The Best Surfboard Carriers for Hauling Longer Boards to the Beach

Count yourself lucky if your arms are long enough to wrap around a log like this one. Photo: Debby Hudson//Unsplash

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My favorite part about longboarding? The ease of catching a wave and sliding gracefully down the line. My least favorite part? Getting my board to the water.

As a longboarder, I am all too familiar with the struggle of toting an oversized board down to the beach. For many people an oversized piece of foam simply doesn’t fit under the arm, leaving you with the options of balancing the board on your hip, shoulder, or head, all sorta doable, but less than ideal. And even if your arms do fit around your log, they’re still a massive pain to carry, and to say I haven’t dropped a board or two with numb fingers after a freezing winter session would be untrue.

While the ease of catching waves is undoubtedly worth the trouble, It’d be nice to have my cake and be able to eat it too. Luckily, there are few devices out there to help make the journey to the beach a lot easier.

What Are The Best Surfboard Carriers?

The Surf Claw ($34.95)
Curve Surfboard Sling ($36.50)
SUP Wheels Evolution ($149.95)
The Mule ($179)
OCEANBROAD Carry Strap ($14.99)

What Makes a Good Surfboard Carrier?

The ultimate surfboard carrier would be a genie that magically transported all of your boards to the beach, so you don’t have to lift a finger. Maybe wax them too along the way. Okay, okay, reality check.

In my opinion, a solid surfboard carrier is easy to set-up (and put away), easy to use, is durable (aka it’s going to last a lifetime), and is available at an affordable price. Here are my favorites, all rigorously tested by myself or members of Team Inertia.

The Surf Claw ($34.95)

Set Up: 5
Ease of Use: 5
Durability: 5
Cost: 5
Overall: 5

The Surf Claw is so simple yet so genius. It simply hooks onto the rail of your longboard to extend your reach, and offers a handle that makes carrying a heavy log so much easier. It’s lightweight, requires no set up, and features a non-slip grip. The Surf Claw is super helpful if you can’t get your fingertips securely around your board. It also helps to alleviate some of the weight, making the board feel lighter and easier to carry. The surf claw floats and can be attached to your leash while surfing but personally, I’d prefer to just leave mine on the beach and hope it’s still there when I get back.

Curve Surfboard Sling ($36.50)

Set Up: 5
Ease of Use: 4
Durability: 5
Cost: 5
Overall: 4.75

Curve’s surfboard sling is kind of like a cross between a surfboard bag and carry straps. There aren’t any straps or buckles, so set up is easy – you simply wrap the sling around your board and it secures with Velcro. It takes a few tries to get the balance right, so test it out at home and you should be good to go. Made from tough 600D Polycanvas, the sling is built to last and includes large pockets for storing other surf essentials. The shoulder strap is padded and takes the weight off your arms, allowing you to easily walk to the beach. Simple and straightforward, Curve’s surfboard sling gets the job done.

SUP Wheels Evolution ($149.95)

Set Up: 4
Ease of Use: 5
Durability: 5
Cost: 3
Overall: 4.25

SUP Wheels is designed to make your transit to the beach as easy as possible. Compatible with a SUP or longboard, the Evolution model comes with wheels and a strap handle, so it can be used to carry a board while you walk or bike. Another option is to simply purchase the strap handle if you already have your own wheel setup. Getting the wheels strapped on is simple enough but getting the handle dialed required a few adjustments to get it fitted to the board. From there, it’s a breeze and takes the struggle out of getting your board to the beach. Ditching the handle may seem like a reasonable option, but tugging a slippery board behind you without a handle can be a challenge, so I’d suggest packing it, just in case.

The Mule ($179)

Set Up: 3
Ease of Use: 4
Durability: 5
Cost: 3
Overall: 3.75

I’m a very big fan of The Mule as it has become my one-stop solution for biking with a longboard. Side-mounted longboard racks do exist, but they’re best for short distances or shorter boards, and are definitely a struggle to maintain balance while riding with a massive board on one side. The Mule carries your longboard for you like a trailer, looping over your bike seat and trundling along behind. During quarantine in spring 2020, most days I would use The Mule to bike my very heavy 9’8″ longboard three miles to the beach. It’s a bit tough to set up the first few times and can require mid-ride adjustments, which is reflected by the 3.5 overall score.

OCEANBROAD Carry Strap ($14.99)

Set Up: 3
Ease of Use: 2
Durability: 4
Cost: 5
Overall: 3.5

Designed to carry a SUP, Oceanbroad’s carry system works well for longboards too. The design is simple: it features two straps that wrap around your board and a shoulder sling for carrying. Setting up the carry system proved to be a little tricky: it was challenging to get the straps evenly situated and at the appropriate length. I would recommend getting your straps adjusted at home, walking around a bit so you don’t have to adjust while you’re on a mission to find waves. Standout features include a neoprene-padded shoulder strap, adjustable straps with buckles, and an included drawstring bag for stashing the straps when they’re not in use. For long walks, I liked being able to alternate between carrying my board and putting some of the weight on my shoulders but overall, I found these straps were more trouble than they were worth.

Editor’s Note: For more gear reviews and features on The Inertia, click here.