Questions for the greenroom please
Never done this
Don't want damage
Newbie question

Right all that is out the way

Off for the annual road trip to Broken Head...camping with a surf focus
Given I am taking No1 and his mate board count is now at five
Have borrowed a Dakine travel bag that will hold 4 boards from a very good friend

My question is this...I don't want board damage so how do I pack them...Any tips on what to put between and how to pack
Boards in the bag are 7'3, 6'8, 6'6, 6'4.........my 9'3 has to stay home

Many thanks all serious and not so serious answers appreciated..........yes it is a serious request fro help

Cheers
G

OK you said road trip so your driving right?
If so there should be no issues.Wrap each board in a towel even a wettie if your taking one.,board socks are another option.

One little thing I've always done is put a few toilet rolls in side the board bag as insulation particularly around the nose and tail on top of the clothes etc. Kill two birds with one stone because you can never have enough toilet paper regardless of where you go.

Are you surfing on the way up or just driving straight there?

If driving straight there take the fins off and just slide them - large to small - put the big one in first and lie it deck down and then just slide the others in on top. Then just strap it to the roof - deck side down - and use a safety on the front.

If you are planing on surfing on the way up I would probably stick to individual board bags and put 3 on one side of the car and 2 on the other. 5 high can be done but then you need to be careful of popping fins out when you load them. I often go two one way and one the other to avoid having to go too forward with the fins. Make sure the board that is facing fins first has a good zip on it - so it closes nicely - maybe have the zip on the side - not facing the front.

Also when using tie-downs make sure you put a half twist in the tie if you go high to make sure that the tie-down does not make any noise at 120km.

If this is all new to you - then make sure you check them at each petrol stop to make sure they are still tight.

Do not over tighten though or you will damage your boards. As long as when you grab the board the car shakes you will be fine.

Other than that drive safe and have a good time.

Towels , clothes (if yer nowt a freeballin' laddie aye ) tent shizz , sleeping bags

Yes Driving macaha

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Ted the Kiwi said..
Are you surfing on the way up or just driving straight there?

If driving straight there take the fins off and just slide them - large to small - put the big one in first and lie it deck down and then just slide the others in on top. Then just strap it to the roof - deck side down - and use a safety on the front.

If you are planing on surfing on the way up I would probably stick to individual board bags and put 3 on one side of the car and 2 on the other. 5 high can be done but then you need to be careful of popping fins out when you load them. I often go two one way and one the other to avoid having to go too forward with the fins. Make sure the board that is facing fins first has a good zip on it - so it closes nicely - maybe have the zip on the side - not facing the front.

Also when using tie-downs make sure you put a half twist in the tie if you go high to make sure that the tie-down does not make any noise at 120km.

If this is all new to you - then make sure you check them at each petrol stop to make sure they are still tight.

Do not over tighten though or you will damage your boards. As long as when you grab the board the car shakes you will be fine.

Other than that drive safe and have a good time.

Exactly what Ted said

Cheers all...no not surfing on the way up...leaving before dawn so as to arrive for afternoon surf (after tent set up etc....happy wife happy life)
board bag fits 4 OK...other board will have to go on top of it i guess. so five high it is
Other side of rack has tent poles etc on it

thanks
Gmac.

Now all we need is a southerly change for a week and 3-5ft of ESE swell

Toilet Paper Rolls - that's actually really good advice!
Cheap, and readily available!

What Ted said with the proviso of always stopping after 30-50kms and re tightening. I find all straps stretch to some degree. I prefer individual bags to coffins and i strap two boards on, then put two more on top and strap all four down. If strapped over the cabin (I have a dual cab so I often strap over the canopy) you may find the bottom of the bag thrums against the roof. A strap around the middle solves this. Good quality buckles matter too. Have a look at the cams in rhino rack straps and get that variety. Also don't wrap near the end of the roof racks as a cross breeze can shift the boards a little and the strap can just slide off. Having had three boards come off the roof at 110 many moons ago I am a strap nazi these days. Surprisingly there was almost no damage other than a fcs fin. Good board bags rock.

I agree with most of what Ted said however I usually make a single stack of five boards (Two SUPs, two longboards and a shortboard).

Never had a problem with straps coming loose. I only tie one lot of straps over all five boards and never had a problem. All boards stay together nicely with just enough movement so the boards don't get damaged.

Will try the twist as sometimes I get a bit of noise.

Have in the past needed the strap around the middle to stop the bag flapping on the roof but don't need it anymore as my new car has a bigger gap.

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Simondo said..
Toilet Paper Rolls - that's actually really good advice!
Cheap, and readily available!

And..if the surf's crap..your covered