Can you dress up in layers at the airport to avoid a baggage fee?

I don’t believe there is a rule against it, although you should expect to raise the suspicion of the TSA. You’re probably going to sweat your ass off though. Is it really worth saving like $25 to sit for hours sweating uncomfortably?

Ski boots are uncomfortable. That’s another thing I can’t imagine wearing for hours to avoid a fee.

Oh not the ski boots! I’m renting them when I get there! Just the clothes!

How long is your trip?

Flight is only a couple of hours!

Not the flight – the ski trip. Is it more than 48 hours?

oh just 2 days

Did you plan to spend all of your non-skiing time in your ski clothes? are you planning to change your underwear/socks etc? If it was a day trip, I’d go with it, otherwise you need other clothes to wear when you aren’t skiing.

As said above, very hot, uncomfortable flight with ski clothes on and probably not worth saving the money to do it.

Welcome to Fluther.

Have you checked into the possibility of renting outer clothes, too? It’s been decades since I skied, but it seems like that should be a thing now. Alternatively, what would it cost to have the clothes boxed up and shipped ahead of time to the destination (to someone you can trust, obviously) to hold for you (and then ship back afterward)?

We really need to do another ‘First World Problems’ thread, though. Not that this reminded me of that or anything…

Why not vacuum pack the clothes and put them in a carry-on?

Not worth the pain of wearing the same clothes for 2 days. Also, what about your toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, comb or any other incidental items you may need?

As others have said, you can but it’s a practical trade-off after a point. However it is practical in many cases to wear something like a sweater and jacket or coat in airports (and on planes a wrinkle-proof jacket may serve as a blanket) rather than packing those.

Are you going to be skiing in China?

You will have to strip down to one layer to get through airport security so that could be a pain.

I would say definitely layer on top. It’s not odd at all to wear a shirt, sweater/hoody, and ski jacket. I wouldn’t bother with wearing the ski pants I don’t think. If you are bringing a pair of jeans wear those. They are heavy and bulky too. Sneakers or boots are heavy too. A little of a pain to take off for security, but so what.

I don’t know much about ski pants. Are your insulated and thick? Or, can you fold them up and fit them in a shopping bag? That’s an option. Make one of your carry-ons a shopping bag with the pants and your purse.

Yes, you can but I wouldn’t recommend it. Possibly wear only the thickest items to save space in your bag. Some airlines also allow a jacket as an extra item. Southwest allows two free checked bags.