How to Pack Your Boards
Mitch Coleborn unpacking his Creatures Board Bag.
By now you would have all seen what has happened in the ongoing saga of surfers vs. airlines, in this case with Alex Gray recently. Can you imagine heading to your destination, opening the bag to discover the new boards you’ve invested your last 10 pay cheques into, are all but destroyed. Now we don’t want to see this happen to you so, we the people at Boardcave have come up with a mini checklist on how you can avoid these catastrophes to prevent breaking your boards by the baggage boys.
1. Fly with a reputable airline. Obviously Tiger Air have a pretty bad wrap in this department so maybe consider other airlines and check out their baggage policies. Some are worse than others and damaging surfboards isn't the first time they have done this. It's happened to Slater and John John too (his incident was with JetBlue)
2. Getting the right boards for the trip. Depending where your off to, get the right
Surfboard for the trip. If its Indo, take a couple of boards that have you covered in everything from small softer conditions to a board that can handle bigger powerful Padang tubes
3. Get the
Surfboard Bag for you boards. Now this is critical. You want to make sure the board bag isn’t too small or too big. Too small and it won’t allow for a little wiggle room, too big and your boards will more than likely get flung around like a sausage down a hallway. Look for something 4-6in bigger than the biggest board your taking, and make sure it has straps inside to secure the boards to the board bag. Most bags come with this feature now, and if they don't,
Surfboard Leg Ropes work just as good as an improvised strap.
4. Pack em' right, keep em' tight! Make sure your rails, tip and tail are covered. For rails the best coverage is purchase yourself some pool noodles, cut down the middle and then attach them to your board. Hold them in place with little duct tape. For the tip and tail, tape on a solid piece of cardboard around them, it will prevent knocking around and keep them fresh. Next make sure your fins are removed (obviously) and stick a towel between your boards for a little extra padding. Pack you boardies (wetties if it's what your taking) and all your surf gear around them for extra support
5. Finally, make sure the weight of the bag packed up isn't going to be too light or too heavy. You need to find that balance so it doesn't scream “thrown me”. Find this balance and you should be ok.. At the end of the day, it wouldn’t hurt to take a ding kit with you.
We can't guarantee that following this guide will have your quiver safe and sound upon arrival. But if you pack appropriately you should be ok.
