i recently bought a pricey wheeling bag for my ice skate and gear (my old economicaly prices wheely literally came apart one day, the handle cracked and the wheel broke off!), which I now realize was a big mistake considering its small wheels. The wheels and back of the bag are already all scratched and nicked, and the cloth in the back is starting to shread. I bang my bag up pretty bad since I drag it in/out of the trunk and up/down steps. Do the zuca bags really live up to what they say? Is there a lot of room in it for things like clothing etc (besides the skates of course!). Do they withhold a lot of wear and tear??

your feedback is appreciated

Lots of room for extra clothes? No. But then I don't need to bring tons with me. I love my Zuca bag, because it's easy to carry and roll, I can sit on it in a crowded locker room, and the extra mesh pockets let my gloves and bungas air out. It's great for me. And I love that you only need to replace the bag part, since the outside casing is metal.

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I don't have one, but the majority of the skaters at my rink use them. I do kind of want one though. However, for the price, I would suggest going to Ross , Marshalls, or some other place like that and looking for a Kipling bag (or even another good suitcase). Right now, I just use my old club soccer team's backpack and it's HUGE, but that's because I take the bus and walk and don't want to wheel something around. I used to use a suitcase from Ross and it worked beautifully.

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Youtube Videos

i rep Zuca and i have seen how the Zuca Bags protect their contents even in car crashes. some people even use them as a pet carrier. they are quite durable and functional as well. i don't think you will be disappointed at all. everything you see on that bag has a purpose and a function. if you buy a bag anywhere else you will pay too much and it won't be nearly as functional or well thought out as your Zuca!

Here's what I usually take in my Zuca:

1. skates
2. PSA terry bag with guards in it
3. lululemon jacket
4. lululemon pants
5. bauer travel jacket
6. spare pair of tights
7. 2 dance cds
8. 1 pr extra gloves
9. neoprene "boot gloves"

That's what's INSIDE the bag. In the INNER pockets I have the following:

1. sewing kit
2. passes for various rinks
3. headbands
4. ipod with 2 spare pairs of earbuds
5. USFS test book with dances
6. small notebook for note-taking following lessons
7. assorted pens

In the OUTER pockets I have the following:

1. jump rope
2. 1 1/2 pairs of gloves
3. 1 1/2 pairs of knee tights
4. 1 1/2 mini packs of kleenex (I'm detecting a pattern here...)

In the OTHER outer pocket:

1. a single glove (why?)
2. two mismatched knee tights
3. a chamois
4. an insole (again, why?)
5. a plastic bag with a contraption that lets me remotely control my ipod
6. a written copy of my program with footwork
7. a weird ipod strap that was supposed to strap on my arm but was made for Paul Bunyan, apparently

In the dead of winter, I usually have a wool hat, a Spyder fleece turtleneck, my Basic Skills instructor's book, and more CDs in the bag somewhere as well.

Of course, this bag is bulging all over, has several holes in it, and no teenaged girl would be caught dead even SITTING near it, but it's amazing what you can cram in there when you need to!

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

I have a ZUCA bag as well and I was really hesitant about spending so much on a bag but I kept destroying my skate bags. I give my ZUCA a pretty good pounding and it still holding strong. I especially love the wheels (not the flashiness) but the way that the bag really doesn't tip over when you take a curb at a sharp angle. They aren't the roomiest of bags and are a little heavy but I wouldn't part with mine for the world.

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Happily defying the laws of physics when I skate...and not in a good way

If I could meet ole Axel Paulsen, I would kick him in the teeth

President and Founding member of the I hate Toe-Loops Club

Still a member, but trying to get out of the Pre-bronze peanut gallery.

Visit my skating journal

I do like my zuca and having bought it in the states and flown it back to britain i'll agree the frame is a robust way of protecting the contents.
My only gripe (and to me it's a big gripe) is that the back seam started to develop holes within one month of buying it. When I complained to Zuca they said that this is obviously my fault and that they'd do nothing about it. (If I had bought it in Britain they would be obliged to fix it as under the sale of goods act it's not fit for the purpose it's sold. But I didn't and learning State law on these things to fight it from the other side of the Atlantic I let it drop).
However since the holes developed it's not got much worse and it's holding up.
It steers infinitely better than any of the suitcase type bags people use over here and lots of people would like one because of that (but it's really expensive to buy one in the UK). And I like the seat on it as I've needed it several times in changing rooms.
So all in all after just under a year, I want to new bag for my frame because of the holes (I a ripped a hole in the side mesh the other week - ooops) but I've got to work out an economic way of getting one.

