The Osprey Snowkit Is the Ultimate Winter Gear Bag
Traveling far and wide for powder doesn't have to be an awkward nightmare, thanks to this cleverly designed carry-on
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Whether you’re flying or driving, there’s nothing worse than showing up to ski without all your tools. Ask ski journalist Iain MacMillian, whose checked baggage got lost on a trip we recently took to Tazewako, a small ski area in the Japanese Alps. It was snowing three inches an hour when we arrived, but Iain’s bag was still somewhere in Russia, which meant that while he stood in the rental line for an uncomfortable pair of boots, I was lapping Ja-pow and thanking my newest ski travel essential, Osprey’s Snowkit.
Designed specifically for the airplane cabin, the Snowkit allows you to carry on every piece of ski gear besides your boards. It’s a welcome alternative to goggles, gloves, and helmet blistering out the sides of a backpack while ski boots knock together on my shoulder. Trapezoid-shaped and with 45 liters of storage, the Snowkit has a large compartment for ski boots that’s vented to allow drying, a pocket at the other end that perfectly fits a helmet, and organizing sleeves for gloves, ski pants, and base layers. There’s an exterior pouch for pens, memory sticks, and charge cables, plus well-padded backpack straps that are easy to stow away or clip into place when you’re hoofing it across the air terminal.
Most important, the bag’s tapered shape slips into all but the tiniest overhead bins without a fight, even when it’s overstuffed. Between missions, the Snowkit keeps my kit contained and organized. Using it even when I’m not traveling saves gear-herding time before dawn-patrol departures and ensures that I arrive in the parking lot with my goggles every time.
