I am sending a board fed ex and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on ways to pack the board and materials to pack with. I am on a tight budget, so I got a big refrigerator box (free) that I am going to cut to size. I would like to use bubble wrap but at 75 cents a foot I thought it a bit ridiculous. I bought 5’ that I will wrap the nose and tail with. I will use the few bones from a blank that I have, but am also looking for cheap, preferably free, alternatives to stuff in there. Thanks- ryan
You can use a bunch of newspaper. Or a bunch of wadded up trash bags. I’ve discovered some of my most creative skills when packing. Get crazy. Just keep it light!
I am sending a board fed ex and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on > ways to pack the board and materials to pack with. I am on a tight budget, > so I got a big refrigerator box (free) that I am going to cut to size. I > would like to use bubble wrap but at 75 cents a foot I thought it a bit > ridiculous. I bought 5’ that I will wrap the nose and tail with. I will > use the few bones from a blank that I have, but am also looking for cheap, > preferably free, alternatives to stuff in there. Thanks- ryan In addition, get some foam pipe insulators from the hardware store and put them along the rails. Best solution, look for someone who is getting thier carpet removed – used carpet padding is the bomb – not too expensive if you have to buy it – free is always best. Wrap a wad of carpet pad around that stick. Solid. Its all you need Shine http://users.leading.net/~shine
4x8 sheet of blue builder’s foam or cheaper foil covered foam could be cut down as an internal board box to go inside the cardboard. $7.00-$9.00 per sheet, one should do it for you + Newspaper stuffing. Shine’s use of the carpet foam is great if you can find any for free. TS>>> I am sending a board fed ex and was wondering if anyone had any ideas on > ways to pack the board and materials to pack with. I am on a tight budget, > so I got a big refrigerator box (free) that I am going to cut to size. I > would like to use bubble wrap but at 75 cents a foot I thought it a bit > ridiculous. I bought 5’ that I will wrap the nose and tail with. I will > use the few bones from a blank that I have, but am also looking for cheap, > preferably free, alternatives to stuff in there. Thanks- ryan
Old blankets, towels, sheets, thrift shop sleeping bags,Shim the box with folded up cardboard so the there is no play in the box.Good luck
Old blankets, towels, sheets, thrift shop sleeping bags,Shim the box with > folded up cardboard so the there is no play in the box.Good luck Ryan, I’ve been in the small package shippin biz for a while. All of these suggestions are good ones. If you are plannig to use FDX for a ground movement you will be actually using a small package infrastructure developed and operated by RPS (purchased by FDX). This means that you need to package your stick in such a manner that it will survive a three (3) foot dead drop to the floor without any damage to your stick. Old boogie boards are great to protect the ends with. Another item you will need is insurance. If for some reason your board is damaged during the shipping process that is the only way you will recover the cost of your stick. Upon a damage occurring there is a possibility that it will have to be inspected for claim approval. Do NOT allow the driver to take the item back to the facility for an inspection. INSIST on an on-site inspection by an account executive. That being said, if you do not have outer packaging that has been rated at a minimum of 250 lbs of bursting strength and a minimum of two (2) inches of packaging material surrounding the entire surface of the board your claim MAY be denied. It is all up to the rep that does the inspection. There has been quite a bit of discussion on proper shipping methods archived. I would recommend that you use an national LTL trucking firm rather than FDX to move your surfboard. They will take better care of your board because they are set up to handle this type of movement. Hope it helps, sorry for the wordy post. Magoo
Ryan, I’ve been in the small package shippin biz for a while. All of these > suggestions are good ones. If you are plannig to use FDX for a ground > movement you will be actually using a small package infrastructure > developed and operated by RPS (purchased by FDX). This means that you need > to package your stick in such a manner that it will survive a three (3) > foot dead drop to the floor without any damage to your stick. Old boogie > boards are great to protect the ends with. Another item you will need is > insurance. If for some reason your board is damaged during the shipping > process that is the only way you will recover the cost of your stick. Upon > a damage occurring there is a possibility that it will have to be > inspected for claim approval. Do NOT allow the driver to take the item > back to the facility for an inspection. INSIST on an on-site inspection by > an account executive. That being said, if you do not have outer packaging > that has been rated at a minimum of 250 lbs of bursting strength and a > minimum of two (2) inches of packaging material surrounding the entire > surface of the board your claim MAY be denied. It is all up to the rep > that does the inspection. There has been quite a bit of discussion on > proper shipping methods archived. I would recommend that you use an > national LTL trucking firm rather than FDX to move your surfboard. They > will take better care of your board because they are set up to handle this > type of movement. Hope it helps, sorry for the wordy post. Magoo How Much to ship a 6’ 6" board from Ventura, CA to Colorado? I have a customer who wants a board shipped but I have now way to know what the shipping and packing costs will be. Brent http://www.2ndWaveSurfboards.com
You may want to check air freight forwarders. Sometimes they are cheaper than ground. I also recommend carpet padding and you can get it for free. I go to a carpet dealer and they let me have whatever I want of old carpeting/padding they pulled up from an installation. They are glad to get rid of it. It’s also light so you’re not adding a bunch of weight that will cost more. In addition to carpet padding, I’ve used 1/8" paneling from Home Depot. I get the cheapest 4X8 sheet (about $8) which will yield enought to cover both sides. The paneling is strong but flexible. You cut it to the shape of the board and tape in on after wrapping in padding. Use rigid foam on the nose and tail and extend the paneling about 1/4" beyond the nose and tail. I also tape pipe insulation to the rails, also available at Home Depot for cheap.
Thanks to everyone for the great packing tips, and to Magoo for the warning. I will look into alternatives, and I am confident that with this help I can pack the board safely. Once again, thanks for all the help!
Ryan…I am a cheapskate from the get go…hit up “the wiz” or similar electronics places for cast away bubble wrap… The stores are pretty cool about giving a guy a break. This might tak