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Now that you have a SUP board you need to protect it! Paddle boards can be easily damaged especially when transporting it.
Having the best SUP board bag that is cushioned and UV blocking should be one of your first accessories. Lets take a look at 3 paddle board travel bags that are up to the task!
Best SUP Board Bags
| Abahub Premium SUP Travel Bag | SurfStow SUP Transport Board Bag | Pro-Lite SUP Session Day Bag | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Sizes: | 8′ – 12′ | 10’6″ to 14″ | 9′ – 12′ |
| Padding: | 8mm Foam core | 6.5mm Foam core | 5mm Foam core |
| Shell: | 600D Nylon | 600D Nylon | 420D Nylon |
| Paddle Pocket: | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Carry: | Center handle, Shoulder strap | Center handle | 4 Padded handles |
For more of my top gear recommendations, have a look through these popular Outside Pursuits guide links:Stand Up Paddle Boards, SUP Paddles, Life Jackets
Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated SUP Board Bags For 2021
- SurfStow SUP Transport Board Bag
- Abahub Premium SUP Travel Bag
- Pro-Lite SUP Session Day Bag
- Curve SUP Bag Stand Up Paddleboard Bag Travel
- South Bay Board Co. Premium SUP Bag
For more of my top SUP gear recommendations, have a look through these popular Outside Pursuits guide links: Paddle Boards, SUP Paddles, SUP Roof Racks.
SUP Travel Bag Reviews
#1 Abahub Premium SUP Travel Bag
- Sizes: 8′ – 12′
- Padding: 8mm Foam core
- Shell: 600D Nylon
- Paddle Pocket: Yes
- Carry: Center handle, Shoulder strap
Abahub better known for their SUP paddles has created an ideal paddle board storage bag. It is not just for SUPs of course so if you have surfboard you will be fine using it.
The bag features maximum protection with 8mm of foam protection from dings and scratches. It has a reflective coating to protect your board from the harmful UV rays and heat from the sun.
The bag is made from a very tough and durable 600D nylon that will resist tearing and center carry handle has a shoulder strap when you need to walk some distance with your SUP.
I like that they have an 29″ x 12″ zippered external pocket to keep misc like a leash or sunblock.
I am a bit disappointed they don’t have a fully enclosed paddle pocket. Instead the paddle blade slides into a pocket and the handle is secured with Velcro straps.
Its adequate and protects the blade which is of course the most easily damaged part of the paddle.
The heavy duty zippers will last and are corrosion resistant, all in all the best SUP board bag!
#2 SurfStow SUP Transport Board Bag
- Sizes: 10’6″ to 14″
- Padding: 6.5mm Foam core
- Shell: 600D Nylon
- Paddle Pocket: Yes
- Carry: Center handle
The bargain priced SurfStow travel/storage bag offers plenty of protection and features. It has a ¼ inch of dense foam padding to keep your SUP protected from impact damage.
This bag was specially designed for travel, with several handles on the outside of the bag to attach it to a roof rack. It also has a padded shoulder strap for walking with your SUP.
The SurfStow has a fin slot that seals around the fin with Velcro to keep dirt and the elements out.
The experior of the bag while not having reflective properties does fully protect your SUP from damaging UV rays and heat.
The interior pockets was designed to drain water and there interior straps to keep the board secure from moving around. The snag-free, large zipper resists corroding from salt water.
If you are taking your SUP on a plane, they even included a luggage tag. A good SUP travel bag a reasonable price!
#3 Pro-Lite SUP Session Day Bag
- Sizes: 9′ – 12′
- Padding: 5mm Foam core
- Shell: 420D Nylon
- Paddle Pocket: Yes
- Carry: 4 Padded handles
The Pro-Lite SUP travel bag has been designed to fully protect your expensive paddle board with 5mm of foam padding.
The bag is 36 inches wide to accommodate SUPs up to 32 inches wide and 5 inches thick.
The zippers have been designed to be non-corrosive that will hold up to the salt-water while remaining snag free for easy opening.
I like that they made the paddle storage integrated into the bag so that it completely slides into it and keeps it fully protected.
They have included plenty of storage inside and out to keep all your SUP accessories like a leash, inflatable PFD, gloves etc.
Pro-Lite designed the bag for travel, whether by airplane or car and has plenty of handles to carry plus a padded shoulder strap. Definitely one of the best SUP storage bags you can buy!
#4 Curve SUP Bag Stand Up Paddleboard Bag Travel
- Sizes: 9′ – 14′
- Padding: 10mm Foam core
- Shell: 600D Poly/Canvas
- Paddle Pocket: Yes
- Carry: Center handle, Shoulder strap
Now that you have spent all that money on a SUP, shouldn’t you protect it with a small investment in a quality board bag?
The Curve is up to the task with a shell of 600D polyester/canvas blend that protects your board from harmful UV rays and dings.
Of course you have a paddle and the Curve helps you out there as well with a padded outer pocket that you slide your paddle into.
