One of the many great things about the wonderful sport of kiteboarding is the ability to travel to amazing locations around the world and do the sport that we love. One of the downsides is that we require quite a lot of equipment. A lot, lot less than windsurfing for example but non the less it can be un-nerving for the kitesurfing newcomers, to pack your 8m, 10m and 12m, twin tip, surfboard, bars, harness, sunscreen and all your clothes, all without paying 12 billion dollars in excess baggage and rental for a truck to fit all your gear in… BUT, fear not newbies! By getting an appropriate kiteboard bag and learn how to pack it, you’ll be kiteboarding in the far flung corners of the Indian ocean soon!
So how to choose the right kiteboard bag?
A lot of people refer to these bags as golf bags as back in the day, the airlines didn’t charge you for bringing golf equipment as checked baggage so folk who lived dangerously, used to have the words ‘’golf bag’’ written on the bag and sneak their kitesurfing equipment in instead! Unfortunately it isn’t really the case so much anymore and the excess charges can be crippling depending on the airline, (so do your homework) but the name ‘’golf bag’ stuck.
The length of your kiteboard is important when determining the size of bag to opt for; you will want a bag that is slightly longer than your largest kiteboard. Most kitesurfing bags, when packed correctly, should hold two kiteboards, at three kitesurfing kites, a pump, harness and wetsuit easily.
Aerial Kiteboarding is a stockist of all high quality Dakine travel bags and if we don’t have it in stock, we can order it for you! Be sure to pop in to the Aerial shop and speak to one of our pro’s who can meet any special requirements you may have or give free advice!
How to pack your kiteboard bag
Once you have chosen the right bag for your needs is pack it for your trip! Take the fins out of your board(s) to prevent them damaging your kite or risk the fin breaking (but put the screws back into the board so you don’t loose them and don’t forget your screwdriver!) Bubble wrap is also a good idea to wrap around your board and you can use pipe insulation to protect the edges. The put the boards in the bottom of the bag. Then (as you should have been shown by your instructor) roll the kite from the wingtips towards the centers along the leading edge and then fold from the wing tip end into three sections. Then you can easily pack the rest of your equipment into your bag.
(PRO SPACE SAVING TIP: get your mitts on the vaccuum bags usually used for clothes and put one kite in each, and bob’s your uncle! But make sure to pack your kite very well before doing this, to prevent unnecessary wear and tear. If your strut clips do not have covering, consider removing these as well.)
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