Taking my expensive new paddle out west... what's the best way to check it so that it won't get butchered by the luggage handlers?

Jetstart folks, any suggestions?

Yeah take it onboard if possible............lol.When we went to Montreal last yr 1 of our paddles came through the baggage chute and got stuck and then "SNAP" and that was the end of that paddle .Best to wrap it in heavy cardboard and also wrap it w/ bubble wrap first then tape it up round and round . Or on the other hand by a hard paddle case ,they work great but are expensive but usually hold more than 1

Hmmm...........coming to Vancouver for Alcan ??

Hard shell golf club case works really well and can hold lot's of paddles.

Go to Canadian Tire and buy a gun case. It is padded and has a hard plastic shell. Perfect for flights.

Haha. Gun case.

Or when in Iowa, go to Wal-mart, you get can one right beside the ammunition aisle.

could also be useful clearing space for the team tent at a crowded festival sites... pick a spot you like, go stand there for 5-10 minutes holding your case and trying to look nervous and just watch the other teams make you some space!

Just go to Canadian Tire, Wal-Mart, Zellers, or any other big box retailer, the gun cases are right next to the ammunition.
Just like in the USA, same aisle.

Ditto on the gun case, cheap protection for your paddle. Just when crossing the border, see the funny look on baggage handlers opening a rifle case only to find a paddle LOL

Seriously have your team put them in a hockey bag or several golf cases...

When we got our paddles off the plane in Sweden, all of the resin tips were bent. The paddles all looked like great big, broad bladed back scratchers.

We were worried at first at the possibility that they were wrecked. But they all reverted back to true within the next day or so.

Must have gotten hot on the bottom and bent under their own weight, then some kind of "memory" in the resin rebounded them to true once they were off their tips.

No big moral here, just that I would understand if someone didn't want their $200 carbon paddle tossed into a hockey bag, then chucked into an airport loading bin.

any fresh suggestions or are rifle and golf bags the end-all of this topic? thx.

For an entire team a golf hard case is ideal. I don't know about an individual paddle. I'm not sure I want to carry a gun case around an airport.

We used a hockey duffle bag when we went to Germany. We also had a cloth cover for each paddle and that worked out fine.

I use a sono tube (the heavy cardboard tubes that are used to pour cement pilings) and close each end with heavy cardboard and duct tube for flying with my paddles - they are usually bent shaft marathon paddles that are more fragile than dragonboat paddles - but it works for dragon boat paddles as well, and is certainly cheaper than buying a gun case. I also looked into hard cases for musical instruments, but again expense was an issue. The hard case golf bags I could find were not long enough.

Just flew to England with a team. Took our paddles in a duffel bag with some bubble wrap around them. Tape them all together tightly so they can't shift and they support each other. Wrap some rope tightly around the duffel bag (gives extra handholds for the baggage monkeys to grab onto so they are less likely to be abused). They came through the flights and the baggage belts just fine.

Individual paddle transport is tougher. Try a pcv pipe sleeve around the shaft and a bit of thin chipboard to protect the blade then wrap the whole thing up in a bit of fabric or brown paper (fabric is better since you can re-use it on the way back).

20 paddlers 20 gun cases

20 paddlers = 1 hockey bag
20 paddlers = 2 hard golf cases

Though this is not a cheap option, burnwater has 2 types of cases:
CLICK HERE

	Hardcore Team Travel Case -Four locking points -Piano style hinge -Durable poly-pro shell -Fits up to 8 paddles w/o foam -Fits 1 bent shaft outrigger blade -Egg shell foam -Black only -Sizes 53 .5" L x16.5" W x 4.5" H Part: 35490 Price: $85 (USD) Extra shipping applies
	Hardcore Travel Case -Four locking points -Piano style hinge -Durable poly-pro shell -Fits up to 6 paddles w/o foam -Egg shell foam -Black only -Sizes 53 .5" L x13.5" W x 4.5" H Part: 35480 Price: $75 (USD) Extra shipping applies

Looks like something I would keep my sniper rifle in.

Um, that is, if I had a sniper rifle....which I don't, of course.

heh,

I've actually checked my paddle AS IS on at least six round-trip US flights. No damage.

Anon 9:55, what type of paddle did you check as is, wood or carbon fiber? Thanks.

Carbon fiber. I often fly to L.A. from the east coast of the U.S., so I try hook up with a team in Long Beach to practice with when it fits into my schedule. I just check my paddle as is. (BTW, the dragon boat scene in Long Beach is amazing. Many, many teams out there.)

Used plastic gun case - $15
No problems at airports yet. The case will be inspected as any baggage would be.