Recreational sports are so much fun for kids. Staying fit and working together as part of a team to make such sports even better. Joining a hockey team is a fun experience for so many kids. Once tournament time comes around families find themselves traveling a lot for their kid’s games. This leaves many stressed-out parents wondering if they can fly with hockey equipment.
Yes, you can, but there are restrictions so it’s best to be prepared. Remember that every airline has a different set of rules, so always call ahead of time to find out what they are.
Flying With Hockey Bags
Most airlines’ baggage policies allow extra weight for a hockey bag. Some are very lenient and have removed weight restrictions from all sports bags. There are restrictions that come into place with this rule. Your bag may only contain sports equipment. You will need a separate piece of luggage for your regular clothes and personal items. This may end up costing you a bit more money to check two pieces of luggage.
Quite a lot of sports players bend the rules on this one. Being on a hockey team is expensive enough for parents. With all the traveling costs as well it can be understandable that some may not want to pay for 2 pieces of luggage when the hockey bag is big enough to hold everything they need and then some. So they sneak their regular items into their hockey bags.
Sneaking your clothes into your hockey bag could cause some issues because of how horrible that bag smells. If you play hard, you’re bound to sweat and after a game. Then you throw those sweaty clothes into a bag and zip them up. Yuck! No wonder it stinks!
There are some tips for packing your clothes into your hockey bag and keeping them fresh for traveling. Pack all of your clothing items in sealable plastic bags along with scented dryer sheets. This will help keep the sweat smell away and add an extra touch of freshness. If you have allergies and are unable to use dryer sheets consider putting a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a cotton ball and putting that in your plastic bags.
If you want to ensure your hockey bag always smells fresh, take a look at the deodorizing bag set available on Amazon.com. If you plan on doing a lot of traveling throughout the hockey season, these bags will help keep the stench down.
Flying With Hockey Sticks
Here is some good news for hockey players. Your hockey stick is included in the rate as part of your sports bag at most US airlines. Even better, two sticks are included as one. Before you get too excited there are some things you need to know about traveling at the airport with hockey sticks.
Fly At Your Own Risk
US Airlines will take no responsibility for any damage that may occur to your stick during travels. Some airline companies will even make you fill out a waiver to ensure this policy. We recommend not traveling with a hockey stick that is valuable to you. Luckily, there are many affordable composition sticks available in case damage does occur to your hockey stick.
How To Package Your Hockey Sticks
As mentioned above, most airlines will allow for two sticks to be included as one. There are rules that are placed with this policy though. The sticks need to be packaged together. You can tape the two sticks together for easy travels. If you don’t want to put tape on your hockey stick than you can purchase hockey stick bags. Amazon has several styles available at a fair price.
Can My Hockey Stick Be Included As A Carry-On Item?
No, you can’t bring your hockey stick as a carry-on item. It is way too long to fit in an overhead compartment. It will also get in the way of other paying passengers that don’t want to sit next to your hockey stick. If you want to fly with hockey equipment then you have to take the risk of checking your hockey stick.
Flying With Hockey Helmets
Your hockey helmet is one of your most important pieces of equipment. Hockey is a physically rough sport, so it’s important to keep your head safe whenever you play a game. Before you pack up, there are a few things to know about flying with your hockey helmet.
Is It A Carry-On or Does It Need To Be Checked?
The good news about flying with your hockey helmet is that you can either check it in your sports bag or bring it as a carry-on. Pack it whichever way works best for you.
How Do I Keep My Helmet Safe While Flying?
If you choose to check your helmet with your sports bag, there are a few things you should know in order to keep it safe. After all, you need that helmet to protect your head. Your helmet can’t do that if it’s damaged. Sports bags that get checked are often tossed around so it’s a good idea to take some precaution.
When packing your helmet up try to give it some extra cushion. Do you have any old sweaters or towels that you could wrap it up in? Anything similar to that will do. Wrap it up good in case your bag gets banged around.
A lot of hockey players who travel often recommend packing your helmet inside your hockey pants once you have wrapped it up for extra protection. It never hurts to take an extra step for safety.
If you really want to be caution there are helmet bags available on Amazon. They are designed specifically to keep your helmet safe during travels. It’s an affordable investment to ensure extra safety while traveling.
Flying With Hockey Skates
Your skates are probably your biggest concern when it comes to traveling. If you don’t have your skate in tip-top shape, how will you glide across the ice to score all those goals? They are probably one of your pricier pieces of hockey equipment too. Not only that but if something happened to your skates they are the most difficult piece of equipment to replace right before a big game. Your hockey skates need to be broken in for you to be able to play your best game.
Can My Hockey Skates Be Considered A Carry-On Item?
Yes, you can bring your hockey skates on board as a carry-on item when you fly. This is the recommended way of traveling with hockey skates for a tournament just in the odd case the airline loses your luggage. Having to find new skates right before a tournament is one stress nobody needs in their life.
What Is The Safest Way To Travel With Hockey Skates?
There are carrying bags designed specifically for traveling with skates. These bags are designed in the right shape to hold your skates perfectly and cushion them so no damage occurs. They even have extra pockets for extra goodies you need to bring along on your trip. Take a look at this affordable one available on Amazon.
You need to be extra careful in how you pack things when going through the airport. Don’t ever travel with your hockey skate blades exposes. Always make sure to protect them with blade guards, like these adjustable blade guards from Amazon. It’s always a good idea to prevent an accident before it has a chance to occur.
Travel Tips To Make Every Hockey Player’s Life At The Airport Easier
- If you fly a lot during hockey season, consider getting a frequent flyer’s membership because they often have great discounts for extra luggage.
- Hockey pucks are allowed in your carry-on bag.
- Keep an eye on when the person checks your hockey bag to make sure they put the right location. You don’t want your gear ending up in the wrong state.
- Make sure you label everything you bring with your name, phone number, and address just in case the airline does lose your luggage.
- Always call the airline in advance to check out what their exact policy is with hockey equipment
- If checking your equipment makes you nervous, check to see if anyone on the team could be traveling by car and willing to carpool.
Final Thought On Flying With Hockey Equipment
If you have to fly during hockey season this year and were wondering if you could fly with hockey equipment, then you are in luck. Yes, you can bring everything you need with you. Although most items you will not be allowed to bring as a carry-on item so it is best to make sure you use all the recommended protection when packing your hockey gear.
Don’t forget to include some extra scent packs to keep everything you pack with your hockey gear smelling fresh. Have you ever had any positive or negative experiences flying with your hockey equipment? Tell us about it in the comments.
