Roller skating is back, baby! While skating culture has persisted in many communities for decades, there is no question that roller skating is enjoying a resurgence around the country. COVID-19 lockdowns allowed new hobbies to spread like wildfire, and free-spirited skaters of the world inspired others to lace up & roll out. As more new skaters look to travel with their skates for the first time, let’s tackle the question: can you bring roller skates on a plane?
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TSA Guidelines for Traveling with Roller Skates
First, let’s review the Transportation Security Administration’s official ruling on roller skates. According to the TSA, travelers are allowed to bring roller skates, rollerblades, and/or ice skates on a plane in either their carry-on bag or in their checked baggage. This means that your friendly neighborhood TSA agent shouldn’t give you any grief when you bring your inline or quad skates through their security checkpoint.
However, it is important to remember that the TSA isn’t the only group you need to check with before you decide to travel with special gear; your airline may have additional guidelines for special items & sporting equipment.
Airline Guidelines for Traveling with Roller Skates
Virtually all airlines treat roller skates as normal carry-on items, so you shouldn’t expect any trouble when bringing them along in your carry-on bag or in your checked luggage. When packing your skates, the official guidance from airlines is that yoga mats are acceptable as long as they are no larger than the carry-on dimensions. Skates can be heavy, so be aware of your airline’s weight limits!
United Airlines is the only major U.S. carrier that specifically references roller skates in their Traveling with Sports Equipment policy, and it is only to state that electronically powered skates (and skateboards) are not allowed onboard.
Bringing Roller Skates as a Carry-On Item
If you love your gear as much as I do, you can’t bear the thought of checking them. Thankfully, most skates are compact enough to fit in a backpack or standard carry-on bag. I recommend taking all the same precautions you normally would (adding padding where necessary & loading them properly), but skates are pretty robust to begin with.
If you aren’t traveling with a carry-on bag, you shouldn’t have any issues tying your laces together and presenting your skates as your “personal carry-on item”. As long as the skates can comfortably fit underneath your seat, they are a perfectly legal standalone item.
Packing Roller Skates in Checked Luggage
If you find yourself forced to pack your roller skates in your checked luggage: fear not! Your skates are incredibly sturdy, and some creative packing will go a long way. You will want to make sure to add some padding (in the form of clothes or something else soft) between your skates & the edge of the bag to give it some extra drop protection.
We already touched on weight restrictions, but it is worth bringing up again: double-check your airline’s weight restrictions! A pair of roller skates can add 4+ pounds to your luggage. Don’t forget to factor in this weight so you don’t end up paying overweight checked baggage fees when you get to the airport.
What travel gear should I get before traveling with skates?
When it comes to traveling, I generally caution against people being “travel-specific” items. There is a lot of marketing out there to make people feel like they have inferior gear and push them towards buying a second version of something they already own. Do this too many times and you will quickly find yourself buying way too much stuff that you don’t actually need.
When it comes to transporting my inline skates, I normally just stuff them in one of my carry-on duffel bags or large travel backpacks.
That said, I have a weakness for cool gear. I loved my Razors Humble backpack (which also doubled as my school bookbag for years), and here are other recommendations from the skating community:
Budget-friendly Inline Skate Backpack: Atom Skates Backpack (check latest price on Amazon)
This backpack was built specifically for roller skates in mind, so it should be able to hold other types of inline skates (plus it looks slick even when your skates aren’t strapped to your back).
Most Versatile Duffel Bag for Roller Skates: Speedo Ventilator Duffle Bag (check latest price on Amazon)
A spacious & breathable duffel bag that can be used for more than just skates. The extra ventilation built into this duffel (which is marketed as a swim bag) is perfect for airing out your skates between sessions.
Best Carry-on Luggage for Roller Skates: Riedell Wheeled Roller Skate Travel Bag (check latest price on Amazon)
A dedicated carry-on bag that has wheels to making lugging all your gear through the airport even easier. If you really want to go all out with your gear, this is one of the few skate-specific rollaboards that comply with most domestic airlines’ carry-on policies.
Tips for Traveling with Roller Skates
When you do travel with your skates, here are a few tips that I have picked up over my years of travel:
Stuff your skates
If your skates start taking up too much room in your bag, there is no shame in stuffing clothes/gear in your skates to save space. Skates can take up a lot of volume in your bag as an empty vessel, so you can always use your skate boot to hold items. I do the same whenever I travel with bulky footwear.
TSA hates skate tools
Anyone who has traveled through a TSA security checkpoint with a skate tool (or any tool for that matter) knows how much of a headache it can be. The issue is related to a general TSA rule about which tools can be packed in a carry-on bag. According to the TSA website, any tool that is under seven inches (measured end-to-end) is fine in your carry-on bag. If your skate tool exceeds that 7” limit, you are going to need to put it in your checked bag.
Keep your extra hardware accessible
If you are traveling with extra bearings, hardware, or wheels, keep them separate in an easily accessible area of your bag. TSA’s x-ray machine can make your tube of bearings or packet of screws look extra suspicious, so proactively separating them from your bag before sending it through the machine can expedite your screening process.
Final Thoughts
Bringing your own roller skates during your travels is a great way to maintain your skills & enjoy one of your passions. Finding ways to keep your mind & body sharp are absolutely essential to taking care of yourself.
Keep in mind that every airline has their own carry-on & checked baggage policy, so it is imperative that you review your airline’s restrictions before showing up to the airport. Hopefully this article gives you a good understanding of how you can travel with your own skates. Have any specific questions? Leave a comment below or connect with us on Twitter!
