Unless you live within walking distance of the beach, you probably want to stash your surfboard in a bag to keep it safe during transport. There’s way too much that can happen to it along the way. As great as those bags are at keeping your surfboard protected, they’re far from perfect. For one, they typically use zippers for closure, which can corrode and, eventually, give out after extended exposure to saltwater. The Roew Roll Top Board Bag changes that.
As the name implies, it swaps out the zippers in favor of a roll top closure. You know, just like many backpacks have used over the years. That means, no zippers that are very susceptible to the elements, eliminating a common sticking point that has plagued the category.
The Roew Roll Top Board Bag has a roll top closure that secures using heavy-duty Duraflex buckles, so it should stay closed up the whole time, with no chance of the board slipping out while it sits on the roof of your car or the side of your motorcycle on the way to the beach. You know how roll top backpacks can expand in size, depending on how may rolls you make at the opening? The same holds true here, allowing each bag to accommodate surfboards several feet apart in size, leading the outfit to make the claim that it’s the “most adaptable” surfboard bag out there. Even better, the roll top design allows it to facilitate a perfectly snug fit, so there’s no floppy section flailing around in the wind during your drive.
While it’s still not a one-size-fits-all, it does allow the bag to be offered in just three sizes (short, medium, and long) while covering the most common options in boards for riding the waves out there. The short bag can accommodate boards between 5 and 7 feet in length, the medium for boards between 6 and 8.5 feet, and the long between 7 and 10 feet. Both the short and medium can fit boards up to 23 inches wide while the long bag can accommodate boards up to 24.5 inches.
The Roew Roll Top Board Bag is made from a breathable and lightweight fabric that’s made from post-consumer recycled materials, so it shouldn’t add that much weight to the board. Why breathable? We have no idea, but if your board doesn’t like sweating on a hot afternoon, this should do the trick. Despite those qualities, by the way, the outfit claims it’s fully padded, providing protective walls that will absorb all the bumps and knocks your board is bound to encounter along the way. It even gets reinforcements on hard-wearing areas, providing the necessary fortification at stress points, so it won’t just easily rip or tear. Other features include a grab handle on the nose for easily dragging it off the bed of the truck and a removable shoulder strap for carrying it on a walk while keeping both of your hands free.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Roew Roll Top Board Bag. Pledges to reserve a unit start at $140.