Curve, a company from New Zealand, have become well established for very high quality surfing accessories. We got hold of one of their SUP board bags and put it through its paces.
There are various options when it comes to board bags with companies such as DaKine, Drift board bags, Ocean and Earth and now Curve have bought their offering to the table. The Curve Stand Up Paddle Board Bag comes in three sizes 10ft 6", 11ft 6" and 12ft 4".
Chris, from Thain Leisure, got a 12ft 4" board bag for us to review and we used a 12ft board to see how it would work out.
The exterior of the bag was up to the usual Curve high standard, no loose threads or dodgy looking stitching. Everything looked very smart and well made. The shoulder strap, an important part of any SUP board bag, was well padded and adjustable. The bag has an external pocket and two straps so you can put your paddle onto the outside, and it also has drain holes and a velcro slot that the boards fin can slip through. The bag is constructed of a tough water resistant outer material, with a reflective material on the inside. The paddling is 10mm in the top, bottom and sides.
The zip has been well thought out as it enables you to open the whole of the top of the board bag and put the board straight into the bottom (see the pictures below) this is much easier than those end opening bags where you sometimes need someone else to hold the back open while you struggle to slide the board in. The inside of the bag has a fin pocket on the lid, handy for stuff like fins, wax, leashes and anything else you want to stuff in there. There was a lot of extra room in the bag itself, I have often stuffed wetsuits and other kit into board bags when I am flying somewhere, it pads the board a bit more and it means you don't have to carry them in your hold luggage, there is plenty of room for that in this bag.
Once I had zipped it all up I put my Werner Spanker paddle on the outside of the bag. The blade pocket zips around the blade, and then two adjustable straps hold the shaft against the rest of the bag.
Then its up onto the shoulders and off you go. A 12ft board is not the a great thing to carry a long way, but the bag definitely makes it easier to do. Then we gave it a test, a 240 mile journey on top of the VW. With the handle at the front and on the side of the bag it was easy to get it on and off the roof and position it in the right place. The bag did its job very well and the precious board arrived with no scrapes, dings or dead flies stuck to it ;).
In conclusion when you buy a £800 plus board, investing in a board bag to protect you board at home, on the car and on your travels is a no brainer. Curve have produced a great bag, well thought out and with the usual curve bullet proof construction, we have no hesitation in recommending it.
The bags retail prices :
From £124.99 UK Curve UK (Thain Leisure).
From $219.95 USD Curve International Website
From $269.95 NZD Curve International Website
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