Zuca Bags

VegMom · Feb 6, 2019

All the kids have them at the rinks my skater skates at. He has one and likes his. But if we buy another one, I'm getting the airline approved one. When we travel we put the skates in a carry-on suitcase because the zuca we chose is not small enough to be a carry-on. We don't trust the airlines so we don't check the skates. Sometimes it takes an extra few minutes in security to check the skates but it's well worth it.

The biggest pro to a zuca IMO is that it can support your weight when you need a place to sit to put on your skates. All the other skate bags don't have that option. (As a parent that's come in handy too sometimes when there are not chairs to sit on to watch!)

VegMom · Feb 6, 2019

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...?

We live in a dry climate and we have no issue with rust or anything. We leave the skates in the bag all the time. But we have noticed when we travel it's a totally different story. When we travel to climates with more humidity we have to be extra careful about keeping everything dry.

Our Summers are very hot and so the biggest risk to skates is being in a hot car. One kid had the soles of his skates come right off! His parents didn't know any better and left the skates in the car all the time.

Ic3Rabbit · Feb 6, 2019

VegMom said:
We live in a dry climate and we have no issue with rust or anything. We leave the skates in the bag all the time. But we have noticed when we travel it's a totally different story. When we travel to climates with more humidity we have to be extra careful about keeping everything dry.

Our Summers are very hot and so the biggest risk to skates is being in a hot car. One kid had the soles of his skates come right off! His parents didn't know any better and left the skates in the car all the time.

No matter what your climate is, DO NOT leave skates in your/their bag! This is so bad for the skates.

loveohio · Feb 7, 2019

My daughter has a Zuca that she got when she landed her single axel. I hate it. Its heavy. Its disorganized. We just end up stuffing everything in, and when she needs something everything has to come out because its impossible to find anything. She likes it because everyone else has one. But she agrees that its hard to find stuff. And she says that really Zucas are for kids. The "good" skaters, ie the ones that travel to sectionals and nationals, use rolling hard sided suitcases because they can be carried on a plane, so that's what she wants when she's older. I think a duffel bag would be better, but I don't get a vote apparently.

We have a designated area in our mudroom for the skates to dry each night. They always come out of the stupid Zuca, or the blades will rust. And she uses puffy soakers that we got off Etsy. Very important, those puffy soakers.

Ic3Rabbit · Feb 7, 2019

Most use hard sided suitcases.

Sibelius · Feb 7, 2019

One thing I like about my skater's Zuca, the light up wheels across the parking lot in the early a.m. when she's all in black. It's not the greatest carrier, I like the hard sided trolley we got for travel, but the curb climbing wheels are nice. It was a gift, she likes it, the handle holds the Zuca lunch bags (I use 2, one for hot and one for cold) and her "kiss and cry" and makes schlepping all that a bit easier. Speaking of, off to pick her up for lesson, FS practice and club ice time. Long Thursday afternoons.

Sam L · Feb 13, 2019

Military?

VegMom · Feb 14, 2019

Ic3Rabbit said:
No matter what your climate is, DO NOT leave skates in your/their bag! This is so bad for the skates.

Nope, skates are still like new after 9 months and he's already outgrown them. Now those skates have been replaced. It's simply not an issue for us. It's perhaps an issue for adults who have stopped growing and will keep their skates longer. It might also be an issue for skates that don't have waterproof soles (thus the skates get more wet). But for us in our household and our age kiddo and his particular skates, it's a non-issue. And I know a lot of the other skaters and coaches in our area see no need to 'air out their skates' in our desert climate.

We dry the blades and put on soakers, put odor absorbing thingies inside the boots, open up the laces wide and pull the tongues out, zip up the bag only 3/4 and it's all good.

concorde · Feb 14, 2019

Just to clarify on the rust.

We tend to get it on the edges, not where the skates connect to the boots. We can get it within a month of getting new skates and certain pairs are more prone than others (same brand and style as before just a bigger size). With us, once the blades start to rust, it continues the life of the blade. It just happens and we deal.

Ic3Rabbit · Feb 14, 2019

VegMom said:
Nope, skates are still like new after 9 months and he's already outgrown them. Now those skates have been replaced. It's simply not an issue for us. It's perhaps an issue for adults who have stopped growing and will keep their skates longer. It might also be an issue for skates that don't have waterproof soles (thus the skates get more wet). But for us in our household and our age kiddo and his particular skates, it's a non-issue. And I know a lot of the other skaters and coaches in our area see no need to 'air out their skates' in our desert climate.

We dry the blades and put on soakers, put odor absorbing thingies inside the boots, open up the laces wide and pull the tongues out, zip up the bag only 3/4 and it's all good.

Good for you? I and other pros I know have lived/trained and toured in all climates and I still oppose what you're saying, and many skate manufacturers would agree.

Zuca Bags

VegMom

VegMom

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️

loveohio

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️

Sibelius

Sam L

VegMom

concorde

Ic3Rabbit

Former Elite, now Pro. ⛸️

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