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kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
518
Recently I was asked to test out Kulkea's Tandem boot duffel bag. As the mother of two young children who loves to ski herself, this item seemed right up my alley. In fact, a year ago when my 3 year old started to ski, I racked my brain for a more efficient way to get my gear, my husband’s gear, the 3 year old’s gear, and the baby’s non-skiing supplies to the mountain without looking like I was moving in for the winter. Some people used wagons, I noticed, and some hauled in enormous, awkward-looking Tupperware containers. Others, like us, just made several trips to and from the car with boot bags, backpacks, and children.

I’m no stranger to Kulkea bags: I have owned the Powder Trekker for two years now and for the most part really enjoy its solid construction and attention to detail. The Tandem takes it to another level. The base is made of heavy tarpaulin reinforcement that manages a load of wet and muddy gear. Most of the bag is made out of heavy-duty ripstop polyester, which allows it to stand up to the abuses of hauling kids’ gear around lodges. Carrying the bag is a cinch; you can use either the dual side handles to hold it in front of you or an adjustable shoulder strap to wear it across your body. I’m a pretty small lady, though, and while I can carry a big bag like this cross-body, it isn’t as easy as using a backpack. I found myself wishing there were backpack straps so I could keep my hands free for carrying children or more gear. I also yearned for some side gear straps to which I could clip kids’ skis. I suppose I could put little skis inside the bag on top of boots, but it seems that adding one or two clippable webbing straps would really add some versatility and enable you to use your hands to hold little hands in parking lots, carry crying babies, or wipe snotty noses in the middle of the stairs to the lodge.

fullsizeoutput_64d9.jpeg


The bag opens with what Kulkea calls a cooler top, which basically means that it opens all the way so you can dig around to find everyone’s gear. But you probably won’t need to, because the inside is split nicely into four good-sized compartments, each with its own drainage grommets to let out all the gunk your kids track in on their boots. These compartments easily fit kids' gear plus extra clothing and snacks if necessary, or you can fit an adult’s gear in two of the compartments and a child’s gear on the other side. On the inside of the lid are two mesh compartments for additional clothing, hand warmers, food, toys, or other necessaries. What it doesn’t seem to have is an internal zipper pocket for important items like passes or wallets, but this is probably because it is intended for carrying kids’ gear.

Even though it’s still summer, I gave this a test pack for ski season. (A girl can dream, right?) There was plenty of room left for more gear, plus the lid offers several inches of space so you can put ski pants and jackets on top of everything and it will still fit nicely.

fullsizeoutput_64db.jpeg


Kulkea aims for the Tandem to be a four-season duffel, a task it performs fairly well. I received the bag just in time for a family camping trip to view the eclipse in Nebraska. Fitting gear for four in our Subaru Outback for a camping trip can be a bit like playing Tetris. Previously, instead of using a full-sized duffel bag (too big, awkward sizing), I had been using an IKEA bag stuffed with clothes, which made it challenging to find things. I used the Kulkea bag to pack everyone’s clothing and toiletries in their own compartments. This enabled me to dig out extra layers when it got cold and windy and keep underpants handy (yay potty training); the mesh top pockets were perfect for storing diapers and wipes. The durable bottom was perfect for the dusty pasture we camped in, too.

The bag is narrow and long in design, and it fit nearly perfectly into the fully packed trunk of our Outback. However, if Kulkea aims for the Tandem to be a true four-season bag, a feature that I missed was compression straps. It’s a fairly rigid rectangular shape, which is fine when stuffed full of ski boots and helmets, but if filled with soft goods, it doesn’t retain its shape well and can take up more room than necessary. Compression straps would enable you to really cinch it down and make it a little easier to pack in a car full of other items, although adding them would probably require changing materials on the thick foam cooler top.

fullsizeoutput_64dc.jpeg


Overall, the Tandem bag is extremely useful for anyone who has to carry gear for more than one person. I am really looking forward to using it during ski season to see if it is as handy as I think it will be — at least for the next few years until my kid can carry his own gear!
 

KULKEA

Getting off the lift
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Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Posts
160
Location
Massachusetts
Recently I was asked to test out Kulkea's Tandem boot duffel bag. As the mother of two young children who loves to ski herself, this item seemed right up my alley. In fact, a year ago when my 3 year old started to ski, I racked my brain for a more efficient way to get my gear, my husband’s gear, the 3 year old’s gear, and the baby’s non-skiing supplies to the mountain without looking like I was moving in for the winter. Some people used wagons, I noticed, and some hauled in enormous, awkward-looking Tupperware containers. Others, like us, just made several trips to and from the car with boot bags, backpacks, and children.