Anyone know if they sell them in Allentown, PA as that's my next visit to the US.

The thing that convinced me to buy one for my DD is that you can change the bag out as often as you need to and they are only about $25.00. The frame is very well made and it's great to have that seat handy. DD got hers 2 years ago this Christmas and it still looks great! She would have gone through 2 reguular suit case bags in that amount of time to the tune of $30 -$50 so I think the cost will eventually catch up with the savings.

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Luckey

The zuca bags are incredibly popular at our rink. I think they are a teeny bit on the small side, but maybe it's a good thing to not encourage you to have quite so much junk in your bag?

The only thing putting me off from getting one is that I occasionally bike to the rink, and it wouldn't work for that, so I stick with my backpack for now.

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-Jessi
What I need is a montage...
Visit my skating journal or my Youtube videos (updated with 2 new videos Sept 26, 2009)

If not in Allentown, then probably in Bethlehem, which is almost right next door.

Here is a link to a rink in Bethlehem

http://www.steelicecenter.com/

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American Waltz... Once, Twice, ???? ...

Q: How many coaches does it take to fix Jen's Dance Intro-3 Problems
A: 5 and counting...

DD has had one for almost 3 years now. Before the Zuca, she never got more than a year out of any other bag, and we tried lots (both cheap and high end, the one by Jerry's was the absolute worst).

We've replaced the inner bag twice, but only because she wanted a color change.

With our Canadian winters full of snow and ice (and lots of salt everywhere), its really nice to be able to take the inner part out and give it a wash.

DD likes to bring her own food to the rink so we got one of the cooler bags to fit on top, and its great too.

On the down side, it is a bit small. I hear they were originally sized to fit into a US school locker (Zuca rep - is this true?). I see they just came out with an airline sized version. Maybe skaters should start asking ZUCA for a skater sized bag?

I'm able to fit a pair of figure and a pair of hockey skates in mine. Admittedly, it's a bit tight and I have to hang the helmet on the outside, but I can also squeeze some soft goods in, too.

I didn't realize the thing had flashing wheels until I got home with it. My 90+ pound rottweiler is afraid of them.

No problems with tearing. My only complaint is that the velcro sticky back doesn't stay attached to the frame. I'm thinking about super-glueing it.

Until I got my coaching bag, I used the Zuca on days I was coaching hockey--I got my helmet, hockey gloves, and hockey skates inside the bag with a little work.
When they saw the flashing lights all my little girl players wanted one too! Had to explain that I could not fit the full gear into the bag--I'm pretty good at squeezing things in but the shoulder pads just won't go!!

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You miss 100% of the shots you never take.--Wayne Gretzky

I just bought one and so far I love it!

There's not a ton of room for clothes, but my bag holds...
On the inside:
- skates
- 2 pairs of guards (or soakers, whichever I'm not using at the moment)
- bunga pads
- thermal boot covers (for coaching)
- a small pouch for extra screws, screwdriver, laces, etc.

Outside pockets (both sides):
- gloves
- towel
- CD case
- rulebook
- markers (for coaching)
- first aid kit
- Kleenex

Pros:
Overall, my Zuca bag extremely light and easy to lift into the trunk of my car, holds all my necessities easily without me having to jam them inside, and wheels smoothly and silently over the curbs/sidewalks, etc. Although I haven't had it longer than two weeks, there's no nicks, snags or tears on the bag, which can be replaced if it would tear or get damaged (and you don't need to purchase another carrier). Finally, for purely aesthetic purposes, there are so many different color combinations to choose from and the lining of the bag was easy to embroider. Mine has name on the front outside under the strap buckle, which makes it easy to tell mine apart from the hundreds of others at my rink.

