Zuca Bags

I am starting this thread to learn more about the Zuca skating bags. I want to know how big they are and will they fit size 6 skates comfortably? The Zuca website says that they can roll up stairs, is that true? They also have a bunch of different pictures of different zucas on the website. Do they colors on the zuca bags actually appear like how they look in the pictures? I am curious because sometimes different cameras capture colors differently. Overall, are they a good skating bag? Also, does anybody have a particular style of the bags they wish to recommend? I really like the chevron bag with the pink frame, but I would like to have different opinions.






IF YOU HAVE COME TO THIS THREAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW EXPENSIVE AND OVERRATED ZUCA BAGS ARE, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DOING SO. I AM AWARE OF HOW MUCH THEY COST. THANK YOU.

1. Yes they will fit size 6 skates
2. Yes they will roll upstairs easier than a regular suitcase, but it's not as easy as they make out
3. A lot of people have them and they're happy with them.
4. The colors on the bags are what they are. If you're obsessive about color such as "Is the Chili red bag scarlet or carmine?" I can't help. It's your bag, don't worry about what anyone else thinks. The MUCA and the Red Cross bag are the only two that are significantly different.

5. They can be a little heavy getting out of the car: http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-finally-use-my-previously-owned-zuca.html
6. There's a better way to pack them than the usual way: http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2015/07/how-to-stuff-zuca.html
7. I have a love/hate relationship with my zuca: http://icedoesntcare.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-trouble-with-zucas-safety-tip.html
8. Some people prefer small rolling suitcases because they're lighter, and some people prefer backpacks, and some people prefer duffel bags. You won't know which one you prefer until you find one that matches your needs.

I want to know how big they are and will they fit size 6 skates comfortably? Yes, when you put them so they are on their backs they fit easily.

They can roll up stairs, is that true? Yes, like rolling luggage

Do they colors on the zuca bags actually appear like how they look in the pictures? Yes.

Overall, are they a good skating bag? My daughter had hers for 5 years. It held up well! They were great for little kids, you can sit on the bag so knee pads, gloves etc were harder to lose. The only downside was my daughter never remembered to take her skates out at night and they would really smell bad and not dry overnight. She got mold inside the boots of her last pair of skates. Also if you have a couple kids with them, I could only get 3 in my trunk (small car). If your rink has super limited space for putting on skates, it guarantees you have a place to sit. we have a cover for the top so she could sit and not get a costume dirty or wet. Now that she is a teen, she likes her transpack much more. You never have to open the skate compartment to air out and she can grab her bad and run in the rink (she couldn't get Zuca in and out of the trunk without hitting the car), and the transpack holds stuff differently (her jacket isn't smooshed in with her skates). I think the price is good - the zuca we have is in great condition aside from a wobbly handle (common problem with them after 4 years of hard use). Not many things last that long! She has had her current skates for about a year now and they really don't smell at all - that is a big deal for me because her skate tech was worried that if she cut her foot or got a blister it would be rubbing against mold. I considered a skate dryer but if she forgot to take them out of the bag, I'm sure she would not use it.
Also, does anybody have a particular style of the bags they wish to recommend? I really like the chevron bag with the pink frame, but I would like to have different opinions.

When my daughter was 4, I got tired of lugging both of our skates to/from the rink so I got one for her (pink frame). That fit both her junior skates and my ladies size 9. Flash forward 6 years and she is still using that same frame. At one point the handle broke and the pro shop as able to order a replacement handle - that was probably 2 years ago and no complaints.

I know that at one point there was a metal "pro" version that one of the adult skaters used (must have been 5+ years ago). At that time, he told me that was the version what was the only version that was designed to "checked" on an airline. I just checked and it is still available.

I am soo excited. On black friday, my local pro shop will be holding a sale. All zuca bags are going to be 50% off! I am going to buy one then. I just hope they don't run out.

They also have heavily discounted skatewear. I got my paws on a modor dress for $45 instead of the full price-$100. I am super happy about these deals and i plan to clean the store out on friday!

They don't breath. So if you put your boots in with any moisture (on the blade, from sweat, etc.), the boots may rot, or the blades may rust. In principle, you want a skate bag with an open mesh compartment to carry potentially wet gear like skates, or to carry them in the open, so water can evaporate.

