Competitive games and sports have today become a popular way to pass time and enjoy the weekends off. The love for sports has increased the amount of revenue and profits made by teams and sportsmen. Consequently, sports has proved to be a lucrative source of income for many athletes around the world. It is no surprise therefore to learn that sportsmen and stars are landing multimillion contracts from their respective teams.
As sports and games advance in complexity with time, so does the rules of the games and inevitably the equipment ad facility used in the sports. Today, there are far more efficient equipment which make sports easier and more enjoyable. With an improvement in the efficiency of equipment, comes an increase in the cost of these equipment. Sports equipment like golf clubs, skis, snowboards, hockey sticks, baseball bats, football boots and many other equipment are expensive now than they were 10 or so years ago. This calls for extreme care when handling this equipment, both on and off the field of play. Our focus today is off the pitch and specifically when travelling.
We all know that sports involve a lot of travelling. This means that from time to time, you will have to move over long distances with your sports equipment. Without proper care and handling, a lot of sports equipment could be destroyed in-transit because most of the modern day equipment are flimsy and extremely fragile. So, what should you do to ensure that you move your equipment around the world or from place to place without risking losses and breaking the equipment? Here are 5 tips on how to pack and ship sports equipment;
1. Pad Each Piece of Sports-Gear Separately
Never, stack all sports gear and equipment together. It is advisable to pack and pad each gear separately to reduce the likelihood of the equipment being damaged. This works for pretty much every sports equipment you can think about. Things like golf clubs, hockey sticks, sports boots, cleats, bats and many others will be scratched and will eventually lose their lustre if they are crammed and transported together without proper padding. Be more cautious with equipment that have sharper edges and smooth curved edges.
2. Use a Hard Case and Label Each Case Appropriately
The best thing that can help you move sports equipment without damaging them is to move them in a hard case. After properly wrapping and padding the equipment, properly arrange them in a hard case that offers just enough room for each individual equipment. I am talking about hard cases like those used to move music instruments. Some are carved out in distinct shapes to fit specific sports equipment while others are just hollow and allow for multiple stacking. After stacking the equipment in the hard case, it is advisable to fill up any spaces with spongy material just to reduce the movement within the case as you travel. After stacking the equipment in the hard case, use an appropriate tag to label the equipment. Labelling not only helps with unpacking but helps people note that the goods are fragile and need to be handled with extra care.
3. Lock each bag and hard case with top security padlocks
There are people literally everywhere who are willing to pounce on any unprotected sports equipment and sell it on the black market for some few dollars. Airport staff have in the past been caught stealing from people’s luggage and making away with equipment worth millions of dollars. You need to lock each and every case that has any form of sports equipment with the best padlock that you can lay your hands on. Combination locks work well but you need to get the locks checked regularly to make sure that they are in good working conditions.
4. Make sure you have insured the sports equipment
As a sports team or a sportsman who values his/her sports equipment, you need to have some quality insurance to cover your equipment in case of losses, physical damage or any form of compromise. There are insurance packages for travelling that cover almost any form of inconvenience. From delays to breakages, such a comprehensive insurance will always have you covered.
5. Hire someone else to ship the equipment for you.
If you think it is overwhelming to pack and ship your sports equipment on your own, then look to shipping companies to get the job done. Companies like RunRex have specialized in moving sports equipment around the world and will literally get your equipment to any destination. They offer their services at a very affordable cost and have some of the most experienced staff members. They have been in the game for long enough to know exactly how to handle each and every type of sports equipment there is in the field. It is no surprise therefore that they are the preferred company in America when it comes to shipping sports equipment.