How to Pack a Snowboard Bag

Travelling with your snowboard

Research your airlines

As we all know, the cheapest base flight is not always the cheapest overall once you’ve added a checked bag and any other extras. This is particularly true when it comes to travelling with snowboarding gear. Yes, you can travel with your snowboard however whether you pay more for that depends on the airline. Some airlines have generous baggage allowance which enables you to take a snowboard bag as part of your normal luggage, whereas others will charge an additional fee and/or class them as oversized.

It’s worth checking your airline’s policy when booking as you might be able to score a better deal for you and your board. This article from Upgraded Points has a helpful list of policies relating to ski & snowboard baggage for major airlines and is worth a look. 

It’s also worth asking your mates who have taken their board overseas - they may have a trick or two up their sleeve and know who’s best for keeping your board safe.

Get a good snowboard bag

No matter how big your trip, 10 minutes up the hill or 10 hours on a plane, a snowboard bag will protect your gear from scratches or worse. They are, however, particularly important on flights where they’ll be piled up with other luggage and humphed around by baggage handlers. We can’t stress this enough. A snowboard bag is designed to protect a snowboard in a way that no other bag is. It is genuinely worth the investment.

There are heaps of great bags out there and the bigger ones will hold enough to fit all of your gear into one bag, saving you from needing to purchase extra luggage.

Some of our top snowboard bag picks include:

To binding or not to binding

You don’t need to remove your bindings for travel but it can be a handy way to save space, particularly when travelling with multiple boards. The other thing to consider here is if your current set-up is what you will be riding on when you reach your destination. If not, you’ll be making adjustments anyway and it may be quicker to whip the bindings off.

Every inch of space counts

Extra baggage is expensive, as is forgetting things and having to buy another set. We’re therefore big on jamming every space.

Slotting delicates inside harder items is a great way to give them a little extra protection and save on space. Googles into boots or helmets is a classic (although we still recommend keeping them in a case or wrapped in a beanie inside the boot/ helmet). Your helmet is a handy protection source but remember that it too wants protection so once you’ve loaded it up, wrap it in a jumper.

Our packing process

We’re not saying this is the only way to do it, but this is what works for us. 

• Get everything you want to pack into your bag and lay it out. You’ll probably be tight on space if you only have one checked bad so challenge EVERYTHING that you’re bringin
• Lay the snowboard flat inside the bag (bindings on or off)
  Note: Bigger two board bags may have a separate space for a second board with bindings off
• Roll smaller items like socks etc up and stuff them into your helmets and boots around your goggles and more delicate items
• Put your nicely stuffed boots interlocked at one end of the board 
• Then all your outerwear and clothes will fit around the bindings (if you’ve left them on)
• If you are having trouble fitting it try both laying items flat or rolling them up.
• Often bigger bags will have outer pockets for extra storage