Shipping team's equipment

[Munsons 2]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience shipping equipment. I'm going to a tournament in Europe and the team was considering shipping our equipment all together (UPS, Fedex, etc.) to save money and avoid anyone losing their stuff. Also, a few of us will be travelling Europe after so we'd rather not lug our bags around.

Good idea or not?

[Axxion89 32]

Compared to the cost of a checked bag or 2 (25 - 50 each way if you have 1 or 2 bags) I do not think it would be very cost effective really. Your best option is to look at freighting it all together but air freight would be very expensive and regular freight would take quite some time. I would say just thinking about it, checking the bag would probably be easier.

[black hills tj 5]

Compared to the cost of a checked bag or 2 (25 - 50 each way if you have 1 or 2 bags) I do not think it would be very cost effective really. Your best option is to look at freighting it all together but air freight would be very expensive and regular freight would take quite some time. I would say just thinking about it, checking the bag would probably be easier.

I agree. The cheapest way to ship would be to package it onto a pallet, but you are still looking at international air charges.

[Harv 86]

Unless you are private charter, just check the bags. Zip tie the zippers together so your bag won't open. Wrap anything breakable.

I ship alot of gear to Europe and it's expensive. Just shipping a pair of pants (7lbs) to Russia and Slovak Republic was $60.

[SirJW 207]

You could look in to a shipping container but it probably wont be cost effective.

If you decided just to use the airline, remember there are lots of air pockets in most gear bags you can pack your cloths and such in the same bag. Consider a few team stick bags to consolidate. Some will over pack others underpack just do it as a team and I bet you can get all your belongings with out paying for extra bags.

[Harv 86]

Consider a few team stick bags to consolidate.

Very good point. We used them for charter bus and plane travel, life saver. Use 2 bags for plane travel, leftys in one bag, rightys in the other. You can get away with 1 bag for bus travel. Goalies have to carry their own twigs tho..

Caution on using stick bags. One time after a game everyone packed their sticks in the bag and it was zipped up and packed on the bus. Drove to the next city and opened the bag up before the game. Everyone knobs were ruined from the condensation that built up in the bag. You had 60 sticks that needed to be stripped in about 35 mins. Not fun. Learned the hard way that you need to vent the bag after the game..

[Chadd 916]

You could look in to a shipping container but it probably wont be cost effective.

If you decided just to use the airline, remember there are lots of air pockets in most gear bags you can pack your cloths and such in the same bag. Consider a few team stick bags to consolidate. Some will over pack others underpack just do it as a team and I bet you can get all your belongings with out paying for extra bags.

I know you mean well, but that advice could result in hundreds of dollars in fees at the airport. Most airlines specify a limited number of sticks as part of their hockey allowance. Adding extra clothes could put you over the bag weight and could also violate the allowed items in the bag. Airlines are getting more and more particular about these policies.

[SirJW 207]

Good points Chadd. I think I heard that even Air Canada doesn't do free Hockey Bags any more when traveling to and from Canada / US.

I guess I need to be more specific. Check with the airline you are using to find out the bag, hockey bag and stick bag policies. Weigh the bags to make sure they are under the max weight. My only experiences are domestic and the players have always done something similar I mentioned in the previous post.

[Munsons 2]

Thanks for all the advice guys. The stick bag is a great idea. This is something that I've never had to worry about before, so it's good to get a little direction. I'll definitely contact the airline and ask about their policies.

Thanks again!

[hunterphfr 12]

Definitely want a team stick bag. The airline considers a stick or a small stick bag to be one piece of luggage. So if everybody used their own stick bag along with their hockey bag, they would have to pay extra for any luggage they wished to take.

I have a friend that flys to Boston every summer, takes his gear up on the plane. Usually buys a new stick while he's there. To fly back, he goes to the post office sticks a shiping label onto the blade of the stick and mails it to himself.

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

Definitely want a team stick bag. The airline considers a stick or a small stick bag to be one piece of luggage. So if everybody used their own stick bag along with their hockey bag, they would have to pay extra for any luggage they wished to take.

I have a friend that flys to Boston every summer, takes his gear up on the plane. Usually buys a new stick while he's there. To fly back, he goes to the post office sticks a shiping label onto the blade of the stick and mails it to himself.

Sorry, but that's incorrect.

Hockey equipment, as defined by every airline, is one hockey bag with equipment inside it (under 50 lb) AND hockey sticks.

It counts as ONE checked bag. They will make you 2 bag tags, but it isn't two fees. Same concept applies for skis and ski poles.

I have status on Delta and my first bag is free. I never have to pay baggage fees when I fly up for Winterfest or SummerJam.

