Power Kite Forum

Kiteboard Travel Bag

wind-dave - 30-9-2010 at 08:00 AM

Anyone have a used travel bag they want to sell?

Or can anyone recommend one.

I'm looking at the Surreal World Tour Bag for $99. Does anyone have this model that could comment on what the quality is like.

Thanks for any help,
D

DesertWindKiteboarding - 30-9-2010 at 08:48 AM

I don't have one to sell but I have owned many of the golf style bags and find most of them worthless. I did own a crazyfly golf bag that was decent but still far from the kind of quality you normally get on outdoor-style bags for travel. I also have a friend who has a small naish golf bag from a few years ago and it was great but barely fit two kites and one board of about 136cm and no more. Anyway, I'm not sure what my advice is (and I have not seen the one you are talking about) except that paying $99 for any travel bag is going to get you something that lasts one trip before straps and things start to come off. All the bags I used (probably 5) blew out after one trip; zippers, seams, etc. Unfortunately, the good quality bags are generally (in my experience) not the golf style (except that one Naish bag i mentioned) and are at least $199 and maybe more. Dakine makes some good non-golf-style travel bags but they are not cheap.

Hope this helps a little,

wind-dave - 30-9-2010 at 09:07 AM

Thanks for the input DesertWind, that does help. I definitely want something that lasts. A one-trip bag isn't gonna cut it.

indigo_wolf - 30-9-2010 at 09:46 AM

How many boards are you traveling with? And what size?

Are you planning to stow kites with the boards?

Unfortunately, I have great faith that what happens behind the conveyor belts is a little but too much akin to:



A couple of years ago, I was travelling and they were short staffed. Moving baggage from one place to another in the baggage claim area, they weren't even botheriing to carrying them. They were lofting them in the air and and letting them land in a huddled pile at the new location. Needless to say the onlooking passengers were aghast. Apologies to anyone that might work in the industry if this was an isolated and never to recur incident, but it happened once, so in all likelihood.... :rolleyes:

Probably the most important question is: what's your budget? How much can you go to keep your gear safe?

ATB,
Sam

erratic winds - 30-9-2010 at 10:50 AM

And if you're confused by the "golf" kite bags, it's because golf clubs still fly for free(or discounted bag rate) on many airlines when compared to just a normal piece of over-sized luggage.

indigo_wolf - 30-9-2010 at 11:06 AM

I figured that.... apparently the airlines still favor people that favor questionable plaids. :crazy:

ATB,
Sam

wind-dave - 30-9-2010 at 11:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
How many boards are you traveling with? And what size?

Are you planning to stow kites with the boards?

Unfortunately, I have great faith that what happens behind the conveyor belts is a little but too much akin to:



I'm just going to bring my small board (130cm). Gonna put two kites in there with the board to help with the padding.

Yeah I know those airport personal do tend to rough up stuff a bit. I'll pack as good as I can and hope for the best.

I really want to find out which bags do offer the most protection and hold up well in the long run.

DesertWindKiteboarding - 30-9-2010 at 11:27 AM

In regard to golf bags, that scam is soon coming to a close since most airlines now officially know what kiters are doing. Most airlines now have a real "kiteboard" category right next to surf boards and they charge the same. Which I think is redonkulous because kiteboards for the most part are so small and light. Golf bags never worked to location where kiting is big like Hawaii. Some airlines even stipulate how much golf equipment must be in a bag to make it an official golf bag. One said one pair golf shoes, 2 clubs, 10 balls. So I went to goodwill and for $10 i got all that stuff. Even so, I think we wont see kite golf bags made much in the future since the airlines are getting savvy. The answer? Kiters can get jobs to pay for the extra fees (I know I need one!), they can rent a board on location and only fly with kites (I did this in Hawaii recently and it was just $78 for 10 days for my pick up boards), or those breakdown boards need to get a whole lot better. Or, we could just take up golf like normal people and the bags are legitimately free...

