Mystic’s Self-Inflating ‘Helium’ Model Is The World’s Best Boardbag To Sleep In/On  

Who among us hasn’t slept in a board bag on the floor in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport? 

Or at a friend’s house on the North Shore for a few weeks?  

Or somewhere in Central America, though you forget which nation and the circumstance which brought you there? 

They may be designed to keep your boards safe from all but the most abusive baggage handlers, but boardbags double as not-bad beds. However, there is one that proudly rises above the pack in that regard: Mystic’s Helium Boardbag. 

See, it’s self-inflating — using the same technology found in your camping mattress. 

Nowhere on Mystic’s website does it suggest that you should sleep in it. They instead emphasize the fact that it’s quite lightweight while inflated (true) and easy to store when it’s deflated (also true). I haven’t slept in mine yet, but I tested it on my floor. It was so comfortable that I almost fell asleep and started dreaming about ways in which the World Qualifying Series could be reconfigured. 

Anyway. 

I already took it on one flight and can confidently say that it offers as much protection as anything else on the market — thanks, air. It’s designed to fit one board, but I snuck two in it because I am above the law. 

As a rule, I avoid strapping boards on my roof at all costs. However, when Jon’s car broke down while we were filming this year’s ‘Best Wetsuits’ project (you’ll see — dropping Dec 11), we had to cram into one car. The Helium went roofbound. The little loops you put the strap through so that your bag won’t fly off the roof and get run over by a Renault Megane were in exactly the right place. 

Earnest statement: Every detail of this bag seems considered, and it truly feels built to last. I now keep it in my car for day-to-day use. I’m too lazy to use board socks and find it’s much easier to slide a board into a bag like this. 

Thing’s sleek. Cop one for $129.99 here.