HEALTH

For me, that universal sentiment remains true for all types of bags in my life, from purses and gym bags to backpacks and — as of recently — ski bags.

Before getting the Kulkea Powder Trekker boot bag, I lugged around a huge blue duffel bag with all of my ski gear — well, and some other stuff too. When switching between my old bag and the new one, I found coffee mugs, a handful of Mardi Gras beads, an ugly old belt that I hadn’t seen since middle school and a textbook from college. I don’t know why any of this was in my ski bag, but that’s beside the point — once I moved into the Kulkea boot bag, my gear went from chaos to compartmentalized, and I was at once more organized. 

The beautiful thing about this bag is that there is a place for everything, but only enough space for what you truly need. There’s an insulated pocket in the front compartment for lunch. The large central compartment is big enough for gloves, a hat and neck warmer, snow pants and a layer or two. I reserve the small pocket on the very top of the bag for my goggles (the inside of the pocket is lined with fleece to protect delicate lenses), my phone, deodorant and a travel bottle of lotion for cold, windy days that are harsh on my skin.

It somehow took me a few days to discover the helmet sling that is tucked under the front pocket, a feeling of discovery that I likened to finding a five dollar bill in my winter coat on the first day of the season. The sling pulls out and wraps around a helmet, so you don’t have to find a place for it elsewhere, a brilliant design given that helmets tend to be the most cumbersome item to find a place for in a ski bag.

The boot pockets have ventilation for the inevitable moisture that comes from putting wet ski boots in a nylon and polyester bag, and the polyester itself protects your gear from the outside elements experienced on the walk to the lodge.

The bag is also bulletproof — and I’ve definitely put it through the wringer. I spend at least four days a week at my local ski area as a ski instructor, and have spent more time with my gear than I have with some of my friends recently. From Thursday throughSunday, I spend more hours at the hill than I do in my bed, so it’s nice to have a bag that can accommodate a few changes of clothes and a whole lot of daily abuse.

I will say that I’m starting to notice a few minor flaws in the design of the bag. The most noticeable is the lack of weight distribution when loaded up and put on as a backpack. When stuffed to capacity, the bag’s weight extends off my back, pulling me backwards and making me stumble when I first put it on. Of course I don’t mind much — it’s not like I’m going to be hiking up mountains with this thing on. It does its job and gets me from my house to my car to the hill with all my gear in tow. Though the best part of having this bag is that it only allows me enough space for what I really, truly, absolutely need, and sometimes we need to set limitations on ourselves — besides, why would I need textbooks and gym shoes when I have trail maps and ski boots?

Wanna check the bag out? Go to Kulkea.com 

by Amanda Monthei | 2/1/2016