To understand what DB, formerly Douchebag, actually is, we have to go back to 2009. That is when Jon Olsson and Truls Brataas bumped into each other by chance. Jon Olsson is the Swedish freeskier with a stack of X Games medals and World Cup starts behind him. Truls Brataas is a Norwegian designer with the same passion for skiing.
The two got talking, and the conversation kept circling back to the same thing: the travelling. If you want to get the most out of your skiing, luggage comes with it, and that luggage was a nightmare to haul around. Truls has put it like this: “We felt there was something completely wrong with the contrast between our love for the sport and the pain of travelling with the necessary equipment.” That meeting became the start of a new chapter for both of them.
They set out to rebuild the ski bag from scratch. In 2012 the result was ready: the world's lightest wheeled ski bag, one that could be length-adjusted and folded flat at the same time. The range has grown since, and today DB bags are a common sight in airports and lift queues.
HOOK-UP SYSTEM
What really sets DB apart is the patented hook-up system. You clip the bags together into one unit, so you are not carrying your gear on your back through the whole airport. Integrated G-buckles let you lock the backpack onto the big roller bag in seconds.
The result is a journey you can actually manage, and a back that is not wrecked by the time you arrive.
SNOW ROLLER
Snow Roller is the bag DB is best known for, and the one that set the standard for travelling with skis and a snowboard.
It is built around a Rib Cage construction, inspired by the way your ribs protect the organs underneath. The ribs take the impact from outside, so the contents stay untouched, and because the stiffness sits in the structure rather than in thick padding, the bag folds down to almost nothing in the basement.
On top of that sit DB's two patents: the hook-up system and the Length Adjustment System. The latter lets you pull the bag in or out so it closes tightly around exactly the skis or the board you are travelling with. Less slack means less movement in transit, and less that can break.
