Salty Beast tests out their new product on the boardwalk of Bondi Beach, Sydney Australia Photo: Salty Beast
I’m not usually one for surfboard backpacks. If I lived within walking distance of my favorite break, I might take the idea into consideration, but living 30 miles into the hills of Malibu makes this product meaningless to me. For those of you fortunate enough to live within walking (or biking) distance of your favorite break, you just might be in luck.
Salty Beast Surf Straps introduced and developed a unique board-carrying solution for everyday surfers. Similar to traditional surfboard straps and backpacks, Salty Beast designed their product as a tool to carry your boards easier behind your back. What makes this product different from, say, the Koraloc Backpack, is a minor change in design that makes it easier to skate and walk down the streets without the board constantly nicking the back of your heels.
“The key feature of the patent pending design that makes it so easy to carry is the off-vertical angle. The carrying angle keeps the nose out of the way of your feet when skating or walking, and bike tires when cycling,” co-founder Iseult Kirwan explains.
Salty Beast has decided to use Kickstarter, which launched November 2 and goes through December 1, to get the product out in the hands of the consumer. What it comes down to, again for the consumer, is if the product is a necessity.
Living near Bondi Beach adjacent Sydney, Australia, I’d always see one local in particular biking his way from break to break on the trail to Bronte Beach. It seems this product might solve that unnecessary issue of lugging a board from place to place under your arm. I couldn’t drive in Australia, obviously because I panicked at the thought of driving on the opposite side of the road, so Salty Beast might have saved me the hassle of hauling a board from train station to bus for the hour commute.
“We knew there had to be an easier way to bring your board with you,” explains second Co-founder Phelim O’Neill.
My suggestion is to give the product a thought and debate whether or not the Surf Strap could be useful for your commute. Compared to past companies challenging the surfboard backpack idea, Salty Beast ‘gets it’ and wants to make your commute to your dreamy barrels as easy as possible. While it won’t necessarily make my drive any easier, others could benefit greatly from the product, so take a look at their Kickstarter. It might make hoofin’ it a little easier.
