How to Fly with your Portager

You’ve seen the photos in your Instagram feed: an adventurous traveler is calmly paddling in the middle of a pristine, turquoise lake. They’re surrounded by snow-capped mountains and blue skies. The image suggests they’ve, at least for a moment, found life’s holistic balance.

This can be you.

Our inflatable paddle board, the Portager, allows you to go further with your board, and paddle in remote corners of the world. No car, SUV, or roof rack? No problem. Airplane ticket and a backpack? You’re ready to go.

Flying with your paddle board has never been easier. The Portager comes equipped with an all terrain bag containing a paddle board, manual air pump, collapsible aluminum paddle, fin, and ankle leash. Here are some helpful tips and suggestions on how to fly with your Portager.

1. Protect your pump: The Portager is incredibly durable, but it's a good idea to protect it from aggressive airport baggage handlers. We recommend wrapping the included pump with a towel or something soft. Of all accessories, the pump is at the highest risk of breaking when handled roughly in the baggage claim or by airline crew.
   
   
2. Take advantage of extra space: The all terrain bag has been designed with some extra room. This makes packing up your Portager and accessories easy. Even with all of the necessary gear inside, you can still fit a towel, swim suit, life jacket, and more. You'll have an extra 15-20 lbs to utilize before reaching the checked luggage limit. Maximize the space to lighten the load of other luggage!
   
   
3. Tighten the exterior straps: Once you have packed all necessary items inside of the all terrain bag, be sure to tighten the exterior straps and then tuck away the excess straps. This will ensure a smaller footprint and make it easier to transport for air travel.
   
   
4. Checked Luggage: Although the Portager is light enough to be a carry-on (approximately 30 - 35 lbs with all included gear inside of the bag), it is too large to fit in the overhead storage bin. Therefore it will need to be checked luggage. Be sure to plan for this.
   
   
5. Use the wheels: Although the Portager is light enough to carry as a backpack, the included all terrain bag is also equipped with wheels. This makes transporting within the airport much easier and can save a lot of energy - you’ll need that to arrive at your gate on time, haul additional luggage, and wrestle others for that coveted overhead storage space.
   
   
6. Make sure you have everything: Imagine unpacking your Portager on the shore of Lake Louise in Banff. Your board is inflated, the water is calm, and your heart is racing. You reach into your bag for your paddle, but it’s not there. You left it at home. Be sure to avoid this heartbreaking situation by double, and triple checking that you have all required components prior to leaving your home for the airport: board, fin, ankle leash, paddle, pump, life jacket (and for good measure... wallet, phone, and passport).