wind-dave - 30-9-2010 at 11:37 AM

I see some of the MFGs even offer the "Golf" bags in plaid color. Thought that would be different. Maybe easier to convince someone when checking it in. I could even sport the matching hat and look like Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack.

http://www.perfski.com/Wakeboards/Wakeboard-Bags/2009-Liquid...

indigo_wolf - 30-9-2010 at 12:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DesertWindKiteboarding
In regard to golf bags, that scam is soon coming to a close since most airlines now officially know what kiters are doing. Most airlines now have a real "kiteboard" category right next to surf boards and they charge the same. Which I think is redonkulous because kiteboards for the most part are so small and light.


Strictly speaking it wasn't a "scam." They set up restrictions and we tried to work within them. The fact that they extended courtesies to one market segment while snubbing others, well.... take it as you will.... I still think it is wrong in 42 different languages.

The fact that the rules are established at the airline carrier level with a fair level of variance and arbitrariness says a lot.

Find out the details of whoever you are flying with.

When he was president of the AKA, David Gomberg actually pressed the issue due to the amount of travel he and his wife did (over 100K miles in a calendar year... each).

He posted in his blog about it:
"In Wildwood, we spoke to a fellow kiter who was challenged at the airport when he tried to check kites in a standard golf case. The airlines are charging extra for anything and everything now. Golf and ski cases are allowed. But one airline said they actually had to contain clubs or skis. That’s discrimination at best and extortion at worst. "

This (PDF document) is response he got back when he pressed the issue with United.

Assuming you can get things sorted with the airlines and you are still looking for cases, take a look at the cases by SKB

Although I think your board might be a smidge too long for their golf cases, one of the others might work. Be warned, they are expensive, but fairly bombproof and some are mil-spec.

Your other option would be SporTube Series 3. Cheaper, and still pretty robust. Spring for a TSA approved cable lock. On a hard case, standard TSA locks will get sheared off on the conveyor belt.

ATB,
Sam

wind-dave - 30-9-2010 at 01:43 PM

I guess after thinking about this, the bottom line would be I want a strong case for my gear. If I have to pay extra so be it. I'm not up for all the cloak and dagger stuff in regards to "sneaking" kite gear in as golf clubs. I want to travel a lot in the next couple of years and visit some cool places but I want to ride my own gear if possible.

I'll check out some of the cases you mentioned indigo.

Kamikuza - 30-9-2010 at 04:59 PM

I bought a North bag in Thailand ... does up to 2x 160cm board and probably 3 regular packed LEIs, maybe 5 if you wrapped 'em up tight ... also picked up a smaller Naish "Golf" bag but really, I doubt how much use I'll get out of them :lol:

My method is, pack kites in the suitcase and clothes in carry-on and tell the airline the board is a wakeboard - travels free ;) so far :o Now I can actually ride, I'd probably just rent a board at location ... I'd prefer my own though!

Travelling locally, I don't bother with bags at all and just take kites in the regular bags and chuck the boards in the car. We don't have such a problem with theft over here though ... and if I really worried, I'd use a day-bag ...

DesertWindKiteboarding - 1-10-2010 at 02:52 PM

Indigo,
That United PDF letter is very interesting. I work with PASA as an organizer and perhaps we could approach some of the airlines as well. Maybe they have been lacking proper kite organizations taking an interest in this issue and nothing more. I think it is a big issue especially now that many charge $100 for kiteboards (I just flew United to Kite Expo in Hood and this was the case). Too much! Thanks for that info Indigo!

Traveler

rudeboysaude - 1-10-2010 at 05:22 PM

After packing all your gear in a kite "golf" bag, head to goodwill and buy a crappy old golf club for $5. Throw that in with your gear. If they check, you're legit. There's a club in there. If they still try to charge you, you can take out your anger with a golf club! Doubt it would work, but one guy around here used to do that to make himself feel better about lying about it. As far as I know, they didn't look, but if they asked, he could reach in a pull out a club.