Family Ski Trip Packing List: How to Pack Light with Kids - Seat 1A

2026: We packed for 5 days of skiing in Park City with a 4-year-old and almost-2-year-old using one checked bag, strategic carry-ons, and some questionable hacks involving car seats.

Look, I’ve read those generic ski packing lists that tell you to “bring warm clothes” like that’s some groundbreaking advice. But when you’re wrangling two kids under 5 through an airport with ski boots, helmets, and enough diapers to stock a daycare, you need actual specifics in your family ski trip packing list.

We just got back from 5 days skiing in Park City. Between Deer Valley and Park City Mountain, I learned what’s worth hauling on a plane and what you should absolutely just rent when you get there.

Our Packing Strategy (Or: How to Avoid Checking 4 Bags)

One large checked bag for bulky ski gear. Strategic carry-ons for everything else. Pray the airline doesn’t catch your contraband diapers stuffed in the car seat bag.

This saved us from checking multiple bags. The game-changer? Our Airbnb had laundry. Instead of packing 5 days of clothes for everyone, we brought enough for 4 days (this is my tried-and-true strategy) and just washed stuff.

Reality check: We did laundry 3 times during the trip. After the first ski day, then every day after that, because wet mittens need to dry overnight. Plus one final load before we left after my son dumped an entire yogurt cup on himself at breakfast. Good times.

What We Actually Checked

The Big Patagonia Duffel

I hate this bag. Like, genuinely hate it. It has no wheels, so you’re just hauling this massive thing through the airport like some kind of pack mule situation. But here’s the problem: it’s the only bag that actually fits ski helmets and boots.

We have Away luggage – the bigger carry on. Love them for normal trips. But rigid suitcases are useless for bulky ski gear. The Patagonia Black Hole can squish around helmets and boots in ways hard-sided bags just can’t.

What went inside:

3 ski helmets (2 adults + our 4-year-old)
2 pairs of adult ski boots
Whatever soft stuff we could cram around them – snow pants, base layers, extra mittens

Two Car Seats (The Controversial Part)

Car seats fly free on every airline. You know what else? They have a lot of empty space inside.

So yeah, we stuffed half a Costco pack of diapers and a pack of wipes in there before checking them.

Is this technically against the rules? Yes. Will they make you pay for it as a regular checked bag if they catch you? Yes. Have we been caught? Not yet.

We needed those diapers in Utah anyway. Helps avoid that dreaded grocery store stop on the way to the Airbnb.

The Rolling Bag (That Got Gate Checked)

Our 4-year-old has his own rolling carry-on, and we packed it with both our winter coats, both kids’ ski jackets and pants, and my husband’s snow boots.

But then American Airlines offered to gate check it because the overhead bins were full. Normally, I’d say hell no – I’m a standby traveler at heart and need my backup clothes & favorite supplements accessible. But they offered, and honestly, one less thing to deal with on the plane sounded great.

Would I plan to gate check this? No. But if they offer and you’re flying on confirmed tickets, take it.

The Carry-On Tetris Game

My Bag

I had a standard rolling carry-on with:

All the almost-2-year-old’s clothes (4 days worth)
His bulky sleep suit (vacuum sealed in a Ziploc – more on this hack later)
Pack n play sheet (also vacuum sealed)
My Sorel snow boots
My fur vest (because après at a champagne yurt requires proper attire)
My clothes: one sweater dress, one denim dress with leggings, base layers

The Sorels were key. I wore them to both dinners in Park City with the fur vest. They work as actual snow boots but also look decent enough for restaurants. One pair of boots doing double duty = precious suitcase space saved.

Husband’s Bag

His rolling carry-on had his clothes and our 4-year-old’s clothes. This section is so short because… what is he even doing?? IDK.

The Personal Items (Secret Weapons)

My backpack had my Louis Vuitton Speedy 25 tucked at the bottom. Yes, really. I wanted a nice bag for dinners out but didn’t want to waste suitcase space on it.

During the trip, I put a couple diapers and wipes in the Speedy and used it for dinner outings. Fancy diaper bag for the win. Honestly, I’m still doing this out and about now that we’re home! Très chic!

My husband had his regular backpack with whatever he usually carries. Our 4-year-old had his backpack with snacks and entertainment – you can see what actually kept him busy on the flight in this post about toddler airplane entertainment.

Family Ski Trip Packing List Fireside Dining

The Hacks That Made This Possible

Vacuum Sealing Without a Machine

I vacuum sealed my toddler’s bulky sleep suit and the pack n play sheet in gallon Ziploc bags. No fancy vacuum sealer needed.

Put the item in the bag, seal it most of the way, roll out all the air with your hands, then finish sealing.

This compressed them enough that they actually fit in my already-stuffed suitcase without taking over the entire thing.

Why bring our own pack n play sheet? Rarely does a destination provide one, and it’s so small to pack. This is best for babies who aren’t blanket trained & better for #germs.

Diaper Math for Ski Trips

My almost-2-year-old is still in diapers. He turns 2 next weekend – this was his last trip as a lap child!

I budget 5 diapers per day plus extras for the inevitable chaos. For 5 days, that’s 25-30 diapers minimum.

We brought half a Costco package (you know, the ones we smuggled in the car seats) and had plenty. Could we have just bought diapers in Park City? Sure.

Outfit Strategy: Everything Does Two Jobs

What I actually packed:

One travel outfit (wore on the plane)
One sweater dress
One denim dress with leggings
Base layers for 2-3 days
Sorel boots (snow boots that also work for dinner)
The rabbit fur vest (not negotiable, lolz)
Ski Coat, Snow pants, tuk, & mittens.

