Surfboard Bags

Surfboard bag buying guide — board socks, day bags, and travel bags

Protecting your board between sessions and during travel is one of the most practical investments a surfer can make. A ding from a car door, a pressure crack from heat in the back of a vehicle, or foam damage from an airline — all preventable with the right bag. Here's how to choose.

Board socks — everyday protection

A board sock is a stretchy fabric sleeve that slides over your board. It's the lightest and most compact protection option — fits in your trunk without adding bulk, protects against minor dings and scratches from car interiors, board racks, and other boards, and keeps UV off the resin between sessions. A board sock is not a travel bag — it provides no padding and won't protect against serious impact. Think of it as a dust cover with light scratch protection.

We carry board socks from Block Surf, Roam, Veia, Dakine, and Channel Islands across shortboard, fish, midlength, and longboard sizes. Browse board socks.

Day bags — the everyday workhorse

A day bag is a padded surfboard bag designed for regular local use — protecting your board in the car, on roof racks, and at the beach. Day bags have foam padding (typically 5mm to 10mm), a heat-reflective foil lining to reduce heat build-up, and a durable outer shell that handles the wear of daily use. This is the bag most regular surfers should own — it protects against the dings and heat damage that accumulate over a season of daily sessions.

Key features to look for in a day bag: foam padding thickness (more is better for boards left in hot cars), heat-reflective or foil lining (critical for LA summer), nose protection (reinforced tip protects the most vulnerable point), and quality zipper and handle construction.

Shortboard day bags

Block Surf shortboard day bags in 5'4" through 7'8". Dakine Mission and Daylight series in shortboard sizes. Creatures of Leisure DT2.0 day bags. Veia Explorer shortboard day bags. Browse shortboard day bags.

Fish and midlength day bags

Fish boards are wider than shortboards and need a wide-nose bag. Block Surf fish bags in 5'4" through 7'0". Creatures of Leisure DT2.0 fish day bags. Dakine Daylight Hybrid bags. Veia Explorer fish day bags. FCS Day-X shortboard/fish bags. Browse fish and midlength bags.

Longboard day bags

Block Surf longboard day bags in 8'0" through 10'6". Creatures of Leisure DT2.0 longboard bags. Dakine Mission and Daylight Noserider bags. FCS Day-X longboard and midlength bags. Browse longboard day bags.

Travel bags — for flying with your board

A travel bag is built to protect your board against the specific hazards of airline travel — being thrown by baggage handlers, pressure changes, and sitting under heavy luggage in cargo holds. Travel bags use significantly more padding than day bags (typically 20mm to 40mm), heavy-duty outer material, reinforced corners, and in most cases wheels for airport transit.

A good travel bag can hold multiple boards — coffin bags (double, triple, and quad configurations) let you split the airline fee between boards. Always check your airline's oversized baggage policy before flying — most charge $150–$200 each way for surfboards regardless of bag type.

What to look for in a travel bag

Foam padding — 20mm minimum, 40mm for serious protection. Wheel system — essential for airport transit with a loaded bag. Board capacity — double coffins for two boards, triple for three, quad for four. Gear pockets — for wetsuits, fins, and accessories to maximise what you can check. Heavy-duty zippers — cheap zippers fail under the stress of a full travel bag.

Travel bag brands

Veia JJF travel bags — John John Florence collaboration, wheeled, premium construction. Block Surf coffin bags in double, triple, and quad configurations. Creatures of Leisure Quad Wheely and Double travel bags. Dakine Quad Roller. FCS Travel 2 series. Browse all travel bags.

Brand guide

Dakine — the JJF Mission series (John John Florence collab) and Daylight series cover shortboard through longboard in both day bag and travel formats. Strong construction, good padding, well-priced.

Creatures of Leisure — the DT2.0 (Double Take 2.0) day bag series is one of the most popular day bag ranges in the shop. Double-take construction means the bag can be used as both a standard day bag and flipped open flat for easy board loading. Available across all board types.

Veia — John John Florence's bag brand. Premium construction, wheeled travel bags, and the Explorer day bag series. The JJF 3/2 Convertible travel bag converts between a travel bag and a two-board carrier.

FCS — the Day-X series covers shortboard, fish, midlength, and longboard day bags. The Travel 2 series is FCS's premium padded travel option.

Sizing your bag

Always size your bag to the longest board you plan to carry — a bag that's too short stresses the nose and tail. For a board around 6'0", a 6'0" or 6'3" bag. For a 9'2" longboard, a 9'2" or 9'6" bag gives you room for a fin case. Fish and wide boards need wide-format bags — check the bag's stated width before buying.

Board protection beyond bags

A bag protects your board in transit. At home, a wall rack keeps boards off the floor and out of UV. Browse surfboard storage racks.

Shop by type

Board socks · Shortboard bags · Fish bags · Longboard bags · Travel bags