TYPE OF BOARD BAGS
Socks or Stretch Covers
These are the most basic type of bag / cover for your surfboard. Constructed out of a durable weave fabric, they offer protection from scratches and scuffs while helping to keep the vehicle you transport it in clean from wax and sand. They also give your board a reasonable amount of UV protection. Socks don’t offer any padding so you will need to handle your board with extra care while using them.
(Size these as close to the length of your board as possible)
Day Use
Day use board bags are designed for immediate travel – ideally used in or on the roof of your car, to and from your local surf spots. They are lighter and less bulky than their travel counterparts (generally with 5 mm of padding). They offer basic protection from lighter impacts and effectively shield you board from the sun's UV-rays. They also come with a shoulder strap and handle so your board is easier to carry.
(Size these as close to the length of your board as possible)
Travel
Travel board bags have more padding and are tougher than their day use counterparts (generally 10mm + padding and thicker, rip stop fabric). Designed for greater protection & to withstand the wear and tear of international travel. Often equipped with ventilation to prevent your board cooking in it’s cover while waiting to be loaded into the plane on the tarmac or on the roof of your car during long trips.
(Size these a couple of inches longer than your surfboard)
Multi Board / Coffins
Multi Board bags allow you to travel with back-up or alternative shapes for different conditions. These bags are generally built with similar features to single travel covers (10mm + padding, ventilation and thicker, rip stop fabric) – they just have a larger capacity. The also have room to pack other accessories & gear (fins, wetsuits, legropes etc).
Larger capacity bags (for 3 or more boards) can also come with wheels for transportation ease. It’s important to note that wheels do add weight to the bag, so be mindful of checked baggage allowances.
(Size these a couple of inches longer than your largest surfboard)
SIZE AND SHAPE OF BOARD BAGS
Once you have decided the type of board bag you require it is important that you pick the appropriate shape. You will need to choose from the following options:
SHORTBOARD
Shortboard shaped surfboard bags are designed for the pointy nose, narrower, high performance surfboard shapes. These bags will fit these shapes snuggly - but are unsuitable for broader fish or hybrid shaped boards.
FISH & FUNBOARD
Fish, fun board or hybrid shapes surfboard bags have generous proportions and are designed for boards with more width, rounder noses, wider tails and more thickness. Note: This bag shape is often the most suitable for soft surfboards.
LONGBOARD
Longboard shaped surfboard bags are quite similar in shape to fish bags but allow for more length. They commonly have a fin slot slot in the tail that can be opened to allow room for single fins / larger back fins.
MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN OF BOARD BAGS
The materials used, the methods of construction and other design elements can vary considerably from brand to brand with surfboard bags. Generally speaking, you do get what you pay for with robustness and features.
Premium bags will often come with stronger fabric, more reinforcing, additional padding, pockets and features like built in fin gussets. They will often fit your boards better and have features that make them easier to use. You’ll be pleased to know that issues with corrosion of zippers is largely a thing of the past (at least with the brands of surfboard bags we stock in store).
Here are a few more things relating to construction and design of board bags you might want to keep in mind before making your purchase.
CONSTRUCTION
Board bags are commonly constructed out of weather resistance canvas and / or heat reflective material. Premium bags will have re-enforcement on the nose, tail and other areas of stress. You can expect to find internal and / or external cinch straps in multi-board board bags to prevent movement in transit. Extras features often offered are pockets, padded dividers & ventilation systems for air flow.
Hopefully this has made your purchase decision a little easier – if there’s anything else you would like to know about any of the surfboard bags we stock feel free to get in touch with one of our staff members.