Recommendations on travel boardbags?

General Discussion
1

I’m planning a big surf trip, 2 - 3 months with 3 boards, 6’2 up to 6’10. Making 3 new ones specially :slight_smile:

My 7’6 4-board wheely coffin is just too massive, so i’m looking for advice on triple covers please!

I have travelled with 4 boards before, (europe on busses!!!), and i’m not keen carry that much again, so need to scale down a bit.

 

Has anyone tried these? http://curvesurf.com/overstayer.html

 

Otherwise what do you think the best cover that will fit 3 boards (without fins) is?

Either for a good price or the best that money can buy? 

Thanks for any advice…

 

2

hey kk

interesting lloking cover. im in a similar situation as yourself, I have indo trip planned a little later this year and I am determined to find the worlds best travel cover!

I have used many different types in the past including;

1998'sh BALIN double cover- this cover was terrible. had no compression straps either inside or outside cove which meant my boards and all the gear I had packed inside for protection would slump to the bottom, which actually makes carrying and moving very hard as all the weight is not evenly distributed. It was the shape of an icy pole stick, as in straight sides with both ends being rounded which meant there was a heap of empty bag area around the nose (shortboard), which was wasted baggaged and weight.

2002sh FCS single/double cover- this cover was one I used for my single board daily use, but it was claimed that it was good for 1-2 boards (without fins- of course its FCS they think everyone is using removable fins dont they!!). I used it to take two boards away on a boat trip and it did work fine. It was very very tightly packed as it didnt quite accomodate two shortboards, the zips were under some pressure, but it did hold up...but I think ill now stick to the designate 2 board covers.

2008'sh CREATURES OF LEISURE double cover- I saw a guy at an airport once with one of these and it looked awesome. his boards were obvioulsy packed in nice and firm (no slumping or movement) and he had packed it very even, with no lumps or bulges. I ended up getting one of these and was reasonably hapy with it although I found that having two boards in it (even though it was a double cover) was a bit loose and floppy...I think it would work better with 3 finless boards, to ensure that dense, firm package. I still have this cover and may take a third board away just to sort this out!

So I have been looking around at covers for this years trip and I have spotted two I am interested in.

Again I am looking at the FCS double cover (retails around $270AUD). I have a friend who has one and it looks pretty damn good. Its tapered at both ends so there is no excess wasted baggage material, internal compression straps and includes a sleeve made out of the same material as the bag to cover your nose and tail (ingeneous!). Has handles at each end end also so you can pair up and carry each others while walking in single file through busy indo airports! Check it out on surfstich.com

I am also looking at the Ocean and Earth double compact cover. This may not be available in your area although I think you can buy online, checkout oceanandearth.com. These are an aussie company so I am biased but they look pretty good. Retail for around $200AUD are nice and compact for a snug fit. They also feature an external 'side wall/gusset' of rubber all the way around the rail which has got to add to rail protection!? You can also zip open a section in the tail if your board has fixed fins (ingeneous!). Not sure if it has internal straps on this one.

So thats what Im looking at. I think Ill go with one of these two, the deciding factors being, internal straps, tail/nose sleeves, rubber side walls and of course Aussie company!

Be warned, a lot of companies have started to make their covers more compact and stemlined for good reason. They work better, boards are better protected, easier to carry, and dont move within the bag...and also a lot of airlines are charging for boards per kilogram,,,these less unwanted material in your board bag the better!!

The curve cover looks a bit awkward and 'messy' with that outside flap bunching up? Interesting looking bag though, have u seen one in real life?

cheers mate M

Hope all this helps!

 

3

http://www.airbagdesigns.com/home

 

this one is on my wish list for next time. It sure looks fool proof.

4

 wow how good are these covers!!!!

5

http://www.airbagdesigns.com/soma.htm  I don't know if they have a 3 baqgger but took one to Nicaragua that was a double and it worked awesome both boards fishes by the way got the shit beat out of them in transit from Maimi and Nic

Tom

6

http://www.midnightproducts.net/index.html

 

this is who you want to go with :slight_smile:

have a nice trip ! take some pics and post em up when you get back.

7

Cheers heaps for the replies guys…

Those inflatable ones look pretty interesting, classic video clips :slight_smile:

Looks like i’ll be able to get something really good for under AU$300, which is ok.

I wanna spend some money and get quality, hopefully thats how it works…

So far the O&E and FCS ones look like they are the best. I would consider the inflatable, but I gotta fit 3 boards.

I don’t know anything about the Curve ones, a mate just mentioned them, so I thought i’d see if anyone had tried them.

They are Kiwi made, so supporting my local would be cool

8

kk yeh i agree supporting the local guys is a great idea, i try do the same hence leaning towards the ocean and earth. I must admit even though the material in the fcs and ocean and earth are the same (I think, in thickness and material etc) the FCS kinda feels more heavy duty and stronger overall just on touch and feel.

let us know if you have a look at the curve covers mor closely id be interested to know how they are actually set up, cant see a close up shot on the web?

cheers M

9

I'd add Dakine Recon or Regulator to the list of FCS/Ocean and Earth for off the shelf. Seems to have held up better than others I have tried. Depends on the price.

Airbag or custom sounds good.

Edit: I use bubble wrap and insulation pipe cut in half for the rails.

10

i use my dakine world traveler but i leave my boards in their day bags and put wetsuits/towels/clothes around them for extra padding and i havent had any problems...except for the additional cost of course

11

I had a look at those Curve boardbags today.

They look to be very well made, definitely up to scratch in that department.

The one that fits 1 - 3 boards is really compact when empty, the flap folds inside it nicely. So it looks like it would actually work for only one board, would be close fitting, whereas any of the others would just be a huge bag with a single board bouncing around in it.

Dunno how it would be with 3 boards, but it looks good. I’d love to talk to someone who’s filled up with boards and lugged one around.

Lots of carry handles everywhere, and the main entrance doesn’t have a zip, so no corrosion issues. There’s a zip at one end as well, but it’s a metal one unfortunately. The only reason my boardbags eventually die is 'cos of zip seizures then breakage.

Also I like some extra webbing around the whole main seam, I find the fabric wears through there from being dragged. This cover doesn’t have that.

Looks like it’s worth the money tho, NZ$230 (US$160 at the mo).

Other triple covers looked good, but they don’t come with a proper day bag, just a crappy divider. Really need something you can slip a board inside eh.

Gunna go check out some XM ones soon. Their leggies and other stuff seems good, but their website totally sucks, their not really promoting their products very well. I think they might have some decent bags, but you wouldn’t know from looking online.