Travel Bags

I've got another trip to Maui in June and did a quick check on baggage allowances with AirNZ's web site the other day only to find it's all changed it the last couple of years and my current NP travel bag is A, too long now and B, too heavy when packed with a board, 3 sails , 2 masts and a boom. On further investigation with AirNZ it is ture and they tell me they are quite strict on policing it now too.

So anyway has anybody got an opinion of either of the following options and the quality of the bags

Option A, Flying Objects Windsurf Roller bag - is 5kg's lighter than my current bag and inside the max length limit so would only mean 1 bag for me. Never seen any Flying Objects Gear in person though so not sure on quality ?

Option B, NP all in one bag. This will take all my rig and then some and I would take my board in a separate board bag. Unfortunately would mean two oversize/weight charges and the NP bag weights 9kg so just the bag is sucking up a lot of excess weight allowance it's self.

thanks

Yep got one, seem pretty good on quality. The only downside with them is there is no way to strap them to roof racks etc. The light weight is a great advantage with the 30kg limit on airlines.
Can comfortably fit a 82L Quad, boom,mast and 3 sails (5.7/5.2/4.7).
Cheers

the top of the line np board bags are pretty good i recon.

where did you buy one heerey? cost?

cheers dunc

Cheers dan, thinking about a wa trip and borrowing your bag should save a bit of coin.

I used to try and pack everything into a single bag. Once flew from Canada to Germany with a 65kg triple bag stacked with snowboards, wave boards and three rigs. This was before they introduced the 32 kg per bag weight limit.

I now travel with a NP double board bag and either a NP sail bag or a Pro Limit quiver bag. The Prolimit bag is pretty good. It's got high quality zippers and you can remove the wheels if you need to get weight down.

The NP bag is big and weighs about 6 kgs but is well padded. With two boards I usually have a bit of spare weight to throw in a boom and wetsuit. I looked at the Flying Objects as it's about 2 kgs lighter but no shop actually had it in stock and I wasn't prepared to buy a bag unseen.

If you are flying to Maui only take bare minimum. You can always buy more gear if you break anything. It's a bit different if you fly to more remote locations.

I got the bag from Sunshine Coast Sailboards. Not too sure on the price I think it was around the $200 mark, which was great value when look at the price of NP.

That's probably why it's still around. Buy any of the "cheap stuff" made in China and expect to get 10 years use out of it at most.

I have had varying success with zips. The zipper on the Pro Limit bag I got seems to be doing ok. No sign of corrosion.

I have a couple of gear bags from Neil Pryde a few years back that corroded in no time no matter how much WD40, Vinegar etc I put on the bloody things.

And there is nothing like a zipper breaking on your bag the night before you are scheduled to get on an international flight.

thanks for all the comments

Yeah zip are a great invention but always the first thing to break.
My last np bag went at the zip, as did a brand new rip curl wetsuit top the canvas cover on my ute and just about everything else I own that zips shut.

Where do you get them fixed?

tell me about it. I have had Rip Curl shorts where the zipper broke after 6 months. Took them back to the shop only to be told it's not covered under warranty. I didn't have the receipt so had little recourse.

Took them to a tailor shop only to be told it's $45 to get it fixed. Needles to say I haven't bought Rip Curl shorts since.

But using metal zips for bags that carry water sports equipment is just outright stupid. It's a bit like using cheap "stainless" steal bolts on boom heads. My other pet peeve.

230cm length is pretty short, have you guys got anything longer for the slalom folk?

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marco gribi said...
Hi All,

With most of our travel bags we aim to make them as light as possible but still build them strong. The Windsurf Roller only weighs 5.8kg and will take a full quiver in one shot.

As mentioned durability is key and we only use the plastic YKK sliders on these bags.

As with all our products they are available through most shops in Oz, some of the larger items usually are ordered in upon request. The RRP for this bag is $250.00 and a large shipment is due to arrive next week so we will have plenty of stock.


Cheers,
Marco

Marco,

Does this mag have a system for tying to a roof rack, full of gear, but so the straps don't go over the top and crush everything inside?

I know you save a few bucks taking gear to maui but the rental scene there is pretty damn good.
I really enjoy the opportunity to go hire some brand new demo gear and try out different boards and sails.

that being said most my gear in sydney wouldnt work for maui anyway

Was having a chat with someone last year about how it would almost be cheaper to buy 2nd hand gear there and leave it in storage if you go on an annual basis.

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marco gribi said...
I don't think it's actually possible to get a complete slalom rig under the 17kg required to fly domestically??

iSonic 107 = 6kg

Also, don't forget most board weights are quote ex foot straps and in some cases even ex footpads. I find real weights often are 2 to 2.5 kgs above the quoted weight.

Personally I haven't managed to fit a board, three sails, boom, mast, extension harness into a double bag without going over 32 kgs.

I know the Flying Objects Triple bag is "only" 5.1 which as far as triple bags go is probably the lightest you can find on the market. Albeit sans wheels.

That said, if you fly to Maui the checkin staff there is pretty clued in and knows the difference between a surf board and windsurf board. Last time I got charged per board. They actually made me open the bag to check how many boards I had in there. Plus the checkin guy knew exactly what he was looking at was a windsurf board not a surfboard.

It's a bit different on domestic Australian flights were they are more concerned with the overall weight.

A bit different in Europe. Most airlines (especially charter airlines) from continental Europe have a flat rate per route for windsurf gear. That flat rate covers a specific weight. While not cheap it does make flying less stressful because you know exactly what you are up for before you get to the airport.

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marco gribi said...
Hi Jezstrt,

The physical length of the bag is 230cm, but a bag built with the side walls can always fit boards that are slightly longer. Depending on board width and rocker line you can fit a board of about 240cm.

I don't think it's actually possible to get a complete slalom rig under the 17kg required to fly domestically?? (if the bag weighs 6kg and domestic flights allow a 23kg total)
My Rig is:
iSonic 107 = 6kg
Severne R4 7.8 = 6.8kg
Enigma 460 = 1.8kg
Enigma boom = 3kg

Already over and no extension, fins, harness, wetsuit etc......
If traveling overseas you get a bit more allowance but most guys would travel with more than one sail, fins.......

Most of our international riders travel with multiple boards, booms and sails. So we have other bags that cater to traveling with more gear.

The concept of the Windsurf Roller is that you can fit one complete wave rig and travel with it.

Hope this makes sense??


Cheers,
Marco

Checked baggage can be up to 32kg per item.

The race triple board bag looks like the go at the same weight as the roller and 260cm long