Whether you are looking for surfboard bags for air travel, a surfboard day bag, or just the best cheap surfboard covers, we have a great recommendation for you!

You can read all about the best surf travel bags below in our detailed reviews. Don’t forget to take a look at our guide on Choosing The Best Surfboard Travel Bag For You as well!

Best Surfboard Travel Bag

Also see: Surfboard Travel Bags – Price Comparison Table

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Quick Answer: The 6 Best-Rated Surfboard Travel Bag

1. Dakine Daylight Surf Thruster Bag
2. Pro-Lite Surfboard Day Bag – Shortboard
3. Curve Surfboard Travel Bag – Longboard
4. South Bay Premium Surfboard Bag
5. Curve Surfboard Surfboard Cover – Longboard
6. Dorsal Travel Shortboard Surfboard Bag

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Surfboard Travel Bag Reviews

#1 – Dakine Daylight Surf Thruster Bag

This awesome Dakine Surfboard Bag is the perfect heavy-duty surfboard cover for regular day use. It isn’t quite fit as the best option for rougher travel such as when flying, but it is immensely better than a surfboard sock cover.

This Dakine board bag is a high-quality padded surfboard bag. It features a layer of foam padding throughout the entire design of the bag. This foam padding is ¼ of an inch thick.

This provides adequate protection for daily use. The material on the outside of the surf bag is a special tarpaulin fabric.

This fabric is strong and durable as well as completely flexible. It is also heat-resistant and water-resistant. All of these features come together to provide amazing protection for your surfboard.

The bag prevents scratches, dings, sun damage, and more. The shape of the bag is smooth with a soft point at the nose-end. This provides versatility that allows the bag to fit well for most boards.

The bag measures at 6’ 6” long, but it is also available in 3 other smaller sizes with the shortest option being 5’ 4” long. That means that this will be a great option for most surfboards unless you’re looking for a longboard bag, of course.

A small, convenient pocket on the inside provides the perfect place to store and bring along your wax but can also be used for fins too!

Just keep in mind that while the bag itself is heat-resistant that in very hot temperatures, especially over longer times, the wax can melt inside the bag.

A large, #10 coil zipper on the bag is heavy-duty and reliable. It is also easy to find and use when opening and closing your surfboard bag.

The zipper wraps around the whole bag allowing you to choose how much you want to open the bag up whenever you get your board in and out of the bag.

Two different straps on the bag give you the option of carrying the bag in your hand next to your side or throwing it over your shoulder.

The shoulder strap is even nicely padded for increased comfort. A nice, modern design provides chic style to the bag as well. The bulk of the bag is a clean white color.

Then, you have color-blocked sections at the tail and the nose of the bag that are black for a perfect contrasting look.

Price-wise, this surfboard bag falls around the middle of our list. It is very high-quality and well-designed with some very nice features, but it is still pretty reasonably priced overall.

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#2 – Pro-Lite Surfboard Day Bag – Shortboard

Up next, we have this super durable option from Pro-Lite. It features two different very strong and beneficial fabrics.

On the top of the bag, there is a 420d ripstop nylon fabric. This fabric is not only super lightweight but also incredibly durable. It is even water-resistant for additional protection for your board.

The bottom fabric of this board bag is 266PE, which is heat-resistant and semi-reflective. It protects your board from the sun and heat!

A vent on the outside of the bag works to further protect your board from excessive heat and keep your board cool. You can even choose to open and close the vent when needed.

Rather than having a wrap-around zipper like that of the Dakine board bag we reviewed, this bag features a flip-top opening.

This is just slightly less versatile compared to the wrap-around zipper, but it still allows you to easily slide your board in and out of the bag.

The special zippers used on the bag are non-corrosive which is an absolute must with an item that will be near the ocean so much.

This keeps the zippers working smoothly for the entire time you are using the bag! Padding that is 5mm thick keeps your board safe.

Additional protective features for your board include a special rail guard around the zipper area of the bag as well as a reinforced nose.

This is especially important since the nose is one of the most at-risk parts of the board. This bag also features a very handy external pocket.

The pocket is designed to allow you to easily store and bring along fins and wax plus whatever else you may want to put in there such as your keys.

