How To Pack Surfboard For Airplane Travel

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Packing Surfboard for Airplane Travel

Airlines are notorious for damaging surfboards (after you pay loads of money to get them on the plane).

Here’s how to pack your board to prevent damage during airplane travel.

It’s never guaranteed that your surfboard will arrive safely, but this will add a lot of protection.

If you have a surfboard bag designed for airline travel (these are really expensive) then you might not need to take these extra steps. But if you have a lighter weight daybag, you’ll want to stack on some padding.

The good news is that the supplies only cost a few bucks.
All you need is pipe insulation, and masking tape.

Get enough pipe insulation to cover the entire length of your surfboard rails. I bought two 6-foot pieces for this video, but I could have used a bit more.
You can buy this at any home improvement store like Home Depot.

Also pick up some masking tape. Really any kind of tape will work, but if it’s really sticky (like duct tape) then it’s going to leave residue on your surfboard. And you don’t want that.
Painter’s tape is best, as it leaves no residue.

Buy pipe insulation and tape

Remove the fins from your surfboard, and put them in the pocket. You can also remove the wax from your board if you’re worried about it melting inside the bag.

Remove fins and put in bag pocket

Push the pipe insulation onto the rails of your surfboard, and wrap the tape around your board so the insulation doesn’t come off.

Packing Surfboard for Airplane Travel

Load the surfboard into your bag, and you’re ready to go! You can also throw your towels/poncho and wetsuit in there for extra padding.

You’ve done all you can, now just cross your fingers and hope the airline handles your gear nicely ?

Click here to buy a surfboard daybag

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Hey I'm Stevie, and I started this company (Ho Stevie!) in 2014 so I could bring more value to surfers like you. I want to build the best surf gear, at the best price for you, and provide the best service. (Over 100,000 happy customers agree!) I surf with our products every day here in San Diego, and when I'm not surfing, I'm working with my team to create the most entertaining and educational content about surfing (hence this blog). Drop a comment or email me if there's anything I can help you with!

2 COMMENTS

  1. Thank you for the tip! Always have anxiety when checking anything with the airlines. These steps should help me be a little more relaxed knowing I have done everything I can do on my end to ensure my surfboard arrives safely!

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