South African-born, but Aussie-based Craig Anderson is arguably one of surfing's most influential free surfers. That why we asked the laid-back, styling, cover-shot renaissance man to design his own Db x C. Anderson range with a signature essential tote bag and wallet.
Having travelled the world over the last two decades, Ando knows a thing or two about how to pack a Surf Bag. Here he provides a five step guide on how to best stash your precious cargo in the 3-4 board Surf Bag; the world's first rib-protected, compressible, wheeled surfboard bag.
Step 1. Unroll your bag
For a start, my Surf Bag is always rolled up. I’m lucky enough to have a big garage, but even still, it gets pretty messy. And so it’s really neat that the Surf Bag rolls up into a third of the size and fits in tiny little grooves and can be hidden out of the way.
Step 2. Pack the quiver
When I’m traveling, I will usually take three or four boards; that includes two pintails, the biggest around 6’4”, a shortboard, and kind of a fun, fishy shape. Even though the rib protection is super strong, I’ll put one of the boards, usually my favourite, in a Db surf sock. The sock doesn’t take up hardly any room or weight, adds protection, and then you can use it at your destination. I will put the 6'4" on the bottom, the deck facing up, and lay the rest on top in order of decreasing length.
Step 3. Add extra cushioning
You can stash soft materials in the pre-shaped pack bags to add more protection for the nose and tail. I use towels and wetsuits to add extra cushion at the front of the board to protect the noses. I’ll put booties and gloves in the pack bags to cushion the tails. It also means those accessories are stashed away nice and neat and not floating around the bag.
Step 4. Reduce wiggle room
I then use the attached straps to secure the boards. That stops the boards wriggling around, which is when you tend to get dings and depressions. The Surf Bag has a three-strap system, which is way better than just the standard one in the middle which I have used in the past. It just keeps the boards compact, tight, and safer. Lastly, I’ll put the fins and straps in the dedicated storage in the spots provided. Then it’s just a matter of zipping the surf bag up.
Step 5. Stash The Handles and Hook-Up
At the airport, I’ll take off the middle handle and place it in the secret stash spot. That means the baggage handlers just use the carefully placed handles at the front and back of the board. That stops them from swinging or throwing the bag.
I’ll then attach the Hugger Roller bag to the board bag using the hook-up system. It’s a bit of genius design right there because it makes life so much easier. You can have all your gear moving easily together and still have one hand free. I’ll travel with my new Essential Tote bag as carry-on. It's 35 litres so fits everything I need for a few weeks on the road.
And then, well, hopefully, I’ll score some waves, and go surfing!
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