That’s it. With laundry available, I didn’t need more. The trick is picking pieces that work for multiple situations. Sorels go from the slopes to dinner. The denim dress works with boots and a sweater or dressed up with the fur vest.

Why Laundry Changes Everything

Having laundry at the Airbnb meant we could pack way less. We washed:

Base layers
Everything my son was wearing when he dumped yogurt all over himself
One final load before we left so we weren’t bringing home mildewy ski clothes
Dried wet mittens every single night (could have set them out overnight)

If you don’t have laundry access, you need to pack every single outfit for every single ski day. That’s easily 5x more clothes.

Rent vs. Bring: What’s Worth the Hassle

What We Brought

Adult Ski Boots

Our own boots fit right and we ski enough that owning them makes sense.

But they take up a ton of space in that checked bag. For a 2+ day trip, worth it. For one day, just rent.

Helmets (2 Adult + 1 Kid)

Proper fit matters for safety. They’re bulky to pack but we bring them.

Snow Boots

We wore these around Park City for dinners and walking downtown. They pulled double duty so they were worth the suitcase space.

What We Rented

Skis and Poles

Not worth hauling these on a plane. We rented at the Deer Valley rental shop and everyone there was super helpful.

Kids’ Ski Boots

Our 4-year-old’s feet grow too fast to buy boots that’ll be too small in 6 months. We always rent for the kids.

The Bottom Line

Bringing our own boots and helmets made sense for us because we ski regularly. But it meant dealing with that awful Patagonia duffel through the airport.

Would we rent everything next time to pack lighter? Probably not. The comfort and fit of our own boots matters more than convenience.

The Family Ski Trip Packing Check-List

What Goes in the Big Checked Duffel

Hard Items (pack first):

Ski helmets
Ski boots (if bringing your own)
Ski goggles in a hard case

Soft Items (stuff around the hard stuff):

Ski jackets
Ski pants or bibs
Base layer tops and bottoms (2 each)
Mid-layer fleece (this comes with the 3-in-1 jacket linked)
Extra ski gloves or mittens (bring 2 pairs per person)
Ski socks (3-4 pairs)
Balaclava or neck gaiter
Hand warmers

Brands I actually use: Smartwool for base layers and socks (they don’t smell after a full ski day). Give’r for gloves & mittens. Patagonia or North Face for jackets.

What Goes in Carry-Ons

Mom Carry-On 1:

Baby/toddler clothes (4 days)
Sleep suit (vacuum sealed)
Pack n play sheet (vacuum sealed)
Your snow boots
Your clothes (4 day capsule)
One nice dinner outfit
Makeup bag with essentials

Dad Carry-On 2:

Older kid clothes (4 days)
Adult clothes (4 days)
Space for souvenirs on the way home

Gate-Check Candidate (4YO’s Rolling Bag):

Everyone’s winter coats
Kids’ ski jackets and pants
Dad’s snow boots

Personal Items (Backpacks):

Medications
Chargers
Snacks for the plane
Entertainment for kids
This is also where I tuck my fancy bag

Ski Day Bag Essentials

What you need accessible on the mountain:

Extra mittens (they will get wet)
Chapstick
Sunscreen stick
Snacks
Small water bottle
Phone charger
Hand warmers
Cash for lunch

What I’d Do Differently

What Worked Great

The one-checked-bag approach saved us from checking multiple bags.

Planning around laundry meant we packed way less clothes.

Vacuum sealing the baby’s bulky stuff was genius.

Sorel boots working for both snow and dinner was perfect.

The car seat diaper smuggling (no regrets).

What I Might Change

We packed extra layers for our 4-year-old because we weren’t sure how cold it would be. Didn’t use half of them. But would I still pack them next time? Yeah, probably. I’d rather have backup warm clothes than a freezing kid on the mountain.

The other thing – we’re in Texas, so Utah is only a 1-hour time difference. But that plus the altitude plus no naps during two full days of ski school was brutal on our 4-year-old. Next time I’ll plan all dinners early as well as bedtime.

Stuff Nobody Mentions About Family Ski Trip Packing

Mittens Get Soaked Every Single Day

We thought one pair per kid would work. Wrong.

They get wet, they need to dry overnight, and sometimes they don’t fully dry by morning.

Airports with Kids and Ski Gear Is Chaos

Even with just one checked bag and organized carry-ons, getting through security with two kids under 5 and all this stuff is a lot.

Our 4-year-old can manage his own rolling bag and backpack now, which helps. But between car seats, the duffel, our bags, and keeping track of two kids?

TSA PreCheck is worth every penny for family travel. (more on Global Entry for kids here, which includes pre-check for FREE)

Family Ski Trip Packing List: Bottom Line

Check if your place has laundry first. This changes everything – you can pack half as many clothes if you can wash mid-trip.

Figure out the rent vs. bring question early because it totally changes what you’re packing. We went with comfort (our own boots and helmets) over convenience.

Pack way more diapers than seems reasonable. Altitude plus time change plus travel chaos equals more diaper changes.

Choose clothes that do multiple jobs. My Sorels worked for snow and dinner. The Speedy worked as a nice bag and a diaper bag. The fur vest worked for après and evenings out.

And seriously, mittens need to dry every night. Pack extras or plan to use a dryer.

Want to know what actually keeps toddlers busy on ski trip flights? Check out this post on toddler airplane entertainment.

Going to Park City specifically? I’m writing up the full Deer Valley experience next – the ski school and childcare situation that made this whole trip possible, plus why everyone complaining about “no snow” was actually wrong.