"Golf bag" for foil?

[Flyboy]

For the last decade or so traveling with kitesurfing gear has been easy for me, thanks to the generous baggage policy of our local charter company which officially allowed a bag with kitesurfing gear on the plane free - that is to say, not just with no extra charge, but no charge at all. How long this will remain in place, given the hit airline companies have taken over the last year, is anyone's guess. I'm now at the point where I would consider traveling only with foiling gear - a small board, a foil & a quiver of 3 Peak4s ... hardly takes up any space. My existing "golf bag" fits (just) my 4'10" SB, but I could see getting something much smaller for just foiling gear. Is anyone aware of something suitable? I was thinking about an actual golf bag ... but they mostly seem a too narrow to fit my 3'6" Dwarfcraft, although they might fit a smaller board.

[StellaBlu]

I just use a duffel bag and it all fits very easily. Just need to carefully pack the board and foil but otherwise it’s a very simple solution for me.

[lederhosen]

You could have a look at keyboardbags, i had a look a while ago and there where a few that perfectly fit a foilboard.

[Flyboy]

Yes - I can see that there are a variety of bags that would work ... however, the point of a golf bag is that it is, on some airlines, possible to take a "golf bag" that is oversized without paying an oversized baggage fee. My NSI "golf bag" is about 5' long. I've had for about 10 years - it's a strong bag & so far has always been accepted as a golf bag o the airlines i have flown with, even though it is quite a bit larger than any real golf bag. Foiling gear could fit in a considerably smaller bag, but still larger than the standard 62" maximum size, so using an actual golf bag might be useful.

[Windigo1]

My foil boards fit no problems in the Epic gear 155cm kiteboard "golf bag" it even says Golf Bag on the side so no questions asked 90% of the time. I put the foil and mast in a Hockey goaler bag with wheels essentially a big duffle bag with wheels and the Golf bag is usually free. I do that just to spread the weight around. The hockey bag is my main luggage.

[PurdyKiter]

Funny this subject comes up 5 minutes after my wife surprises me with a Mexico potential. We'll be free & clear with 14 days post vaccine on March 12th, and thinking if I do go I want only space for a 32" KS pocket board, a Moses 101 mast, and probably only one 8m kite. Thinking a simple $24 "army" duffel bag would do?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-Style ... SwWXddVpKo

[Flyboy]

Funny this subject comes up 5 minutes after my wife surprises me with a Mexico potential. We'll be free & clear with 14 days post vaccine on March 12th, and thinking if I do go I want only space for a 32" KS pocket board, a Moses 101 mast, and probably only one 8m kite. Thinking a simple $24 "army" duffel bag would do?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-Style ... SwWXddVpKo

This is missing the point. I HAVE a "golf bag" capable of fitting my foiling gear: it is basically 5 feet long, which is somewhat larger than normal golf bags. The purpose behind a "golf bag" is that many airlines have offered free, or reduced fees for golf bags up to now. The military style duffle bag would work fine for transporting kiting gear ... but it is going to be over 62 inches (length/width/depth), so there is the possibility of being hit with oversize fees, or unfriendly "surfboard" fees.

I'm thinking that traveling with just foiling gear allows for a smaller profile, but still very difficult to get it below the 62 inch threshold. The golf bag designation allows you to side step this limitation. I recently flew back from the Caribbean & witnessed a fellow traveller checking an enormous ION "golf bag" that clearly had a ton of kiting gear in it & didn't look remotely like it was actually carrying golf equipment. It looked like the airline accepted it, but I suspect most airlines would not without charging a large surcharge.

Incidentally, Peak4 kites are so small & light they offer a huge advantage for flying - a 6m,4m & 3m kite would be the equivalent one 8m tube kite.

[BWD]

Book through non-US carriers that appreciate tourists and use “weight concept” bag fees instead of “piece concept” US ones use.
To some, 50lb bag is a 50lb bag, whether it is 62” or 100”
That said, minimizing the bags/bulk you have to move is great!