I’m no stranger to Kulkea bags: I have owned the Powder Trekker for two years now and for the most part really enjoy its solid construction and attention to detail. The Tandem takes it to another level. The base is made of heavy tarpaulin reinforcement that manages a load of wet and muddy gear. Most of the bag is made out of heavy-duty ripstop polyester, which allows it to stand up to the abuses of hauling kids’ gear around lodges. Carrying the bag is a cinch; you can use either the dual side handles to hold it in front of you or an adjustable shoulder strap to wear it across your body. I’m a pretty small lady, though, and while I can carry a big bag like this cross-body, it isn’t as easy as using a backpack. I found myself wishing there were backpack straps so I could keep my hands free for carrying children or more gear. I also yearned for some side gear straps to which I could clip kids’ skis. I suppose I could put little skis inside the bag on top of boots, but it seems that adding one or two clippable webbing straps would really add some versatility and enable you to use your hands to hold little hands in parking lots, carry crying babies, or wipe snotty noses in the middle of the stairs to the lodge.

View attachment 29314

The bag opens with what Kulkea calls a cooler top, which basically means that it opens all the way so you can dig around to find everyone’s gear. But you probably won’t need to, because the inside is split nicely into four good-sized compartments, each with its own drainage grommets to let out all the gunk your kids track in on their boots. These compartments easily fit kids' gear plus extra clothing and snacks if necessary, or you can fit an adult’s gear in two of the compartments and a child’s gear on the other side. On the inside of the lid are two mesh compartments for additional clothing, hand warmers, food, toys, or other necessaries. What it doesn’t seem to have is an internal zipper pocket for important items like passes or wallets, but this is probably because it is intended for carrying kids’ gear.

Even though it’s still summer, I gave this a test pack for ski season. (A girl can dream, right?) There was plenty of room left for more gear, plus the lid offers several inches of space so you can put ski pants and jackets on top of everything and it will still fit nicely.

View attachment 29313

Kulkea aims for the Tandem to be a four-season duffel, a task it performs fairly well. I received the bag just in time for a family camping trip to view the eclipse in Nebraska. Fitting gear for four in our Subaru Outback for a camping trip can be a bit like playing Tetris. Previously, instead of using a full-sized duffel bag (too big, awkward sizing), I had been using an IKEA bag stuffed with clothes, which made it challenging to find things. I used the Kulkea bag to pack everyone’s clothing and toiletries in their own compartments. This enabled me to dig out extra layers when it got cold and windy and keep underpants handy (yay potty training); the mesh top pockets were perfect for storing diapers and wipes. The durable bottom was perfect for the dusty pasture we camped in, too.

The bag is narrow and long in design, and it fit nearly perfectly into the fully packed trunk of our Outback. However, if Kulkea aims for the Tandem to be a true four-season bag, a feature that I missed was compression straps. It’s a fairly rigid rectangular shape, which is fine when stuffed full of ski boots and helmets, but if filled with soft goods, it doesn’t retain its shape well and can take up more room than necessary. Compression straps would enable you to really cinch it down and make it a little easier to pack in a car full of other items, although adding them would probably require changing materials on the thick foam cooler top.

View attachment 29315

Overall, the Tandem bag is extremely useful for anyone who has to carry gear for more than one person. I am really looking forward to using it during ski season to see if it is as handy as I think it will be — at least for the next few years until my kid can carry his own gear!

Hi Kimmy,
Glad you found the Tandem useful and thank you for your insightful and detailed feedback! Thanks again and hope Tandem helps make your ski season carrying the kiddos easier.
 
Last edited:

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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Thanks for the detail in this review. I'm looking forward to reading more as your family uses it for fun shenanigans.
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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We had a great interview with John Egan about his relationship with Kulkea, among other things that has gotten him where is is and the things he has in his sights.
Check it out on our Facebook page.
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
518
We took the Kulkea Tandem bag out for its first family ski day to Arapahoe Basin this weekend, and in summary, LOVED IT! We could fit so much stuff in it, which really made things much easier when trekking to and from the parking lot with two kids under 5.

We were easily able to fit all of my gear in 2 of the 4 compartments, including: boots, helmet, multiple goggles, multiple gloves and face protection, ski pants. The remaining 2 compartments were used for my son's (3.5) ski gear and miscellaneous layers for the baby, including helmet, boots, ski harness, 2 pairs of snow pants, 4 pairs of gloves, 2 hats, sunscreen and more. On the way out as I packed up our bags in the family area at A-Basin I felt a bit like a wizard as these were the bags that we brought out to our car for our family of four. Plus, we had plenty of room in the top of the Kulkea Tandem to stuff all of our jackets in. You can see below that although it's large, its slim and has much less width to it than the Transpack that my husband uses.

IMG_7053.JPG


I still can't carry the bag over my shoulder as my shoulders are apparently too narrow for the padded strap, but if I cross body carried it I'm sure it would be fine.

Plus, my husband carried the Tandem, his own personal boot bag, and our 16 month old out to the car in one trip without a problem.
 

