So you’re heading away on your first surf trip? Chances are, if you’re now as addicted to surfing as I am, you’ll want to take surfboards with you. But where do you start? And how do you keep your precious lengths of fibreglass, from getting damaged? So you don’t rock up to tropical perfection with broken boards, here’s exactly how to pack a surfboard bag.
Table of Contents
Your Boardbag
Before packing, you need to choose a surfboard back. Duh. There are many board bags out there, and to be honest, all the best brands make good quality ones. Just make sure you choose a board bag that’s slightly longer than the boards you have. (For example, if you ride 6’0, get a 6′ 2 board bag, you’ll thank me later.
I’ve been using a 6 ‘0 Ocean & Earth Coffin board bag for the past few years. It fits 3-4 boards and has enough room for other items such as clothes and surf accessories. I’ve put this bag through its paces and taken it on surf trips all through Central and South America, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and Indo, and it hasn’t let me down yet. Check it out here.
Packing Surfboards
If you’re traveling with multiple surfboards, you’ll want to pack your boards from largest to smallest in a pyramid-style stack. Ignore this if you’re only taking one board.
Protect the Nose/Tail
Then, you need to protect your nose and tail when flying with surfboards, these are the most vulnerable areas of your boards and are more prone to snapping. To produce, or at least, seriously reduce the risk of this happening, pack around the nose and tail.
What I like to do is pack my larger items of clothing such as jumpers, and cost around the nose and tail and tuck them in nice and tight. This is my number one trick for packing a surfboard bag.
Protect the Rails (+ Get Creative)
The next most vulnerable parts of your boards are the rails. You can get pretty fancy here, by using foam tubing, to cover the rials and even layer bubble wrap between each board. But you don’t need to! All I do is wrap towels and t-shirts, over the rials, and tuck socks and smaller boxer shorts down the side while I’m packing. This usually does the trick!
Use Pockets
Something that’s really important (and make sure you choose a board bag with good pockets) is pitting all the little bits and bobs, such as wax, sunscreen, and fin keys in them. You won’t want these rolling around loose in the board bag.
Go Surfing
And there you have it, that’s just about everything you need to know about packing a surfboard bag. There’s nothing technical or fancy about it, and the level of protection you want to give your boards will depend on you! I go pretty basic and usually arrive at my destinations, with boards intact. Touch wood…