The Curve is available in 9 sizes, from 9 feet to 14 feet so there is a size for just about every SUP board on the market.
The 10mm of foam core padding that is also water proof makes this the perfect bag for traveling with your SUP or just general storage.
The internal, adjustable fin slot keeps your fin protected and the the heavy duty YKK zipper provides easy access to the bag.
Curve finished off the bag with a padded shoulder strap and internal storage pocket for a leash and inflatable PFD.
#5 South Bay Board Co. Premium SUP Bag
- Sizes: 5′ – 11′
- Padding: 5mm Foam core
- Shell: Tarpaulin
- Paddle Pocket: No
- Carry: Center handle, Shoulder strap
The South Bay is the most inexpensive SUP bag on our list. In order to keep the price down you do give up some protection.
Instead of 10mm of foam core the South Bay has 5mm. While if may not sound like much, it does provide an adequate amount of protection.
Available in 7 sizes ranging from 5 feet to 11 feet, as you may have guessed it primarily meant for surfboards but as long as your board is under 11 feet your good to go!
The tarpaulin shell gives you all the UV protection you expect from a SUP bag and plenty of abrasion protection. It’s also water resistant so you can keep your gear in the bag and know its protected.
The center carry handle and padded shoulder strap make it easy and comfortable to transport your SUP
South Bay stands behind the bag with a “No questions asked” 30 day money back guarantee so you can buy with complete confidence!
Best SUP Board Bags Comparison Table
| SUP Board Bags | Sizes | Padding | Shell | Paddle Pocket | Carry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abahub Premium SUP Travel Bag | 8′ – 12′ | 8mm Foam core | 600D Nylon | Yes | Center handle, Shoulder strap | |
| SurfStow SUP Transport Board Bag | 10’6″ to 14″ | 6.5mm Foam core | 600D Nylon | Yes | Center handle | |
| Pro-Lite SUP Session Day Bag | 9′ – 12′ | 5mm Foam core | 420D Nylon | Yes | 4 Padded handles | |
| Curve SUP Bag Stand Up Paddleboard Bag | 9′ – 14′ | 10mm Foam core | 600D Poly/Canvas | Yes | Center handle, Shoulder strap | |
| South Bay Board Co. Premium SUP Bag | 5′ – 11′ | 5mm Foam core | Tarpaulin | No | Center handle, Shoulder strap |
How to Choose the Best SUP Board Bag
Protection
Impact
You should get a paddle board bag that is cushioned with at least a ¼ inch (5mm) of foam to protect the SUP from impacts, the most likely source of damage to your SUP.
Heat
The better SUP travel bags have a reflective/metallic cover on the outside to reflect the damaging heat and UV rays of the sun. When your SUP is in the sun without a cover the suns rays will start degrading the surface of the board.
Even most SUPs have a protective coating, it will eventually wear out over time. Keeping it covered while not in use will extend its life.
Transport
Look for a SUP travel bag that has multiple ways to transport it. It should have a carry handle at the top and a carry strap for when you have to walk some distance with it. Have a shoulder strap will make this task MUCH easier.
Length
You need to take into account that you need to purchase a storage bag that is longer than the board. This is to take into account the thickness of the board.
As an example if you have a 12 foot SUP, you need to get a board bag roughly 6 inches longer to account for this. Most manufactures will take this into account when purchasing a size but verify they do.
Fin Accommodation
If your SUP has a non removable fin, verify the SUP bag has a slot for the fin to fit through. With most SUPs the center fin can be removed so this may not be as important to you. If it can be easily removed it’s a good idea to do so.
Pockets
At the very least you will want a pocket to store your paddle so that you only have to carry one bag. Also look for extra pockets to store accessories like your leash.
Other Features
A SUP travel bag with a rail guard around the inside the bag is a nice feature to provide extra protection for the edge of your SUP. A reinforced nose is important. Accidentally bumping into something while carrying your SUP will protect the front of your SUP.
Non corrosive zippers that can stand up to salt water if you are paddling in the ocean. The last feature that is nice to have are vents so that if your board is sitting in the sun for long periods of time the hot can escape keeping your board cooler.
I hope this guide was helpful in picking the best SUP board bag to fit your needs. If you want to comment or recommend a bag I didn’t include, please use my contact form to get in touch.
Have fun and be safe out there!
How We Researched
To come up with the top paddle boards we researched a variety of sources for reviews such as REI, Dicks Sporting Goods, West Marine and Backcountry along with our own personal experience.
We also consulted online magazines for product research and reviews to get as much unbiased information as we could. To help weed out fake reviews we used Fakespot.com to make sure we only looked at genuine reviews.
With so much quality gear available, we had to narrow it down based on what we felt were the best options were for the price. The author, Richard Remick has been an avid paddle boarder for over 10 years.
To help narrow down the selection he used his personal experience along with recommendations from paddle board instructors, and rental shops.
After extensive research, we came up with our list to help you choose the right one for you.
Sources
Notice:
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