While inflatable alternatives are certainly ideal when it comes to traveling with your paddle board, there are ways to travel with any kind of board you have. In this article, we will be going over some of the different tips for traveling with your paddleboard.

Tips For Traveling With Your Board:

1. Get An Inflatable SUP Board (iSUP)

This is the best way to travel with your paddle board. By getting yourself an iSUP board, you will be able to deflate the board, which will make it a lot easier. When deflated, you will be able to roll up the board to the size of a sleeping bag. This will allow you to pack your board much easier. It will end up taking up a lot less space because you can shove it in your carry on or checked luggage. Best of all, when you pack it in your luggage, you won’t have to worry about the airline damaging it.

2. Board Bag

If you are going to be transporting a hardboard along with you during your trip, a lot will depend on how you are traveling. Regardless of whether you are driving or flying, you will want to purchase a high-quality board bag. Having a board bag is going to properly protect your board from getting damaged, whether being loaded onto the airplane or otherwise. You should be able to find all kinds of board bags that would be suitable for your paddleboard. The key is to look for one with ample padding and protection.

3. Don’t Forget Your Paddle

When you are looking for ways to travel with your board, you shouldn’t forget about your paddle. Your paddle is going to need proper protection as well. Therefore, you will want to look to ensure that you are able to place the paddle in the bag with enough room. Ideally, you want to get a bad dedicated to your paddle to keep it from hitting against your paddle board throughout the duration of the trip. From there, you can stuff the paddle bag inside of your larger bag to make it easier to carry and transport.

4. Know Your Size Requirements

When you are looking to take your board on your travels and you are flying, you will want to know the requirements that you are supposed to adhere to. Otherwise, you will find yourself spending a lot of money to take your board along for the ride. For most airlines, you will want to keep your board at 9 foot 6 inches or under. A lot of airlines will reject your board if it is over this amount. However, not all airlines will specifically measure and they will take your word for it. That being said, it is not wise to approach it this way. It’s best to stick within the restrictions to ensure you don’t have issues with getting your board on the airplane. You can expect to pay anywhere from $50 to $200 depending on where you are flying and who you are flying with.

5. Choose The Right Vehicle

If you are going to be traveling by way of the road, you will want to choose the right vehicle during your trip. Typically you want to stick with longer vehicles like a truck or a van when you are traveling with a SUP board. This will allow you to stick your board inside of a van or the bed of a truck which can keep you from having to strap your board to the top of your vehicle.

As you can see, you can travel with a paddleboard without too much hassle. You simply need to have the right materials to ensure you are not getting your board damaged during transit. By following the tips above, you should be able to travel just about anywhere with your board. Invest in a high-quality bag and you should be able to get it from point A to point B without risking damaging it. Without sufficient protection, you might find your board getting damaged during transit. Also, learn about your airline’s specifics in regards to over-sized luggage or boards to ensure you know how much you are going to be paying in fees before your trip.

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