Cons:
I do wish it was slightly bigger because I had to strategicallly place my belongings into it, but it does minimize me carrying around unnecessary junk/clothes that tend to pile up in my old bag. Like others have mentioned, the velcro sticky in the back top of the bag sometimes falls in, but that's a very minimal problem that can be fixed easily (superglue, adjust the velcro, loosen the front buckle strap, etc.). The bag can be a bit pricey, but it it continues to hold up as well as it currently is, a Zuca is definitely a worthwhile investment!

Thanks for that. I was wondering where the local rink was. Doesn't look like it's worth bringing the skates though for my week's trip as there's no public ice in the evening and probably no patch ice either. But I might go hunting for some new skating tights and a zuca bag if I can find out if the pro shop is open late.
I'd love to go to the GK outlet in Reading but they close before I get out of the office and I'm never going to do that drive and find a strange shop in a strange town in time even if I did escape earlier.

There is also a rink in Whitehall, which is right in that same area...that is where I skated a few times when I did an internship in Allentown...it's "The Rink at Lehigh Valley" http://www.lehighvalleyicearena.com/

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Skating Dreams

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

When I realized one day that not one single person at the rink--not the kids going to ISI worlds rec team competition next week--not the freakishly dedicated ice dancers--not even the adults working on advanced MITF--not even one of the coaches had a ZUCA bag. Thirty miles north of here even the 6 year olds who'll drop skating when they get bored with it have Zuca bags.

The Big Guy considered getting a zuca bag, but his boots are so big he can just get one in, but not both.

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Great forum quotes:
On Falling: '...it doesn't matter, it's what you do AFTER you fall that's more important' ISK8NYC

I LOVE my Zuca! I was the first one at my rink to get one (the all-pink one) and I've trimmed it in reflective tape (we have to cross a busy street in the dark).

I've also topped it with a VERY nice cushion from Ace Hardware (shameless plug, but I haven't seen them anywhere else) it's a cushion made for gardening and it has a hole/handle that barely fits over the Zuca handle....but it's a squishy seat for my behind and works wonderfully since it's square!

I'm going to get another insert, probably the white one that you can write on....

and if you tip it on it's back, you can really cram more stuff into it!!! I fit my skates, son's hockey skates, two jackets, my skating clothes, plus had all the stuff in the pockets!!! It looked like a pregnant box but the zippers held!

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Skate@Delaware
Ah, show skating!!! I do it for the glitter!

LOLOL!!

I broke down and bought a Zuca and I can't imagine skating without it. If you're careful with how you fold things you can REALLY fill this thing up. I've folded clothes up flat, placed them flat in a pillowcase to protect them, and put them underneath my skates with the soakers on. Works great.

Plus I love love love all the little pockets - although I have this habit of forgetting just where I put stuff!

If you know where you will be staying on your visit, you can always order a Zuca insert bag online and have it shipped to your hotel. Here are a few places online you can order them:

http://www.rainbosports.com/shop/sit...092F547F30758E

http://www.skatingbag.com/index.php?...ea7b69a255573e

http://www.skateforless.net/home.php?cat=264

http://www.sharperedgeskates.com/zuinon.html

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"You don't have to put an age limit on your dreams." - Dara Torres, 41, after her 2nd medal at the 2008 Olympics

my friend quit ice skating and is giving me his today! im excited to try it out.

Yes, I think the Zuca bags live up to their rep. My daughter LOVES hers. Her friend has had hers for 6 months and it has held up very well so far. My daughter hasn't had hers long(2 months?), so I can't say much about duability yet, but so far it does seem to be a great bag.

As far as holding a lot of clothes, no, it won't do that. It hold my daughter's skates, mulitple pairs of gloves, skate guards, soakers, a notebook(spiral), tights, has held leggings and a sweatshirt(keep in mind dd is 10 and wears a size 8 in girls... lol!). I THINK she might have put a change of clothing in there once, but like I said, she is small so her clothes fit better then mine would! LOL. Anyway... over all, I do think they are worth the price. Good luck deciding!

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skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

YUP! That seems to be a common problem! Almost all the bags I see have that problem. Let me know if the glue works!

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skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven

ENJOY it! I currently use a cheap 10.00 rolling pilot case for my skate bag! Dd's Zuca is SOOOO much nicer then my cheap little bag but I cannot justify buying myself a Zuca bag. LOL!

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skating mom to 3 angels on earth and 1 in heaven