Patagonia Black Hole Snow Roller Ski Bag

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Durability

After four busy round trips, fully loaded, I have experienced zero durability issues. No tears, no zipper separation, and not even small issues with the interior fabric. I don’t anticipate issues with this bag, but if there are, Patagonia is pretty consistent and reasonable with their return/repair policy.

Regarding the main body fabric, I’ve been using the Black Hole Duffel made of the same 1200 Denier coated material for several years and many international trips with no issues. I do have one small hole that was worn through the bottom of the duffel bag when it was dragged (while loaded with 50lbs of equipment) across a concrete, gravel airstrip by someone helping me at an airport, but I think any material would have yielded in that situation.

Price

The Snow Roller is at the upper end of the price spectrum for a ski bag. At $329, it’s about $100 more than a Dakine Double Concourse or the Douchebag.

Bottom Line

If you need a new ski bag or you want to shed a bunch of weight from your existing system without sacrificing portability or protection, the Snow Roller is the best option I’ve found.

It incorporates some unique features like its more rigid, padded structure compared to other ski bags, and its ability to easily attach a duffel.

It is easily the best ski bag I’ve ever used, and I plan to drag it around with me on a lot more trips.

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5 comments on “Patagonia Black Hole Snow Roller Ski Bag”

  1. Great review – just really not sure how to justify the extra cost of this bag.

    Due to the size, weight, pockets, it looks like the comparable Dakine bag is the Fall Line double, not the Concourse Double. The Fall Line is $200 less. The “Patagucci” logo may be worth $200 to some, not me.

    It would be interesting to see a objective review / comparison of all the bags out there (Concourse, Fall Line, TNF Basecamp, Douchebag, Pata…)

    Also – it would be nice to get real life dimensions of these bags interiors. This matters to those with 196 Protests….

  3. Thanks for your thorough review. I purchased the 190cm Black Hole Snow Roller last season and am very pleased with it. Now I am adding a 90- or 120-liter Black Hole duffel that is attachable on top as a boot and accessory bag when schlepping gear around the airport, etc.

    Based on your experience, do you think the 90- and 120-liter Black Hole bags work equally well atop the Snow Roller? Or does an attached 120-liter bag become a bit ungainly in actual use, so that you suggest sticking with the 90-liter bag?

    Thanks,

    ~ Kent

    • Hi Kent, Thanks for the kind words. I have used both and while it’s true that the 90L carries easier especially if you’re dealing with uneven terrain, I haven’t had too many issues with the bigger bag. I did have it capsize a few times sprinting through a Tokyo train station while dealing with stairs and tight corners (and 50lbs in each bag) but that might have happened with any setup. I’m trying to learn to pack a little lighter these days! Best, Paul

  4. I work on Reno at the airport and this bag is by far the easiest to handle, stack inside a plane pit. It is worth every penny.

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