So far his year, my board got damaged 4 times out of 5 flights, So I was forced to reconsider the basic packing method (bag, bubble wrap and a towel around the tail.) as well as which board bag to use.

Here is what I do to keep it light and quick to pack:

    – Double protection on the rails, nose and tail

I bought a $10 foam camping mattress, cut it in half in the length to wrap the rails. I use long elastics bands to keep the foam in place around the board

I made  a nose and rail pocket with the left overs: cut 2 bits of cardboard in the shape of the nose & tail, and glue the foam onto it. Attach each bit together (nose-top with nose-bottom, tail-top with tail-bottom) with duck tape . You can now slide them on the nose & tail.

  – Protection top & bottom

I  added a spare board divider that I had from an old multi-board bag, and put it on top of the board. Underneath I use simple bits of polystyrene as it can adsorb shocks and sharps objects.

In case the baggage handlers put something heavy on the top part of the board (from the nose to the middle of the board) where it is not flat, I fold my wetsuit in half to “fill the gap”.

  – Board bag

I bought a Creature Retro board bag in 6”3. The bag is 10mm thick all around and after much research, seems to be simply the best as it is compact but still allows me to add packing.

The bag is wide and square around the tail so it is very stable when I rest it against a wall, and I have plenty of space to pad the tail in the bag. http://creatures.com.au/cover/retro-travel/12.

I chose a 6”3 so I can sleep in it if required and it will fit most board I buy in case I need to replace my current 5”10

This gives me a minimum of 20mm thickness all around the board and keep the bag light.

Finally, try to get your board bag reinforced ( I got it done for 2bucks in Indonesia), so the flimsy little shoulder strap doesn’t break when you carry your bag around.