There is even an additional pocket within the external pocket that is designed specifically for wax storage. You’ll also be able to tuck away the built-in shoulder strap anytime you aren’t using it thanks to this pocket.

The bag has both the shoulder strap as well as a reinforced carrying handle attached.

That way you can choose whichever way is more convenient or comfortable for you to carry your bag at any given time.

The shoulder strap and the carrying handle also have padding to add even more comfort for you. A width of 24 inches accommodates most surfboards of 21 inches or less nicely – the exact fit depends on the thickness of your board as well.

This board bag is 7 feet and 2 inches long and is available in several other sizes as well. You can choose it in the additional following lengths: 5’ 6”, 5’ 10”, 6’, and 6’ 10”.

This means you can choose this bag for practically any board other than a longboard. Don’t worry if you are after a longboard travel bag, though, because we have an amazing one coming up next!

Overall, this is a great option for most surfers. Although, keep in mind that this is not what you want if you’re shopping for cheap surfboard bags. It is fairly pricey coming in as the most expensive option of our recommendations.

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#3 – Curve Surfboard Travel Bag – Longboard

Now, here is a really wonderful choice for the longboard users out there. This amazing surfboard bag is more like a surfboard case. It is very thick and perfect for protecting your longboard.

There are 7 different sizes of this particular travel board bag available. The smallest starts at 7’ 6” and the longest is a whopping 10’ 2” making this ideal for almost any longboard.

It even has some options with an extra-wide width to accommodate wider longboards as well. The body of this surfboard bag is 7mm thick, so a bit thicker than that of the Pro-Lite bag.

What is really impressive and beneficial, though, is the extra-thick foam padding at the nose and tail of the bag. The nose and tail of your surfboard are the most vulnerable parts, so it only makes sense to give them some extra protection.

The foam at these sections of the bag is a very impressive 20mm thick. This ensures that they have the extra boost of protection that they need should anything happen to your bag.

A special strap system inside the bag keeps the tail of your surfboard in the proper place to help most ideally accommodate the fins of your board as well as keeping the board from sliding around.

This bag also features a nifty finslot opening that you have the option of using to guarantee no issues with attached fins. It has an easy-to-use Velcro closure as well.

The 600D polycanvas on the upper side of your board bag provides amazing protection and durability.

A small pocket on the inside of the tail gives a convenient storage place for your wax. This pocket, while still nice to have, is smaller than options on our previous recommendations in case that is important to you.

This is a flip-top opening bag, so it doesn’t have the wrap-around zipper like the Dakine surfboard bag. The zipper, is, however, very high-quality.

It is a premium PK big-tooth nylon zipper. It is guaranteed to never corrode, which can really give you a lot of peace of mind since that is so important on something like a surfboard bag.

Just like our first two picks, this Curve bag has a padded carrying handle and padded shoulder strap. The shoulder strap can even be removed if you prefer.

All in all, this is a really fantastic option when it comes to surf luggage – specifically if you’ve got a longboard.

The price is around the middle of our list and the extra-thick 20mm padding at the tail and nose make it completely worthwhile.

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#4 – South Bay Premium Surfboard Bag

If you are looking for a board bag strictly for regular day to day use rather than any kind of potentially rougher travel, then a South Bay Board Co. Surfboard Bag could be the perfect choice for you.

These bags come in a huge variety of sizes to accommodate virtually any surfboard whether it is a shortboard or a longboard.

The sizes available include 5’, 6’, 7’, 8’, 9’, 10’, and 11’. So, you can definitely find the perfect size for your surfboard in this great board bag.

Both the top and bottom of this bag feature a special tarpaulin material that is UV-reflective. This helps to reflect back heat in order to keep it away from your board.

This keeps your board cool and helps extend the life of the board. The tarpaulin material is also water-resistant to keep your board dry anytime you aren’t in the water.

This goes even further in increasing your surfboard’s life and also prevents any unpleasant mildew growth and odors inside your bag.

The foam padding in this bag is definitely thinner than that of our previous recommendations so far. It features foam padding that is 1/5 of an inch thick.

While this isn’t as protective as some of our other choices, it does do a good job for basic daily use and can be an adequate choice if you know you’ll be the only one handling your board.

Just like with our other picks, this bag does feature a padded handle and a padded shoulder strap for easy carrying and transportation.

