I have often found myself asking the question “do I need another backpack?”, and especially, “do I need another backpack for skiing?!”. The answer is an unceremonious no, until the Völkl 30L Flight came into my life.
I had been eyeing this one up for some time before I eventually pulled the trigger not long before the 2023/24 winter season, and have been overwhelmingly happy that I did. I did a lot of skiing last year, much of it on short breaks rather than entire weeks away; the flexibility of space provided by the 30L Flight was really useful in helping me pack effectively for these weeks.
Völkl are a German ski manufacturer, celebrating 100 years since they first began making skis in the Bavarian Alps. Known for their high-tech, highly engineered products, they have been a major player in the FIS World Cup game for some time now. The Flight 30L is a boot-backpack forming part of their more casual range, suitable for anyone from racers to everyday punters.
The bag is of a really super-simple construction and design. There is a large main pocket that takes up most of the size of the bag, designed to fit a pair of ski boots with straps on the back wall of the compartment to hold them in place. This compartment fitted my boots with ease – Völkl says it will carry up boots of up to 330mm sole length, but my 324mm boots fitted in with consummate ease, and with a little give in the side walls you could probably exceed these measurements if needed. The side and back walls were reinforced to give the bag structure and protect your back from the boots or buckles digging into your back or catching you when the bag swings on and off.
And that, really is it. There is a top pocket which is perfectly sized to slip a charger, passport wallet, and small washbag. There is also a laptop sleeve, accessible from outside the back but tucked away behind the back padding. This is a really well thought-out feature; I took my work laptop – comfortably – with me wherever I went, with no risk of it being swiped out from under me and the padding from the back meaning I knew it was cushioned wherever I threw the bag down.
You’d be forgiven for being slightly underwhelmed by the bag, especially from the above. But what it lacks in features it makes up for in utility. Alongside fitting a pair of boots, there is so much leftover space for you to pack quite a lot of stuff in the main compartment. This saved my skin when my main ski bag got lost, as I had a spare pair of everything in my backpack, alongside my boots, limiting what I had to beg, borrow and steal to go out for a day’s skiing.
Furthermore, as the name might suggest, it fits airline carry-on dimensions, and with plenty of room to spare too. You can carry it through the airport and easily, easily, slot it into the overhead racks wherever you are going. Another huge win for function over form.
The Velcro strip on the front is a nice touch, allowing personalisation with flags and patches.
The light-grey colour of the bag and the materials used does mean that the bag shows wear very easily, even on the reinforced material used on the front panel. Some of the stitching around the main zipper is already fraying, demonstrating a need for better manufacturing or quality control. There is little in the way of additional support, too, meaning your back may feel it if you are carrying the bag around for more than a weekend or so, but this won’t be an issue most of the time.
Furthermore, the single main opening panel, zipped up via a single main zip running around three sides of the front of the bag, can raise some eyebrows about security – admittedly no one is going to try and grab a pair of boots from your bag as you walk by, but if you do carry anything valuable in the main pocket, it may be advisable to utilise a small padlock or some other device to secure the zippers.
Overall, the Völkl 30L Flight is a really useful addition for anyone who is looking to travel light this season, or find a more efficient use for their baggage allowances. It’s sleek and race-y look is really nice, and the space provided is both excellent and well thought-out.
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