How you should pack your boardbag

The most difficult part of the entire holiday is packing all your kite gear and luggage and staying below the maximum weight. For almost all airlines a maximum weight of 32 kg applies. Before you start packing, check the agreements from your airline to prevent any costs and problems.

The order in which you pack your boardbag is very important. The employees at the airport are not as careful with your things as you are. This is our order on how to best pack your kite gear. If you take a surfboard, this should be packed seperately as they are much more fragile than your twintip. You should first put your board in the boardbag. This ensures that the bag has a good shape and is easy to roll/lift. You then place your kites from bottom to top on the board. After this you can put all your other (kite)stuff in the boardbag.

The first tip is to check the wind conditions so that you know which kite sizes you need to take with you. This can save space and weight when packing. It is of course the easiest to take all your kites with you so that you are sure that you can kite with all conditions.

The second tip for packing your boardbag is to remove all your kites from the kite bags. This saves a lot of space and weight in your boardbag. Roll out the kites and make sure they are dry and sand-free. This often saves a few pounds. When they are clean, roll the kites as small as possible and place them in the bag lengthwise. To get them as small as possible, squeeze out all the air from the struts and leading edge. Then fold the kite from the wing tips to the center strut in roughly 20cm wide strips. Lastly, fold it in thirds as usual.

The third tip is to take one kite bag with you on vacation. If you do not take this with you, you have to carry all your things on vacation all the time and that can be very annoying. You can put your kites back in your kite bag on location. Often two kites fit in one bag, so you don't have to take all your kite bags with you. You can take the kite bag as hand luggage if it is not too big. Your kite bag is very big, so you can put quite a few things in it. That way you can take your kite bag on vacation and your boardbag is lighter. For this tip you have to check on the website of the airline if your bag is not too big. These are in any case the sizes and the maximum weight of the hand luggage for Transavia, KLM and TUI:

The fourth tip is for your board. Because the staff at the airport do not handle your stuff gently, there is a good chance your board gets damaged if you do not pack it properly. First you have to remove your fins, straps and handle from your board. Then roll your board into, for example, your wetsuit or a few towels. Now your board is optimally protected during the trip. Place your board first in your boardbag so that your bag is more stable during carrying/rolling.

Tip five is to put all the sharp objects such as your board fins, screws, screwdriver and your pump in a separate bag. This way you protect all the other things in the bag. You can also put all the small parts in a small bag so that you don't lose them.

The sixth tip is to remove the hose from the pump so that it does not break during the journey. The hose of a pump is not that strong and therefore should not be tightly packed. Make sure that the hose cannot fold double in the board bag to prevent it from breaking.

Tip number seven is to put your harness around one of your kites. This provides more space in the board bag and your kite is extra protected. Make sure your harness is completely dry, this saves a lot of pounds.

The last tip is to put all your contact details in the boardbag. If your bag is lost then the airline can easily contact you and send the items quickly to the right destination. Make sure that the information is not visible on the outside, because otherwise strangers can get all your personal details.

Tips for at the airport

To be able to take your boardbag on the plane, you must always reserve a spot in advance with the airline with which you are traveling. If you can pay this in advance I would advise you to do that. You often get a cheaper price online than when you pay at the check-in desk. The most important of all is that the boardbag meets the stated sizes and weight. This is checked very strictly and it can cost a lot of money if you do not stick to these rules. Your boardbag can also be refused if it is too large or too heavy.

There is a possibility to take your boardbag for free. This is not very advisable, because if you have to open the boardbag at the check-in you have the risk that your boardbag is not allowed or that you have to pay the full price. You need a golf bag for this, it is not possible with other bags. If you are a Flying Blue Member you can request a Flying Blue Golf voucher to take your "golf stuff" for free. This has a maximum weight of 23 kg. The voucher is scanned at the check-in, so must be taken to the airport. For this you have to look like a golfer and not as a kiter, so pull your dressing up clothes out of the closet when you try this tip. This is only possible if you fly with KLM, Air France, Air Mauritius, Aircalin or Air Corsica.

Come to the airport as early as possible to check in. If you encounter any problems then you have enough time to solve this. Take along a copy of the requirements that the airline imposes on boardbags. If you then have any problems you can always justify that it is on their site. A good tip is to choose the happiest flight attendant when checking in your luggage. A cheerful stewardess is quicker to ignore something than a stewardess who is in a less good mood. No matter how early it is, always be nice to the employees. If you are going to check in the board bag, pay attention to the baggage label and check whether it has the correct final destination. Then you know that the boardbag is sent to the right place.

If you arrive at the location and you have picked up your boardbag, you should always check it for damage. If you report the damage immediately you can probably claim a part from the airline.

Prepare yourself well

Of course you always have the chance that your luggage will be lost after you have checked it in. To prepare as well as possible for this, you must ensure that the most important items are in your hand luggage. You would probably say that your kites are the most important, but unfortunately they do not fit in your hand luggage. Make sure you have a bikini or swimming trunks in your hand luggage. Often you can rent kites at the destination and then it is nice that you do not have to spend more money on things you already have. It is also useful to bring extra clothing, underwear, medication, chargers and cash in your hand luggage. If you have all these things in your hand luggage, you are perfectly prepared if your luggage is lost. If you are going to travel with another person, make sure that you divide all your things over two bags. If one bag is lost then you always have the things that you put in your bag from your travel partner.

Checklist kite vacation

We all had the moment that you went on a holiday and that you discovered on the location that you had forgotten something. We have therefore made a checklist of all the important things that you must have done and of all the things that you have to take with you on your kite vacation.