Advice for traveling with board(s)

[mike]

This topic gets beat to death every year, but with all the new airline restrictions and fees it seems worth revisiting - what are peoples' recent experiences flying with your boards?

To be clear, I've read the older forum posts and have my own experience, so I'm primarily interested in hearing of recent (late 2008/2009) experiences.

I've used the NSI golf bag and it seems like it's 50/50 whether I get charged extra, and it is definitely bulky to move around once you arrive at your destination.

I'm wondering whether a small board bag (to carry 1 or 2 TTs) and a duffle bag for kites, gear and clothes might be a better solution. It would almost certainly be easier to load into a dune buggy...

I'm heading to Brazil (on AA/TAM: SFO-DFW-GRU-FOR) in two weeks, totally stoked.

[hawaiimind]

I have the same NSI bag and it works well for me, can load it with non-kiting clothes and tons of stuff. I have never been charged with it, but could be my miles/status on United help me out. One thing a buddy shared who travels a lot; he just throws them in a big box and tells them he is shipping artwork, never uses a word like "board", and he says it has worked every time. So if your kites can fit in your regular luggage, look for a reinforced box to hold your board (sans fins and straps).

[adamrod]

just got back from brazil. first of all, man, that's a long flight. I took the easy route SFO-ATL-FOR...much shorter and cheaper. i've done the flight you're talking about the past few years, and this one cuts the travel time in half.

anyway, i've gone to brazil for the past 3 years and have never been charged (knock on wood).

tips:
1. make your bag as small and light as possible. i don't care if you are under 50 lbs, if your bag is huge, they're going to wonder. This last trip, I took two kites and one board and put everything else (pump, bars...everything) in my carryon. I was at 40 lbs and my bag cinched down so it really actually was the same size as a legit golf bag!

2. smile and wear nice clothes when you travel. don't dress like a kiter and you won't be treated like one.

3. that NSI bag you have is pretty huge. A lot of kite companies make golf bags, but getting the biggest bag that says golf on it won't necessarily work. I have a naish golf bag that is actually pretty small (i can barely get 3 kites and a board in it) on the plus side, it is actually much closer to an actual golf bag size. If I were you, I'd invest in a smaller golf bag, a bunch of my friends have that NSI one and it's just really over the top.


a small board bag is also oversized (no matter how small) so you're likely to get charged for that, unless you put it in a snowboard bag (then you might slip by). better off, just put it in your golf bag and cross your fingers. whatever you do, DON'T BE OVERWEIGHT, the lighter that bag is, the less they care. if it's 49.9995 lbs, you know they're gonna be wondering why your golf clubs weigh that much.

[stone]

Two trips in the last year with an oversize golf bag containing board and 2 kites.

First was SFO to La Paz on Alaska Air. International flight, so couldn't do curbside checkin. Had to pay $25 2nd bag fee each way (expected), so no prob. Bag weighed 48lb on my bathroom scale, measured 49 at the counter. I was careful to dress like a golfer, helps that I'm one of teh olds. One of the reasons I used Alaska Air for the flight is reading their baggage policies they didn't seem to want to imply that any board designed for salt water is a vintage balsa longboard requiring dedicated attention from white-gloved attendants (not that those exist in american air travel, see video below).

Second was Southwest from Oakland to somewhere in Texas, buddy used my bag and did curbside checkin with $10 tip. Again, no prob.

On my flights I ringed the board with foam pipe insulation. In retrospect I shouldn't have bothered--those LF Proofs are indestructible. With the small flexy board I ride now, I'd use the pipe insulation and a towel on each side.

