Road Test: Burton Wheelie Flight Deck

The Carry On bag has become one of the new battle fields of travel. As baggage charges seem to be constantly increasing, more and more people are trying to squeeze that little bit extra into their allocated Carry On bag.

Whilst the “checked baggage” rules appear to be very black and white, and the majority of check in attendants have some dark pleasure in charging you excess, Carry On luggage seems to be a little bit of a grey area. While weight allowances are on each airline’s website, and all airports have the metal cage to act as a guide, you only have to step onto any boarding flight to see that almost anything goes when it comes to Carry On.

So with this in mind, we welcome a new contributor Paul to test out the latest wheelie Carry On size bag from Burton Snowboards, The Wheelie Flight Deck. Our goal was to see if it was possible to fit enough gear in the bag for a weekend of riding, minus the snowboard (just hire or borrow that)…

The Wheelie flight Deck has been in the Burton luggage line for a number of years. This year it has gone through a bit of a redesign to not only update the look, but also allow it to squeeze into the ever shrinking Carry On allowances.

The new sleeker look has done away with the traditional 50/50 split design and now incorporates a 70/30 approach to how the bag is separated. This allows for a deeper main compartment to fit bulkier items, like snowboard boots. Both the top and bottom compartments feature CRAM, which is a neoprene edge to the zipper that allows you to really stuff the compartments and get it shut, without destroying the zipper.

The bag includes a separate laptop case, perfect for sliding out just before boarding to keep you entertained. This case, as well as any magazine or books, slip nicely into the large front pocket. The top pocket is then the perfect size for a medium sized camera and cables or a small toiletry bag if you need a freshen up during that stop over.

The Wheelie Flight Deck also includes what Burton calls the SnakeStack. This is an extra strap and attachment on the bag that allows you to connect other wheelie bags such as a wheelie snowboard bag, eliminating the need for a trolley and creating your own bag conga line at the same time.

We managed to fit the following into the Wheelie Flight Deck.

1 pair of snowboard boots size 10US
2 pairs of snowboard socks
1 Outerwear jacket
1 Pair of outerwear pants
1 Set of thermals
1 Pair of goggles with a spare lens
1 Beanie
1 Neck warmer
1 Pair of gloves
1 Laptop, ipod and cables
1 Pair of boardshorts (For après hot tub sessions)
3 T-shirts
1 Hoodie
Enough Socks and Undies
1 Passport
1 Camera
1 Snowboard tool
1 Rub down wax (not what you’re thinking)
1 Toothbrush and basic toiletries.

The bag was jam packed, however everything did fit and the bag zipped shut without requiring too much force. If you’re just going snowboarding then great, you’ll fit everything. If you are planning on snowboarding then hitting the apres scene, then you’ll be doing it in your outerwear as there’s no room for luxury.

The gross weight (loaded) came in at 12kg. It was a little over the 7kg limit that most airlines allow for Carry On, but if they give you grief, you just start removing things and pretending you’re going to wear your boots and gear onto the plane, with underpants as a hat, and they soon let up on you.

Now given that you can fit enough in for a weekend of snowboarding, The Wheelie Flight Deck would be perfect for that week surf trip to Bali, or weekend of golf where your allocated check in bag is taken up by your surfboard or clubs.

The Wheelie Flight Deck is RRP $299.95 AUD (or US$219) and is available now from any authorized Burton Snowboards dealer. There are some rad colors available, but we suggest playing it a little safe if you don’t want to feel silly next season.

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This article was a guest post by Paul Colby who is a snow fanatic.