Of course, open mesh isn't ideal for carrying anything in checked luggage, because any number of things might contaminate your boots - so that would change things. A closed bag might even be a good idea if you are running through the rain with your boots.

Some people feel it is sufficient to take the boots out of the bag when you get home, or as soon as they get to their car, so they don't worry much about moisture.

But many young ladies would be as out of place at an ice rink without their Zucas as without their iPads and iPhones - i.e., this is a fashion fad, that many skaters "have to" comply with, so that factor may outweigh anything as mundanely practical as preserving your skates. And, AFAICT, when it comes to fashion, high cost is NOT a downside - it isn't fashionable if EVERYONE can afford it.

As a guy who has no sense of fashion, it just seems silly to me - but many things in life are about style, so it should be your decision. If you love them and money is no object, go for it.

Query said:

A closed bag might even be a good idea if you are running through the rain with your boots.

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Not only is it a good idea; I think it's essential. I use a nondescript gym bag that has mesh compartments on the two ends, but a zip-up tight central compartment, in which I carry my skates. The central compartment has a large flap opening with a zipper around the perimeter. When the weather is nice, I just leave the central compartment unzipped and the flap tucked inside so the central compartment stays open. But when it's raining, I zip it up tight. I unzip it when I'm inside the rink or inside the car. If you prefer the open mesh bags all the time, I suppose you could carry a large plastic bag with you in case of rain, but chances are, there will be a downpour ... and you forgot the plastic bag (especially if it wasn't raining when you entered the rink, but a storm blew in while you were skating).

As I said in an earlier post, we have the same Zuca frame for 5.5 years. Given the amount of wear and tear it gets, I think it is an extremely great value!

To be honest - my daughter never zips her bag complete shut - the top is still about 1/2 unzipped. It is lack of need than air flow. We never had a issue with boots rotting. We have had an issue with blades rusting but I blame that on leaving on the soakers too long rather than the Zuca.

The younger girls at her rink use the Zuca, the older girls (middle school and up) use hard suitcases. She has commented about switching to a hard suitcase but I am happy with Zuca so we will stay with it.

If people of are complaining about Zucas not allowing the stuff to breathe, I would hate to see what the boots/blades are like after being left in a hard suitcase.

concorde said:

the older girls (middle school and up) use hard suitcases.

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At your rink, do those girls leave the skates in the suitcases, or do they take them out, or leave the suitcase open when they get home? Do they wipe their blades before putting them in the suitcase? Do you live in a particular arid or humid climate?

It's hard to believe no one has had problems. Have you looked to see whether they show signs of rust, or were the boots starting to fall apart within a few months? Of course, if their boots only last 2 or 3 months, as is true of some high level skaters, as well as people with very poor boot fit, or who don't tie their boots tiight, they might break down before they rot.

My last boot pair (Klingbeil "soft" Dance) lasted 12 years and thousands of hours on the ice (though they really broke down after 11+). The outside looked almost new, except for breakdown creases, and a few cosmetic scratches. All the stitches were intact. (They were rebuilt by Klingbeil after 6 years. I also almost never tried jumps over 1/2 rotation. On the other hand, they never fit right, though I made what modifications I could.) I used a single pair of MK Dance (high carbon stainless, presumably more prone to rust) blades most of that time, 10-20 hours / week. Then I left the skates on the floor, and our home leaked water onto the floor in heavy rain - and the blades were ruined. (I had sharpened away much of the steel already. But still!)

I've had no trouble leaving blades in soakers, as long as they were well dried first, and they were out in the open in a humidity controlled house. If I am not going to use them for a few days, I oil the blades.

Query said:

At your rink, do those girls leave the skates in the suitcases, or do they take them out, or leave the suitcase open when they get home? Do they wipe their blades before putting them in the suitcase? Do you live in a particular arid or humid climate?

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You know I have never asked the girls who put their skates in hard suitcases if they had issues - my guess is they do! We do live a very humid area.

My daughter is still young so the concept of having one pair of skates for more than a year is foreign to me. My goal is for her skates to last one year before she outgrows them and so far we have been successful. Only once did they break down at about the same time but this coincided with her foot growing.

I cannot image using one pair for 12 years - WOW!

concorde said:

I cannot image using one pair for 12 years - WOW!