SallyCat

Getting off the lift
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Joined
Jan 1, 2017
Posts
202
Location
Vermont, United States
I would love something like that just to have one place to organize my own ski gear. I read in the description that the max boot size is 22.5, so my boots would fit. But boy, having a duffel with compartments like that is very appealing.
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Posts
518
@SallyCat Thats interesting that they say 22.5 is the max size... my boots are 23.5 and fit fine!
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Joined
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Posts
518
I'm wondering if they measure from divider to divider, whereas in reality the dividers are flexible and so you get a bit of movement to accomodate larger boots. Next time we go skiing I will try and put my husbands boots in there instead of mine and see how they fit, I'm not sure his size but its a few larger than mine anyway.
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Posts
518
@SallyCat my husband is in a 26 and his boots fit in the bag, I imagine a 26.5 would be fine but probably too much bigger wouldn't work too well.
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Joined
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Posts
518
Since this is a long-term review- a year later and here we are. I really do like using this bag when I take the kiddo skiing, especially if we boot up in the lodge because it keeps everything nice and contained. Here is a pic of me sherpaing for my 5yo on our ski day. It is pretty easy to strap his skis (~100cm) to the top of the duffel and then throw it across my shoulders, leaving one shoulder free for carrying my own skis.
6AF18107-249B-430F-8A2E-4D972AB4DBF2.jpeg
 

KULKEA

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Since this is a long-term review- a year later and here we are. I really do like using this bag when I take the kiddo skiing, especially if we boot up in the lodge because it keeps everything nice and contained. Here is a pic of me sherpaing for my 5yo on our ski day. It is pretty easy to strap his skis (~100cm) to the top of the duffel and then throw it across my shoulders, leaving one shoulder free for carrying my own skis. View attachment 84363
Looking good!
 

GB_Ski

Out on the slopes
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768
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NYC
Why not just get a North Face Duffel bag, the Large or XL version? I can carry everything in one bag like backpack style.
 
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kimmyt

kimmyt

My Rack Is Bigger Than Yours
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Posts
518
Why not just get a North Face Duffel bag, the Large or XL version? I can carry everything in one bag like backpack style.

I think the benefit of this type of duffel over a general duffel is that it has 4 compartments. When you have multiple people's gear, it can be near impossible to find everyone's stuff and keeping things in their own compartment is really handy. When I use this bag, I know that my son's stuff is in 1/2 of it and mine is in the other half. Or, if its two kids that might have similar gear, you can easily keep the correct ski socks, mittens, balaclavas, boots, helmets etc in each compartment so you don't have to dig around looking for stuff. But yeah, as mentioned in my original post, I do think a backpack type strap is definitely a useful feature that this bag doesn't have.
 

KULKEA

Getting off the lift
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I think the benefit of this type of duffel over a general duffel is that it has 4 compartments. When you have multiple people's gear, it can be near impossible to find everyone's stuff and keeping things in their own compartment is really handy. When I use this bag, I know that my son's stuff is in 1/2 of it and mine is in the other half. Or, if its two kids that might have similar gear, you can easily keep the correct ski socks, mittens, balaclavas, boots, helmets etc in each compartment so you don't have to dig around looking for stuff. But yeah, as mentioned in my original post, I do think a backpack type strap is definitely a useful feature that this bag doesn't have.
Almost like it was designed with that purpose! :beercheer:
 

Tricia

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@GB_Ski If you haven't had a chance to check out Kulkea bags, you should.
They are not "just another duffle".
The team at Kulkea clearly think through their products and make some of the most durable bags I've used.
I've been using the Thermal Trekker for a couple seasons now and it still looks like brand new.
 

GB_Ski

Out on the slopes
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Posts
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@GB_Ski If you haven't had a chance to check out Kulkea bags, you should.
They are not "just another duffle".
The team at Kulkea clearly think through their products and make some of the most durable bags I've used.
I've been using the Thermal Trekker for a couple seasons now and it still looks like brand new.

I don't doubt their durability, just wondering why a large gear carrier doesn't have backpack strap. Their boot bags definitely look good. Once my daughter is old enough to carry her own gear, she'll get those boot bag.

I think the benefit of this type of duffel over a general duffel is that it has 4 compartments. When you have multiple people's gear, it can be near impossible to find everyone's stuff and keeping things in their own compartment is really handy. When I use this bag, I know that my son's stuff is in 1/2 of it and mine is in the other half. Or, if its two kids that might have similar gear, you can easily keep the correct ski socks, mittens, balaclavas, boots, helmets etc in each compartment so you don't have to dig around looking for stuff. But yeah, as mentioned in my original post, I do think a backpack type strap is definitely a useful feature that this bag doesn't have.

Yea, I can see the benefits of compartments, that also make compression harder. For multi-people gear carrier, no backpack strap means no go for me. I use my NF bag, I can wear it as backpack and I can even strap my daughter's small skis on it. Getting stuff from car to lodge has never been easier.
 

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