Special, large zippers that wrap around the entire bag are designed to be sand-resistant. This helps keep them working overtime without giving you any problems as normal zippers may under the conditions your bag will likely face.

All of South Bay’s bags also include an additional special zipper that starts at the center of the tail end of the board and goes up the board a bit. This acts as an adjustable finslot for boards with a single-fin configuration.

That way, you can safely store your board in the bag without even needing to remove or worry about the fin. Also similar to our other picks, this bag does feature a small storage pocket for wax and other items.

It is internal on this particular bag and can be used for wax, fins, phones, or even keys. Mid-priced but still made with incredible quality materials and design, this is definitely a high-value day bag for your surfboard!

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#5 – Curve Surfboard Surfboard Cover – Longboard

Here is another good surfboard bag option from Curve. This bag is great if you’re just looking for some basic lightweight protection.

It has the thinnest padding of all of our options with a foam layer of 3mm (1/8 inch).

This thin padding won’t be as protective as a lot of our choices, but it does weigh less for easier transportation and still efficiently protects your board from basic everyday threats.

The material is heat-resistant, UV-reflective, and water-resistant. These features alone protect your bag from a lot, but the thinner foam layer still adds even more protection from scratches, bumps, and other similar things.

This bag has a wrap-around zipper that is durable and easy to use. The zipper is a big-tooth #10 zipper that stands up well to the elements.

The bag also features a finslot like some of our other recommendations. The finslot on this bag has a Velcro closure feature. Available in 6 sizes from 7’ 6” to 10’ 2”, this bag is primarily for longboards.

It is yet another option with a padded handle and shoulder strap.

A pocket opening on the side of the bag allows you to easily slide in extra surfing gear like wetsuits into the bag with your board.

Both the tail and nose of the bag are reinforced with 600D polycanvas to give your board a little extra protection in the more vulnerable areas of the board.

The price of this bag is very affordable, so it shouldn’t be a problem to fit it into most budgets.

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#6 – Dorsal Travel Shortboard Surfboard Bag

If you need a super affordable option for a shortboard, this Dorsal Surfboard Bag is perfect for you! It is very inexpensive coming in as the lowest priced option of all of our recommendations.

It is available in 7 different sizes ranging from 5’ 10” to 7’ 6”. This should easily accommodate any shortboard. Even though it is a lot cheaper, it still has pretty decent protection.

There is a layer of 5mm thick high-impact density foam surrounding the entire surfboard in this bag. The material is made to be heat-resistant to help keep your board cool and extend its overall life.

You’ll also find that there is 600D polycanvas fabric reinforcing the tail and the nose of the surfboard bag. This is helpful since the tail and nose are the most vulnerable areas on the surfboard.

The shoulder strap and the handle on the bag are also padded with super tough neoprene fabric. This increases comfort, durability, and reliability.

As most of our picks, this bag does also feature a separate pocket for wax, fins, or other small personal items. The pocket is on the inside of the bag in this case.

A #10 zipper just like the one on a couple of the previously listed bags is large, heavy-duty, and corrosion-resistant.

A vent option on the outside of the bag can help to keep air moving through the bag which further helps keep your board nice and cool.

Considering the decent level of protection and super affordable price, this is definitely a very worthwhile and high-value purchase for someone shopping for a great shortboard travel bag!

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Surfboard Travel Bags – Price Comparison Table

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Choosing the Best Surfboard Travel Bag for You

• Size
• Protection
• Extras
• Surfboard Travel Bag FAQs
• Buyer’s Tips

Surfboards tend to be both expensive as well as relatively fragile. They are essentially only designed for use in the water. So, they can get torn up pretty easily if not taken very well care of.

If you are a surfer and you want to keep your surfboard in the best condition possible, you need the best surfboard travel bag! A good surfboard bag can provide all the protection you need for your surfboard.

Of course, the level of protection you need will vary depending on what you plan to do with your board as far as travel goes.

Surfboard travel covers can be very beneficial, and many times are an important investment necessary to properly protect your surfboard. They definitely are something you need to consider carefully before you purchase, though.

You can’t just use any surfboard cover for any surfboard. There are some very important considerations you need to take into account before choosing a surfboard cover.

