Board length and airline travel

[HaoleKook]

Aloha friends,

I want to start bringing my own boards when I travel. I haven’t flown with a surfboard yet and am wondering how much of a difference it makes traveling with an 8’0 versus a 7’6 or 7’0. As I write this it seems like probably not a huge difference, however it does make a difference when moving boards in and out of the house.

Ideally for these waves I’d have a 7’6 (which I don’t have) and the 7’0. The 8’0 isn’t ideal but it would work. So I’m trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting the 7’6, bringing the 8’0, maybe even all 3, or selling the 8’0.

Mahalos!

[BaNZ]

To me, not much difference. They all funboard size and fits inside most cars. I'd always go for which one I like the most. Which is why I have like 6+ boards and only use 2 the majority of the times.

[jaffa1949]

Airlines are the issue, cost varies greatly from free within certain limits and pay flights often have have a ridiculous volume formula which excludes most long boards meaning above 6ft.
There is a guide out there that is updated yearly! Good luck.
Used to be only one there are now several guides, where tower is a big factor!
I have no idea what spell check did to the last part of the last paragraph.
However most good surf destinations have good boards available, less cost risk for a two way trip for your magic board.

[waikikikichan]

My advice is don't take a board somewhere you plan on bringing back.

And if its your "Magic" board, definitely do not take it on the airplane with you.

Boards will get dinged up and creased. Then you have to pay and wait for your board to get repaired AND have to rent a board anyways.

I think you have to consider the ground transportation when trying to decide board length.

[HaoleKook]

Thanks everyone. I booked my trip last night which had me reading airline baggage policies. With most airlines it seems very difficult to travel with anything over 7 feet (115 total linear inches, length plus width plus thickness. ). Fortunately I have Hawaiian/Alaskan points and their policy is length only 115".

There’s also the issue of bags, most coffins only go up to 7’6. There is one I found that will take the 7’10 with another board, but the shorter ones can take 3+ boards.

Thanks for mentioning creases! I was only thinking about dings, a crease is on a whole different level of consideration.

And thanks for not making me feel stupid asking this question. I went to Costa Rica twice and rented, and just get so excited thinking about surfing those waves on a board of my liking.

[imadeddine]

Airlines usually charge by length brackets and the jump around eight feet can push you into a higher fee or make handling the bag more awkward. A 7’6 or 7’0 is easier to pack, easier to move through airports, and less likely to get dinged by baggage staff. For most travel waves a 7’6 hits a sweet spot because it still paddles well but stays manageable. If the 8’0 is not special to you, swapping it for a 7’6 makes the whole travel process smoother without losing much in the water.

[HaoleKook]

@imadeddine thanks, that's how I feel about it. Although lately I'm not liking these voluminous epoxy boards, so not going to spend money swapping the 7'10 for another one. Also, fortunately I'm flying Alaska which is the only one that allows this much surfboard.

I'm thinking about getting a 3-board bag, and bringing two epoxy boards (7'10, 6'6) and one new PU board (6'10). The PU would hopefully get a little extra protection being in the middle. 3 sounds like a lot to haul though. The compromises would be bringing only the epoxy boards, or the PU being 1 of only 2 in a bag. I'm hypersensitive to feelings so having the PU board would be really enjoyable.

[HaoleKook]

Alaska’s board policy apparently got even more generous for 2026. I just bought myself a nice 8’0 triple board bag =D

[Kulharin]

I only go with epoxy over polyurethane boards. Haven't had any dings or damage with boards in transit since then between 6 and 8 ft. The costs with flying a board in are pretty absurd now, I'd like to think that means they are handling them better but I'm sure that's BS.

[HaoleKook]

The 8’0 worked out. I used Uber XXL to get to the airport and it was fine. I got a triple board bag and brought 2 poly boards. I lined the sides and top/bottom of the bag with cardboard, wrapped the rails with sliced pool noodles and put a second layer of pool noodle pieces around the sides and top/bottom of the bag, taking up the space of the 3rd board. The bag slipped out of my hand and literally bounced right back to my hand, which means basically none of the energy went into the boards.

Alaska will let you bring a long board bag with as many boards as you can fit inside for free.

Bringing epoxy would have been the safe choice, but I decided to take a shaping class and made my own board (and love it!) so now I’m less worried about damage. I also just really wanted to surf my favorite boards here.

[HaoleKook]

The boards came back in perfect shape. The bag took a little wear, as did the cardboard inside, I think mostly from being strapped to a roof and driving 90 mph over crazy rough dirt roads :/

Using only pool noodles and cardboard kept it relatively light - 45 lbs for a 7’’10 and 6’10, and the 7’10 is the one I made and wasn’t ligjt to begin with.

Ultimately I’m glad I went with the longer board because the waves were pretty small and weak this week. Based on the past 2 years I was thinking I’d be using the 6’10 most of the time but it was the opposite; there were very few shortboarders this year.

[Monst1r]

I usually stick to shorter boards for flights and wrap the rails with clothes inside a padded bag. I also tape the nose and tail and remove fins to cut damage risks.

[Monst1r]

I’ve also had fewer board dings on long hauls by doubling the nose and tail padding and slipping a towel between each board. Some airlines still give pushback on anything over 7 feet, so I usually call ahead and get the agent’s name noted on the booking. On pricier routes, I’ve used Travel Business Class to snag cheaper biz seats, which made handling oversized board bags way less stressful.