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Hockey and Lacrosse Equipment

Hockey and Lacrosse equipment will be accepted as checked baggage only. Standard baggage fees and policies will apply. Based on purchase date of ticket, fees may apply. One item of hockey/lacrosse equipment is defined as one equipment bag plus two hockey or lacrosse sticks (taped together). If the total weight of the equipment is over 50 lbs. and/or over 80 linear inches (203 cm), special baggage fees will apply.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

^ Hmm, always wondered how people transport sticks on planes. No worries of breakage when checking sticks?

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

I've never had one break.

I always take them out of the bag, show them it's intact, tap them on the ground and put them back in the bag and check them in.

When I land, I take them out and same process.

[fatwabbit 93]

I guess I'm lucky enough that all this travelling for work has also got me status.

When I travel for hockey (once a year) the airline does not count seperate bags... more on the weight of everything. I've got up to 32kg on domestic check in, and almost twice that on international. Helps when you have to ferry kids and gear back to visit family.

[Chadd 916]

I used to put a heavy duty shipping tube inside my stick bag to protect the shafts.

[HolyRollie 0]

When my team travelled to Europe our equipment bags were checked and our sticks were put in stick bags...no problems. Each player put a couple rounds of tape on his sticks to keep everything organized.

[OpenIceHit42 2]

When my team went to Canada back in May one of our guys wrapped his sticks in bubble wrap before putting them into the stick bag.

Honestly, I'd just check the stuff. Your equipment is no safer in the hands of FEDEX,UPS,USPS then it would be an airline.

[x-axis 44]

I think it depends on location ( amt of experience handling oversized sporting goods) and airlines. I was charged for checking in sticks, despite double checking with multiple staff members of the airline, then wasn't charged on the return flight home. I flew Southwest by the way.

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

I think it depends on location ( amt of experience handling oversized sporting goods) and airlines. I was charged for checking in sticks, despite double checking with multiple staff members of the airline, then wasn't charged on the return flight home. I flew Southwest by the way.

Nope, you were ripped off, plain and simple. Looks like they edited their policy for clarity; by including the equipment. That all being said, I've flown out of Orlando with Southwest with hockey equipment and no problems (well, they lost my bag on the return leg and had to bring it to my house the next day. That was the second to last time I flew SWA, definitely the last time I fly them for hockey.

Sports Equipment

Any of the items listed below may be checked in substitution of one piece of the free Checked Baggage allowance for each Passenger at no charge on a one-item-for-one-bag basis. If the item of sporting equipment exceeds 50 pounds in weight or 62 inches in size (outside length plus height plus width), excess weight and size charges may apply.

Hockey and/or lacrosse stick(s) as long as multiple sticks are either taped together or encased in a suitable bag or container. Effective March 1, 2012: two hockey sticks taped together and one hockey equipment bag generally consisting of hockey pads, helmets, pants, jersey, gloves, and skates.

http://www.southwest...tab_list_tab_12

When in doubt, just print out their policy and bring it with you.

[Chadd 916]

There are so many different airline policies, employees simply don't know them all. Always print the stuff if it is out of the norm.

[OpenIceHit42 2]

I had the same issue with Southwest, they counted my stick bag and hockey bag as two separate items. Had a hunch they would so I just took my clothes in a carry on.

[hunterphfr 12]

JR, I stand corrected. Do you know what their policy was before March? Irony is I just dropped my kid off at the airport this morning, flew out to Buffalo on Southwest. He's getting picked up by his grandfather and going to CanAm camp for a week in Guelph. He did take 4 sticks with him in a stick bag. Thinking his stick bag and hockey bag would count as 2 checked bags I packed his clothes in his carry on and hockey bag.

We've used Southwest a lot for my son's tournaments. I've found them to be pretty accomodating when it comes to hockey bags. I know his bag was overweight today and exceeds their maximum bag size when you add L+W+H (not by much). Not sure why but they've never even mentioned the bag size or weight as being a potential or possible issue. It's definitely something that always has me cringing as I put his bag on the stand. YMMV

We've avoided the stick issue in the past by sending them with somebody who was driving, putting the entire teams sticks into a snowboard carrier when they were younger or spreading them around amongst family members as checked bags. Next time I'm printing out JR's link.

[JR Boucicaut 3799]

I think their policy wasn't changed; it was just revised so that it is clearer.

I don't remember paying anything on SWA whenever I used them for hockey trips.

Your son had a bag over 50 lb? That's crazy - after Winterfest my bag is always heavier because I have to bring back jerseys and the like...50 lb is the limit.

Yeah, just print it all out. Surprisingly, MCO has never given me any issues with hockey bags. The worst situation I had was BWI and US Airways, where they tried to tell me the sticks had to be in the bag. I fought with them for 40 minutes.

[hunterphfr 12]

Had a week plus worth of clothes in it as well. Ref. weight, maybe my spidey sense was over tingling. I was just ball parking it by feel. Was definitely oversized. Just hate rolling the dice throwing it up there and waiting to see if I'm going to have to pay extra.