A Surfboard Bag That Pays For Itself (In Four Trips)

Ever been on a trip with someone with a certified surfboard problem?

Like the kind of guy (or gal) who ships a dozen-plus boards in two separate coffins to Hawaii. The type who greets you outside of your home with a distressed, sweat covered brow and becomes frustrated by the foreign Uber driver who’s wary about fitting three coffins and two gentlemen into his minivan for fear of scratching the roof of his vehicle.

You’ve likely never had this issue because normal surfers, no matter where they are headed, travel with three to five surfboards, max. The man I am talking about above is our Editor in Chief, Ashton Goggans, who will never live down the sheer number of boards he shipped to the North Shore last winter. And will also, inevitably, ship the same amount of boards come next December.

One of the bags we–and I say we because I had to help get those two bags into oversized luggage–shipped that day was a Pro-Lite Coffin (you can plug eight boards in one, it’s great) but that’s not the bag we’re here to talk about today.

See, Pro-Lite’s whole ethos is to solve problems. They have a board bag called the Smuggler, and as the name suggests it’s got a secret compartment designed to fool airline security. It’s genius, actually, considering there have been no real, groundbreaking developments in the world of board bags since Einstein decided to put wheels on a coffin. But we’re also not here to talk about the Smuggler (check one out, if you’d like), though no conversation on board bag innovation can be had without bringing it up. 

See that cheeky middle zipper? Use it to hide a board (or two!).

We’re here to speak on Pro-Lite’s 1-2-3 Convertible Travel Bag, which is the best surfboard bag I’ve ever owned (and which, like the Smuggler, also has a sneaky, easily ignored slot for a stashed board). 

The 1-2-3 is designed for three boards that slip into three separate compartments. It’s easy to carry, contains the right amount of storage for fins, fin keys, leashes, etc (two pockets to be exact). And, here’s the kicker, while on a trip, or even around home, the bag splits into two-day bags by unzipping the middle compartment completely. You can fit a single board in the day bag with fins screwed in or two boards without fins.

This bag’s made for three, but if you’re traveling and need five boards, you can fit ‘em. The only drawback is there’s nothing to strap them all down tight together, so utilize towels, packing bubblies, t-shirts, wetsuits, or whatever half-assed board prevention system you’ve used to combat airline malice.

And here’s the rub: to the average eye, no airline employee is going to notice the third (or fourth!) board hidden in the middle compartment. Typically, airlines charge 75-100 bills for that extra sled. Being that the Pro-Lite 1-2-3 Convertible runs just over 300, in four trips the bag literally pays for itself. 

Next time you trip, be prepared, bring three to five boards and pass them off as two!

If you need a new bag, you can shop Pro-Lite 1-2-3 bag here.

For the record, this is not a paid post. I genuinely dig this bag.