Ride Engine Navigator Trolley V2 2022
Reviews / Board Bags
13,092
At A Glance
Going on a kite trip is always something to look forward to, but with that comes the inevitable dread of your gear arriving damaged - or not arriving at all! While there's not much we can do to solve the disaster that is a disappearing board bag, we do have some control over the state that our equipment arrives in.
A top-quality board bag is an absolute must, and if you've ever seen airline staff loading and unloading luggage, you know it's not worth skimping out. Of course, you could choose a lighter bag that allows you to pack a little bit more gear, opening up a little bit more risk of damage. But, for those that don't need the disruption of a last-minute board repair before that first session in a new spot, a durable travel bag is the way to go.
The Ride Engine Navigator Trolley V2 is, to put it simply, everything you need in a board bag and more! I picked up the newest V2 edition of the Navigator Trolley for a kite trip last year, and was immediately surprised to see how much thought was put into all the little details.
Ride Engine has been in the accessories game for several years, and if you know anything about their brand and their values of quality and innovation, you can guess that they know what we as kiters need before we even do!
This isn't just a travel bag designed by a travel bag designer; it is so much more. This board bag is, without a doubt, designed by someone who travels with watersports gear a lot, and has some in-depth insights on offering a product that is a step ahead of the market.
Size: 162 cm x 46 cm x 24 cm (64" x 18.1" x 9.4")
In The Plane & On Land
If you can't tell from the pictures, this bag has been on a few long journeys. We've taken this one from El Medino to Cape Town, over to Tarifa, back to Cape Town, over to Hood River, and more. It's been rolling around the back of the kite van and even hung out in the roof of the garage for a few months.
We picked this bag for one specific reason - we had a lot of gear to move, and we needed a bag that could fit it. When taking pictures of the Navigator Trolley V2 for this review, we first had to unload it. Somehow - and don't ask how - we managed to fit 8 kites and 4 bars in there. It was a tight squeeze, and there was some Crocodile Dundee style wrestling involved, but the bag and zippers held up to the challenge.
Outside of the garage, this bag, with its heavy-duty XL wheels, reinforced haul handles, and burley skid rail protection, handled everything we threw at it, and everything we threw it at! We dragged this poor sucker for kilometres up and down the beach, and it still has a lifetime of adventures ahead.
Earlier, we said this bag has things that we didn't know we needed… one of those things is the odds and ends pouch right at the end of the bag, outside of the main compartment, allowing you to keep small things (like wax, a fin key, screwdriver, spare parts, etc.) separate and avoid losing them in the fray that is a board bag full of gear. There's also a mesh pocket inside, which is great for even more odds and ends! These pockets were particularly helpful for storing the essentials like car keys or hotel keys.
Another much-appreciated feature is the water-resistant pouch on top of the board bag, so if you have a last-minute session before heading to the airport, you can store your wetsuit in its own compartment, making sure the rest of your gear doesn't get soaked.
Now, let's not forget this bag has been built tough with plenty of straps and handles, and most excitingly, the dual handles, intended to allow you to walk with the bag without it bumping into your legs - another genius feature we didn't realise we wanted, but now we can't imagine doing without!
Overall
The Ride Engine Navigator Trolley V2 is a travel tough board bag with all the features you could possibly want, and then some! If you need to travel with surf gear, you may want to take a look at the Globe Trotter or the World Tour Surf Coffin which offer similar premium features but perhaps a bit more space for specific equipment.
While not the lightest bag in the world and sadly not big enough to fit a surfboard, we loved this bag for what it was built for - navigating the perils of a kite mission. It's well-built with all the bells and whistles. If you are looking for a simple lightweight bag, this might not be it. This bag has been built to travel as much as possible and protect everything inside, and it has definitely done the job!
Videos
This review was in Issue 97 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Ride EngineRelated
By Crystal Veness
Editor at IKSURFMAG, Crystal Veness hails from Canada but is based in South Africa. When she isn't busy kitesurfing or reporting on the latest industry news for the mag, she is kicking back somewhere at a windy kite beach or working on creative media projects.
