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Airline travel with gear
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7176



Joined: 23 Apr 1987
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:12 pm    Post subject: Airline travel with gear Reply with quote

Hello all,

I'm asking for equipment bag recommendations for airline travel with ws gear. Any suggestions for traveling with one board three sails , two masts and one boom? Double board bag or two separate bags , one for board for the board the other for sails masts and booms. Convenience vs weight. Any particular brand/models , wheeled or skid pad for dragging ? Thickness of bag, realizing that I've got to protect nose and tail with extra padding.

Thanks,
Tom
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dvCali



Joined: 23 Aug 2007
Posts: 1314

PostPosted: Thu Mar 28, 2019 8:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Airline travel with gear Reply with quote

7176 wrote:
Hello all,

I'm asking for equipment bag recommendations for airline travel with ws gear. Any suggestions for traveling with one board three sails , two masts and one boom? Double board bag or two separate bags , one for board for the board the other for sails masts and booms. Convenience vs weight. Any particular brand/models , wheeled or skid pad for dragging ? Thickness of bag, realizing that I've got to protect nose and tail with extra padding.

Thanks,
Tom


Just a thought: An inflatable foil board + a foil + 3 sails + 1 mast + 1 boom ... suddenly not so hard ...
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 8:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Recommend one. Don’t.

Assuming you are aware of the restrictions certain aircraft and ref length. Also even if paying extra , a weight restriction applies. the stuff you list is too much for one bag. 2 would work.

When we loaded gear it went on top of the other cargo, not always the case.
The board itself should be padded, esp nose and tail .

_________________
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4Boards....May the fours be with you

http://www.k4fins.com/fins.html
http://4boards.co.uk/
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rswabsin



Joined: 14 May 2000
Posts: 444
Location: New Jersey

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 9:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

See this thread from East Coast forum:

http://www.iwindsurf.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34000&sid=ffce53eff6a68e5431ce544afd8076ea

Boardsurfer travelled to new Zealand with gear for two.
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boardsurfr



Joined: 23 Aug 2001
Posts: 1266

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check the regulations for the airline you are flying. When I checked the details for United at the end of last year, it would have cost the same to fly with two bags, each up to 23 kg, as with one up to 32 kg. That's because the rules said you'd pay separate fees for oversize and overweight, each $200 international. So for $400, you'd be able to bring more gear with 2 bags. You can always stuff suits or towels in the gear bags for a bit extra protection if you're below the limit.

But rules change, and whether checkin agents know the rules, or how they interpret them, is always an open question. Sometimes saying you're traveling with surf gear instead of windsurf gear can make things easier. That won't work on Maui, though.

All else being equal, I'd probably go for 2 bags instead of one. They are easier to carry, not just for you but also for whoever handles it on and off the plane.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The answer for me is a no-brainer: Rent. If my destination has a decent rental fleet, all I take is a harness, helmet, shorts and tees, and sandals. I can't imagine lugging anything I can rent (or buy cheaply) locally. (Even on local/domestic flights for medical care I often buy a fan and a decent pillow locally and just leave them behind.)

Hassle is the biggest factor simply because it's guaranteed. Risk loss is not guaranteed, but can be monstrous if luck goes sour. One bud's gear for competing in an international race made it to the destination after he had already returned home. Another bud watched out the airplane window as a loading truck ran over his board bag on the tarmac. (His nose and tail pads didn't help.)

It's our call:
This ...



vs this:



Hint: I haven't checked in any luggage this century.
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7176



Joined: 23 Apr 1987
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 7:28 pm    Post subject: Thanks Reply with quote

Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.
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capetonian



Joined: 11 Aug 2006
Posts: 1196
Location: Florida

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree that it’s much better to fly to a destination with good gear to rent.

However some of the venues that used to have rentals don’t any more, or else the quality is not as good as your own gear, or they don’t have waveboards for big guys (my problem). So I’ve done a lot of flying with gear. 9 out of 10 times my gear came through unscathed. But on the 10th time the airline doesn’t care about your damage. When bad luck strikes, it’s expensive. For all the other times, pad it anyway. I usually wrap the rails with pool noodles or similar. Sails on the bottom, then the board on top. The sails protect the bottom without needing extra padding. Then the mast and boom on the deck, with something between the anti slip and the mast and boom to prevent the anti slip grinding it down. Extension, harness, fins, etc in my carry on bag. 1 board, 1 mast, 1 boom and 2 sails is comfortably under 23 kg even with a sturdy travel bag.
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7176



Joined: 23 Apr 1987
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Capetonian

Am I correct that you use a double bag and place the sails in the lower section?
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dmilovich



Joined: 19 Jul 2009
Posts: 99

PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 4:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Back to the original question.

Have traveled a bunch with gear, mostly on Delta. Delta charges $150 per "windsurfer", which means one bag. Or it can be a "surfboard", which can actually be two boards in one bag for $150. Take your pick. When we go to La Ventana, we just take two boards and booms and rent sails/rigs from Wyatt and Tyson.

I've made the mistake of not getting a high quality bag and not padding correctly (particularly the rails!), and gotten a bunch of damage, so definitely beware.

The best bags out there are easily the Epic Gear Pro Travel Bag, which is a double bag that's wheeled, designed and built by Steve Gottlieb of Aerotech Sails.

These are the best designed bags that I've seen and will fit a board, sails and a mast and boom. Or two boards and some stuff. Capetonian's advice is right on. Sails on bottom, pool noodles or polyethylene foam padding on the rails, nose, tail (yep, the bag is well padded, but I put extra padding on the rails in particular).

Be sure to pad or remove the boom/mast fitting or you will have a ding in your deck!

Epic's website doesn't show them really, but you can buy them from Isthmus Sailboards, a very professional shop. Their web site has them: https://isthmussailboards.com/epic-gear-pro-travel-bag.html

They come in two sizes, both of which are wheeled, which makes them much more useful and the wheeled back section protects the tails nicely. Not cheap, but worth every dollar in design and quality!

Lastly, with any bag, put a few straps around them in case the zippers blow so the bag doesn't open up if that happens. We had a TSA guy last year break one of our zipper pulls as we watched. Bring straps for that eventuality!
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