Surf Bags: The Surf Sock

Aug 18 2009

Posted by Tyler at 8:25 am on August 18th, 2009 to Surf Accessories, Surf Bags.

I have never really seen the benefit of a surfboard bag or sock until recently. Basically I am just cheap and try to be careful enough with my board to live off as few accessories as possible. Consequently, my boards are constantly getting gouged and dinged more in transportation and storage than while actually surfing. So, when I got my last board I decided to get a surfboard bag.

sock As I was not searching for a travel bag, but one for daily use, I really had a choice between a nylon/alloy padded surfboard bag, like the FCS Dayrunner previously reviewed on this blog, or something a little lighter commonly called a “surf sock.” I knew that a padded bag would offer the most protection, but I just felt like it was a lot. Not only a lot of money, upwards of $50 depending on the make. But I drive a sedan, and that big of a bag is sometimes difficult to shove in the trunk with other boards, not to mention store on garage racks that are already overrun with boards.

So, I looked into a simple cloth surf sock. Now, a surfboard sock is made of acrylic, spandex or some other stretchy material that will fit snugly around any shape of board. When purchasing a board sock the most important dimensions to consider are the length and width of your board, and even those can be estimated a bit as the bags typically stretch pretty good. As long as they are made up of a good thick material that stretches well, the quality is basically the same, and price becomes the main consideration. surf-sock

Here are some basic estimates:

FCS Shortboard socks- $33.99

FCS Longboard socks- $43.99.

Dakine Shortbaord socks- $32.99

Also check out boardbags.com where they have some lesser known brands for as cheap as $20.93.

However, for ridiculously cheap and self-proclaimed thrifty consumers, like myself, who would rather put in a little more work if it meant having to pay less, you could always make one yourself. I went to Joann’s Fabric, bought six feet of thick spandex fabric for about $5.00 (the clearance rack of course) and sowed it up on my mom’s sewing machine. It was actually a lot easier than I thought. my-surf-sock Not being an avid tailor, I just laid my board on the fabric, traced it and sowed up the sides. It works great. I have definitely seen the difference the sock has made. Even though it is just a cover, it has protected my board from the typical dings of getting in out of the car/garage and after a huge accidental drop on the asphalt… no damage! Of course, it is still just a small cloth over the board, so I don’t recommend pushing the limits of its protection, but it definitely offers enough protection for my daily use and I am glad I went for the sock instead of the bag.