After years of family ski trips and forgotten gear, our family of four has packing down to a science.

Start with the essentials: ski clothing. Each family member should have a boot bag with ample space for hat or helmet, goggles, neck warmer or face mask, gloves or mittens, ski socks, fleece or microfiber layer, base layer (a.k.a. long underwear), pocket-size lip balm, and sunscreen. A large trash bag takes up no space, and can be used for wet or dirty clothes. We typically wear our ski jackets and pants during a morning ride to the slopes.