UPDATE: Check out our review of the Best 2018/2019 Snowboard Bags here
Unless you live in the mountains full-time, and never like to venture further than your local hill, everybody needs one of these. It doesn’t matter if you’re only carting your gear to the Alps for a week, or are using it as a surrogate home as you schlep around the mountains all season long – either way, a solid, reliable board bag is an absolute necessity.
The first thing to do is figure out what size and shape you require. Rolling your gear through the airport is a lot easier than carrying (or dragging) it, so a wheelie bag makes the life of a frequent flyer a lot easier. If you’re only chucking it in your car, however, and want to keep your seats dry, then a sleeve will do.
“A good board bag should last you for years, so keep that in mind when making your choice”
The bigger the bag, the more stuff you can pile in, but the more likely it is that the guy on the check-in desk will sting you for the additional weight. Sometimes a sleeker option is the answer, with any overflow going into a second bag. Don’t forget to note the length of whichever model you’re looking at – sometimes they vary, and you don’t want to end up with one that’s a wildly different length to your board!
Most come with at least one separate compartment for your boots – which can be handy for isolating them after a sweaty spring shred – and are fairly hard-wearing to handle everything that mountain transport entails. If you’re tight for space at home, it’s also worth looking into ones that are easy to pack down between winters.
A good board bag should last you for years, especially if you only use it for the occasional holiday, so keep that in mind when making your choice. We can all only look so far ahead, but if you make the right call then your bag will serve you well for many a winter to come.
Here are some of our favourites for 2017/18.
Scroll down to view the best snowboard bags, or skip to a particular brand using the links below
