Editor’s Note: The following #RADGEAR is brought to you by the adventurous folks at Wayward Stock Company.
Priority #1. Get us there with our boards intact. Photo: Wayward Stock Company
When it comes to board bags, we don’t often put a ton of thought into how we protect our surfboards. For the last surfboard I ordered, I grabbed a sleek, solid-colored board sock off the rack and was on my way. That was the extent of my thought process when it came to choosing what I’d dress that new 5’10 with. And that’s fine and dandy when a board bag needs to get your swallowtail from the garage to a beach parking lot, but what about those surf adventures that require a little trek off the beaten path? A cotton sock or a foil bag with a padded shoulder strap probably isn’t going to get the job done.
That’s exactly what Wayward Stock’s Roll Top Board Bag was designed for – the days when you and your board are roughing it. Padded interior walls and a super tough polyester (600D DWR-coated Magnatuff, to be exact) exterior are just a couple of design features added to the bag that was built to take a beating. And of course, what’s worse than that board bag with the busted zipper? If you’re out camping and searching for waves, the last thing you want is a bag you can’t close up and carry. So this one follows its namesake with the roll top drybag inspired closure. Honestly, you can beat the hell out of this thing without having to worry about needing a whole new bag for your next trip, right down to plopping it in the dirt after a session and using it as a mat to change on. Mine is carrying two boards at a time with space to give, which is perfect, because who wants to go on a road trip and have to decide which board you’ll need the entire week before you even leave home?
I would like to see Wayward put together a top of the line travel bag, as they don’t offer a selection of board bags with the same creativity and reliability that makes this one so solid. At the moment there’s a one size fits all bag (fits up to 6’8″) that comes in two colors (burgundy and olive). But Wayward is an outdoor brand that makes high-quality products for those with the backcountry in mind, not just the weekend warriors that may not put a ton of wear and tear on their gear. So I love this bag for what it is: a heavy duty necessity made for the heavy duty trips. And not all of us can afford a day to day bag and a bag that can handle more adverse conditions, so if you have to pick one or the other I’d always suggest going with the bag that’s going to protect your board on day trips, camping trips, and road trips all the same.
The roll top enclosure is one of the features that makes Wayward’s Board Bag unique. Photo: Wayward Stock Company
