Choosing a bag for our kitesurfing boards is not a mission as easy as it may look. Well, this actually applies to all our kitesurfing equipment.
The first thing to have into consideration is the dimensions of our current kiteboards as well as the number of kitesurfing kites we expect to be using when travelling.
It is very common to overlook the width of the boards and focus too much on the length. It is not uncommon, after buying a kite bag, to find out that one of our boards, generally the light wind board, does not fit or it does but it takes more space than expected and the board edges is pushing too much into the kite bag. This will ensure that the life of the kite bag is much shorter that we would like it to be. If the specifications of the kite bag says X width and the board has also X width it is better to forget that kite bag and look for another one.
The length of the boards is normally not a big issue unless we pretend to carry a directional surfboard or a very long board. It is actually recommended not to buy a bag that is too much longer than our longest board because it will make the transportation much more difficult. There is normally a handler on the top end of the bag that will be used for carrying the bag using the wheels on the other side. If there is too much distance between the edge of the board and the handler then the bag will bend and the bag will hit the knees.
It is also recommended to make sure that the kitesurfing travel bag have some kind of separation to be able to not put the wet clothes, harness, etc. in contact with the dry clothes, books, electronics, etc.
There is only one way to make sure you have found the right kitesurfing travel bag and that is by testing it, and with testing I mean putting the kites you would normally bring with you inside, the boards, some clothes (not big issue in general, remember that less is more when travelling). In summary do a proper simulation before taking the final decision.
And last but not least, another important aspect to consider is the weight of the bag when empty. With the more and more restrictive baggage policies the lighter the bag the better. It is really not nice to pay for the overweight caused by an empty bag. Don't forget this detail.
If you found this information useful, please visit us at Kitesurfing Boards for more.
The Kitesurfing Boards Crew.
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