are the best suited for airline travel.
Padded Bag
Padding inside the bag protects your board and boots. This adds some weight but improves protection. Most wheeled bags I looked at had some type of padding but you can find padded bags without any wheels.
Backpack / Shoulder Straps
These are a standard snowboard bag but with backpack straps. You’ll find some of the cheaper options come with just back straps and a handle. Although you’ll also find some of the more expensive wheeled and padded bags with back straps. I wouldn’t recommend going for one with just the back straps.
Although there are a lot of options for bags out there I hope I’ve helped narrow down your options.