You've already booked your flights so this is moot, but I read the airline baggage fine print before booking and I'll take a flight costing $100 more over an airline that wants to hit me with $300 fees each way should they determine that my twintip (which they won't pay for should they damage it) is a "surfboard". Fuck them with a rusty railroad spike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo[/video]

[elli]

I did a few international trips with the NSI golf bag, so far so good. Last trip was this May. As long as you are under the weight they don’t care (for me at least). On the way back I was a couple of pounds over the weight, and just took stuff out of the bag in front of the counter and moved it to a suitcase. I also throw a golf club inside and a ball. I am not sure it helps, but it sure is good karma. Last time they asked me why its so heavy, I said I threw in some things that did not fit in the suitcase. I was not joking, the board really did not fit in the suitcase :)

I also put one kite in the NSI bag and one in a suitcase as travel insurance in case one bag does not show up. This worked very well so far except in one case where both bags did not show up :)

[Kaffwynn]

Josh (JJM) and I flew to Brazil on 6/15/09. We took AA and went SFO-DFW-GRU-FOR.

We brought 4 complete kites, and 3 boards split between 1 kite bag (Mystic golf bag), and one snowboard bag (the Ocean Rodeo 140 would not fit in the golf bag). Both bags were below 50 lbs, but going by measurements, over sized and up to the kindness of the gate agents. We also dressed well for our flights (slacks, and button down shirt).

I was VERY worried that we would have issues with overweight/oversize/customs somewhere along the road, especially since we also had 2 backpackers backpacks, and 3 carry-ons. We had NO issues what-so-ever. We don't like to lie, and when the gate agent at SFO asked what was IN our bags, we responded "we have a golf bag, and a snowboard bag". That was the most severe issue we had. No one else ever questioned it again.

Send us a PM, and we'll show you around town when you get here (I'm assuming Cumbuco area). We've been here about 6 weeks now and know all about the ONE bar and ONE disco in town. :)

[G-man]

I have the NSI bag, and I typically travel with 2 kites, harness, and board in there. I have been through about 6 different domestic airports with my gear over the last year and have never been charged a penny. However, Adam is right...they sometimes don't like it when it's over 50lbs, in which case I have just pulled a couple of things out.

However, I was also in Brazil last November and I got dinged both ways (in and out). I think it was $75/ea? Can't remember. I dressed nice and was polite and all that...but both times the guy who checked me in knew EXACTLY what my bag was. When I walked up to the counter one immediately saw my bag and said, "cool, where are you kiting?". There was no way out of it at that point. One difference with my trip, though, was that I had separate flights internally in Brazil (ie, I had to check in for my flight there, not in a US airport), which probably made the difference.

Have an awesome time in Brazil. It's such a great place to kite!

[adamrod]

Send us a PM, and we'll show you around town when you get here (I'm assuming Cumbuco area). We've been here about 6 weeks now and know all about the ONE bar and ONE disco in town

dude. you gotta get out of Cumbuco. Time to spend the $15 and take the bus to Jeri. Nightlife there puts Cumbuco nightlife to SHAME. the clubs don't even open until 2 am. the entire beach is one giant bar.

[mike]

Thanks for all the input, really helpful. Yeah, in my experience my NSI bag gets dinged simply because of the size - its just too big to be a believable golf bag. Like some of the other posters, I've also had fewer hassles on United relative to other airlines, but not sure if its because of mileage status or if they're just less strict about baggage policies.

I'll definitely check out a smaller golf bag for this trip.

As asides - would love to use the Atlanta-Fortaleza route, but it was sold out and we had to get tix on somewhat short notice. The DFW/GRU/FOR route is definitely long but actually not bad compared to some other options (via Chicago, D.C., etc.).

I was in Cumbuco on my last trip to Brazil - it is nice but this time we're heading straight to Jeri, spending a few days in Icaraizinho (a.k.a. Icarai de Amontada) on the way.

BTW, any advice on kite sizes? I'm thinking about bringing a 6 and a 9m and leaving the 12 at home. Wind in Icaraizinho is supposed to be similar to Cumbuco/Paracuru, and Jeri obviously much stronger. I'm 165 lbs/75 kg and ride a 9 and a 12 around here - mostly @ third ave on a 9.

[thelaserman]

In the past two weeks. I flew Alaskan, united, delta and Northwest. I used my NSI deciever, had 1 board 2 kites pump helmet and 2 golf clubs for good measure. This weighed in at 49 pounds. I packed my harness in my other bag. I had no problem at all from any of the airlines. I flew from SFO to SEA to Maui and back