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The boots were probably too stiff for me. In principle, I think it is a better idea to get the stiffness you need for what you expect to do in the near future.

If the original poster's DD grows fast enough, longevity may be largely irrelevant for now, unless the old skates will be sold or passed on. But the average girl stops growing her feet around age 11. So it might become relevant within the lifetime of her bag, depending on several things.

But maybe DD's happiness is more important to the original poster than how long the skates last.

They do sell an insert with mesh - made for pets. I have thought about getting one of these for skates because we've had the problem with mold as well.

Did you get your bargain half off deal? Do you love your bag?

OH WELL, ACTUALLY, THEY CHANGED THE DEAL...
I GOT MY BAG AT 20% OFF, BUT I REALLY LOVE IT! I NO LONGER NEED TO CARRY A FALLING-APART BAG TO THE RINK! IT'S HOLDING UP PRETTY WELL, CONSIDERING THAT I DROPPED IT ON ITS SIDE MULTIPLE TIMES AND BANGED IT ON THE CAR TRUNK ONCE...

AS A FEW PEOPLE SAID, IT IS KIND OF ANNOYING HAVING TO HAUL IT INTO THE TRUNK ALL THE TIME, BUT OVERALL, I LOVE THE BAG!

That is still a deal! Glad you are happy with it! Now you always have a clean dry place to sit when you put your skates on. Ha ha, when my daughter first got hers we came home late at night from the rink and were walking back to the house. I saw police lights reflected in the neighbors window and and felt a little panicky. I looked behind me and realized it was the flashing of the wheels!

Okay so I've been reading through the comments and a lot of complaints have been about airing/drying out...I'm a little lost, I've only been skating for a year now and have had the same skates, I've yet to get soaker (becuase I discovered them quite recently) and nothing has yet to rust or mold...any idea why? I always wipe my blades/shoes so it may be that..but I don't really let them air dry or anythign they just stay in my bag (it's a adidas gym bag). Is this normlal/possible or...?

Arani said:

Okay so I've been reading through the comments and a lot of complaints have been about airing/drying out...I'm a little lost, I've only been skating for a year now and have had the same skates, I've yet to get soaker (becuase I discovered them quite recently) and nothing has yet to rust or mold...any idea why? I always wipe my blades/shoes so it may be that..but I don't really let them air dry or anythign they just stay in my bag (it's a adidas gym bag). Is this normlal/possible or...?

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What boots and blades do you have? You should always dry everything off thoroughly and put soakers on, always take skates out of bag when home and let them dry.

Arani said:

Okay so I've been reading through the comments and a lot of complaints have been about airing/drying out...I'm a little lost, I've only been skating for a year now and have had the same skates, I've yet to get soaker (becuase I discovered them quite recently) and nothing has yet to rust or mold...any idea why? I always wipe my blades/shoes so it may be that..but I don't really let them air dry or anythign they just stay in my bag (it's a adidas gym bag). Is this normlal/possible or...?

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Soakers are not just for drying - they’re also to protect the blades from hitting each other and other thing in your bag which could cause damage.

Arani said:

Okay so I've been reading through the comments and a lot of complaints have been about airing/drying out...I'm a little lost, I've only been skating for a year now and have had the same skates, I've yet to get soaker (becuase I discovered them quite recently) and nothing has yet to rust or mold...any idea why? I always wipe my blades/shoes so it may be that..but I don't really let them air dry or anythign they just stay in my bag (it's a adidas gym bag). Is this normlal/possible or...?

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I think it may depend on your climate. We live in a relatively humid climate so things take awhile to dry (my daughter's skates tend to rust). Summers tend to be worst and winters (dry heat) are better in terms of rusting.

My guess is you live in a dryer climate.

I just want to add to what’s been written here but have to admit I didn’t read every detail from above so bear with me.

Zuca has a military discount program if you contact them directly from the website so a big shout out to them for their support!

Also, we have purchased a box of cheap charcoal dehumidifier cartridges from amazon because my girls don’t take care of their skates once we get home! We put one in each skate in the bags and I try to unzip them at home when I remember.

Also I’ll add we love ours since at our rink seats run out! And they are easier for our girls to handle over obstacles.the weight is mostly due to the skates and all the junk you can pack in them.LOL.

Good luck with your decision.