I need to buy a board bag that will hold at least 2 surfboards..... any suggestions my longest board is 7'4 and the smallest is 6'3. Also Im gong on a little surf trip to florida and need to buy some new winter rubber because the one spot is going to be to warm for my 4/3 to wear. It is siesta key , fl wear the water temps are roughly around high 50's or lower 60's, and the air temp is mid 70's or so. I want to get a suit that would be good for down there now and good for us in mid may early summer. Any suggestions would help.... Thanks guys
Thiis is my first board bag so if you guys know of one that will hold wetsuits, which i assume they all do, that would be cool.... thanks
i'll address the wetsuit question first: this sounds like the exactly perfect situation for a short-sleeve full. the air's warm, water's too chilly to trunk it....short arm full. if you don't want to go down that road, a regular 3/2 will work just fine. tho i think you'll be a tad toasty in the upper body w/ that if the weather's nice & sunny. as for board bag, i'm assuming you're looking for a coffin-type bag. if you're bringing 2 boards, you're gonna want something w/ wheels. nothing sucks more (or looks funnier) than struggling w/ a heavy-ass surfboard bag while you're trying to navigate an airport. the practical upshot of this? you can cram the thing w/ all your gear no problem. most wheeled coffin bags are designed to hold 2-4 boards, so you can shove your wetsuits, fins, leashes, trunks, towels, etc...in there & not worry about any other checked baggage. the folks at the check-in counter (usually) love it when you roll up w/ just a backpack. i've even had 1 or 2 waive the fee b/c i wasn't checking any other luggage...just my boards. since you're longest board is 7'4", i'd suggest a length of 7'6". i have a 7'0" da kine world traveler & the thing is damn near bomb-proof, i think. the padding it came w/ is great, so w/ only minor additions, my boards are super well protected from the whims of the baggage handlers. only once have i had a board damaged on a flight, & i think that was mostly my packing error, as i packed in a rush & prob. didn't do as thorough a job as i normally would (damn building swells on the day of departure!!). good luck!
If there's a chance that the water's going to be in the 50's, I'm grabbing a 3/2 full...and 3mm boots. If it's in the low 60's, no boots. But that's me...
There's waves in the keys? I've been going there all my life and never thought I could surf down there. Lemme know.
Siesta key is on the gulf coast... not the keys.... wasn't really my ideal surf trip more of a family thing, but I knew we were going to be by the coast and just wanted to try and get some surf in ....I'll let you know though.... thanks for the input guys
If your interested in something other than a coffin style bag the I use is a Destination Surf Double Taco. It perfect for two boards and you souled have no problem putting few wet suits flat in the middle, it just doesn't have the advantage of doubling it as a suitcase. It however is nice and streamline for strapping it to the top of your vehicle. Next to and like Da Kine, DS I think make the best bags and leashes out there because that's all they do. My Double Taco has to be well over ten years old, and besides some melted wax stains there nothing that has been able to damage it. I always have my two board in their day bags (which are DS or DK also) inside of it and never had any damage when I got to where I was going, even without it's plenty padded but a little noes and tail protection never hurts. http://www.dsurf.com/product.php?productid=13&cat=8&page=1&mcat=1
I went to the surf shop today and purchased a FCS explorer which is 8'0 long and holds two boards. They really didn't have the size i wanted that was 7'6, so I took the 8 foot because I was in a bind and i wanted extra room for wetsuits and other surfing equipment. So my question is, even though I bought a bigger bag will it hurt the smaller boards I'm bringing, for example, the bag is 8 feet long and the boards are 6'3 and 6'8... will they move around too much? With my wetsuits in there they seem to be somewhat snug, but buying a bigger bag than needed can it hurt the boards? Maybe a stupid question , but it is the first board bag I bought and i want to make sure. Thanks
even tho i have a 7'0", the biggest board i've traveled w/ is my 6'6" step-up. i was in a similar position when i bought my bag, so i understand where you're coming from. i was in a pinch & needed a bag & the 7'0" was the only bag the shop had available that came anywhere close to fitting my needs, so i bought it. 6" is less of a difference than 8", but i think you'll have no problems at all. all i do is ball some towels up at either end to help keep the boards centered & add a bit of extra padding. most travel bags have interior straps to keep boards from shifting, so if the FCS bag you got has them, you're good to go.
