Montauk Pioneer - January 16, 2009 -

We're in the middle of winter and there are plenty of us that are heading out to places like Costa Rica and Hawaii to get some warm weather and some warm water. But, like my friend, Matt Cross, once told me, "Packing your surfboard for a plane ride involves two things - serious thought and prayer."

Don't kid yourself. Airlines could care less about your $900 stick, and you can bet your hat that your board will be slammed around in the luggage compartment and not handled with the care that you would expect for such an important item in your life.

This means that you need to take surfboard packing seriously. We've all heard stories of boards showing up at the airport snapped in half because a large piece of luggage fell on top of it. There are few things more demoralizing than opening up your packed surfboard for an epic adventure, only to find out that you need to buy a brand new board, and all of your spending money for the trip has been wiped out because of some jerk on the tarmac.

With that being said, there is hope. Although you can never guarantee that your board is going to end up at the airport in the same condition as you left it, there are a few techniques that I want to share with you that can increase your chances of surfboard survival at the airport.

For one, you must invest in a surfboard travel bag that contains a thick foam on the inside and also has foam inserts to surround your fins with. This is a must for surfboard air travel, as the bags are familiar to airline employees and they will recognize that inside the bag is a delicate surfboard.

On the outside of the bag, place as many stickers as possible, in an annoying, loud and noticeable fashion, that read the word, "FRAGILE" in all capital letters. Although the sticker may not matter to all employees, it will definitely affect the ones that care about other human beings.

Another excellent thing to do is to buy some basic black piping insulation and some electrical tape. Along the rails of the board, cover it with the piping insulation and then use the electrical tape to keep it in place. It's important not to use duct tape, or any other tape for that matter, as the residue on the tape can stick to your board when you remove it, which can be very annoying.

If you can, squeeze a few squishy pillows into the bag on the top and bottom parts of the surfboard. This will fatten the bag, but not add any significant weight to it, and will provide a cushion should anything impact the bag, such as a piece of luggage.

When you have your board packed and ready, don't hesitate to explain to the person at baggage check-in that your surfboard needs to be handled with extreme care. Give a few smiles and try to make an instant freindship with the person. Do not, under any circumstances, rub the baggage check-in person the wrong way, as this could increase the chances of the board being handled poorly.

Finally, when you get on the plane, pray. Because the fact of the matter is that the board is no longer in your hands and once it's on the plane, it is going to be subject to temperature differences, handlers and the works. Praying never hurts.

When your board shows up in one piece on the revolving nightmare that is the baggage claim at airports, give another thank you to the big guy, and then hit the beach as soon as you can.