Check out the factors below to make sure you know just what to look for in your perfect surfboard bag!

Size

The most important factor is definitely size because if you don’t get the right size, you might not be able to use the bag at all. Since surfboards come in such a huge variety of sizes, so do surfboard bags.

You need to make sure that the bag you choose fits both the length as well as the width of your board. The length will be the main thing you want to look at because most board bags are designed to match the width of surfboards that they are designed to fit the length of.

You’ll mostly want to be careful if you have a particularly wide board. If you’ve got a custom board, you really need to pay attention to the exact specifications of board bags that you’re looking at.

Generally speaking, board bags are also cut a little bit long. This is to help guarantee your board fits your bag. So, if you have a 6′ 6″ board, go ahead and feel free to get the 6′ 6″ board bag without needing to size up.

Also, keep in mind that the thickness of your board can affect fit. So, if you have a super thick board, factor in a little more width for your bag.

Protection

Next up, you’ll need to decide what level of protection is right for you. Is a simple cover or day bag adequate to meet your needs? Or do you need something good for potentially rougher handling like it may receive in an airport?

For protection, consider the materials the bag is made from and the thickness of padding inside the bag. The thicker the padding, the better the protection is.

Things like reinforced ends are also helpful for increasing the level of protection. When it comes to materials, you really want something that is water-resistant and heat-resistant.

This will help protect your board from the elements to extend its overall life. The zippers are also very important. Choose something non-corrosive for best results.

This is really important since your bag will likely spend a lot of time near the ocean with lots of salt and sand.

Extras

Finally, once you know what size and what level of protection you need, you can move on to the extra features the bag has.

There are many varying features for surfboard bags, and all of these are more about personal preference than anything else. Consider if you want or need the following features as you home in and choose the board bag that’s right for you!

Surfboard Travel Bag FAQs

What does a surfboard bag do?

A surfboard bag is simply a bag designed to fit a surfboard inside of it and provide some level of protection. Surfboard bags generally have some padding as well as other protective features like heat-resistance and water-resistance.

They are great to use for day to day use as you bring your board to and from the beach. The right bag can also be perfect for getting your board safely through an airline when you’re traveling farther.

 

Do I need a surfboard travel bag?

If you will be traveling far with your surfboard such as via an airplane, a surfboard travel bag is a necessity to keep your board safe. While not absolutely needed for regular daily use, they are really beneficial for anyone with a surfboard even when traveling isn’t part of the equation.

Buyer’s Tips for Surfboard Travel Bags

Board bags for surfboards really do make a huge difference in how well your surfboard holds up over time. It can even make the difference between your board surviving a flight or not.

Even if you don’t plan to travel far with your surfboard, a surfboard bag can still help it stand up to everyday wear and tear better including protecting it from the elements.

Just make sure that you choose the right size and protection level for your surfboard bag. The extra features of the bag can also make a big difference in your convenience level and overall satisfaction.

So don’t forget to look into those as well before you choose your bag. Where you get your surfboard bag can also be important, so make sure to choose a reputable retailer.

Amazon is one of the most popular retailers out there and for good reason. We love their selection, customer service, and pricing!

A lot of times, it is hard to find a better deal than what you get on Amazon, but it can still be a good idea to look into all of your options before settling on which board bag you want and where to purchase it from.

The most important thing is just that you get some much-needed protection on that board as soon as possible! Happy surfing!

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Thanks for reading The 6 Best Surfboard Travel Bags. We hope that our research and analysis helps you to find the best alternative to transporting and protecting your surfboard.

And if you’re shopping for other gear take a look at these related review articles from Outside Pursuits:

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How We Researched

To come up with the top surfboard travel bags, we researched a variety of sources for reviews such as Target, Dicks Sporting Goods and Best Buy along with our own personal experience.

We also consulted online magazines for product research and reviews to get as much unbiased information as we could. To help weed out fake reviews we used Fakespot.com to make sure we only looked at genuine reviews.

With so much quality gear available, we had to narrow it down based on what we felt were the best options for the price. The staff authors, have extensive experience with a variety of outdoor sports like paintball, roller skating, baseball and golf.

To help narrow down the selection they used their personal experience along with recommendations from instructors and retailers.

After extensive research, we came up with our list to help you choose the right one for you.

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