So you have the Surf Roller Bag. Congratulations, not only do you have the world’s first rib-protected, compressible, wheeled surfboard bag, but you have what Craig Anderson calls “the best board bag in the world, by a country mile.”
You probably know that the bag measures 209 cm long x 57 cm wide x 20 cm deep. In terms of capacity, that’s a hefty 238 litres, meaning you can pack three boards easily and still have enough room for 4/3 hooded steamer, booties, leashes, fins and a towel.
That leaves you with some important decisions to make. The obvious being; What three boards do you put in the bag for your next mission? This is where we can help. We’ve asked experts, shapers and our ambassadors to chip in with some advice on what is the ultimate three-board travel quiver. It goes a little like this.
The Daily Driver
The first, and probably, easiest decision is to take the shape and sized surfboard that you ride most of the time at home. “On all surf trips, you aren’t guaranteed pumping waves so you should take something pretty close to the shortboard you ride at home,” says Darren Handley, the shaper-to-the-stars of DHD Surfboards. “Our pick would be the Mick Fanning DNA model. I’d use a square or roundtail. It’s wide enough up front so that it’s not super high-performance and is a real rocket for punters in average waves.”
Now the surfboard will vary a lot depending on skill level, wave types and personal style. “I probably ride a 5’7” or 5’8” thruster in 80 per cent of my surfs,” says Db Ambassador Craig Anderson. “I use the White Noiz V2 as my go-to shortboard, so that goes in the bag first. When travelling you want a banker or a board you know and trust; there’s no need to overthink it.”
The Fun Board
The rise of the twin fin, fish and fun boards has been one of the defining trends in surfboard design over the last decade. First pioneered by early adopters like Tom Curren and Dave Rastovich, Torren Martyn has recently shown what is possible on the equipment.
“The concept is perhaps getting looser and looser, but it a board that is flatter, shorter and with more volume than your normal shortboard is now essential,” said Matt Biolos of Lost Surfboards. “My favourite is the Californian Twin, which I’ve worked with Mark Richards on. It’s flat where it needs to be, but still curvy in the right spots, and skates along but still turns in tight spots. This is a Fish that you can grovel the small stuff, but still really rip on.” That design can be used as a twin fin, or added to with a trailer fin, if you are used to, or prefer, a thruster.
“I’ve been using the Pukas Acid Plan,” says Db Ambassador and world-renowned surf explorer Kepa Acero. “It can be ridden as a twin, or 2 plus 1 so stands between the twin-fin and the thruster but brings the best out of the two worlds. It is so fun and reliable but has a high-performance element.”
Look to the board manufacturers’ websites which will have a board calculator for your level of surfing, weight, and height. But regardless, you need a proper, well-designed fish-style board in that bag. It can save your trip. It might even change your life.
The Step-Up
Okay, we have a few restrictions on the last board; the step-up. The three-board bag can fit up to a 6’6” surfboard, so the longer versions of a mid-length and longboards are out of the equation. Though don’t despair, the Db new mid-length can cover your precious one-man-band mid-length from 6’5” up to 7’6”. However, if the purpose of your trip is to get better and bigger waves than you do at home, the step-up is all important.
“I’d advise for the step-up you don’t have to jump up too much in size, from your normal shortboard,” said Matt Biolis from Lost. “The pulled-in tail of the Sabo Taj, Taj Burrow’s model, would be perfect. I’d have it at 6’4” by 20 1/4” x 2’ 3/4” with a rounded pin. It rides like a 6’10” because it has a wider nose outline, but the tail is pulled in with lots of tail rocker.
“For your step-up, it will be a couple of inches longer than your standard shortboard,” says shaper Christiaan Bradley, of Bradley Surfboards. “It’s good to have a bit more foam under your chest for added paddle power and a nice round pin that provides drive and control. Remember, this might be the board you get the wave of your trip on, so it is worth having a solid shooter in the bag.”
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