skateboard on the road

[dylann]

has anyone brought their board with them. pro and cons would be nice. im thinking of taking mine with me. if anyone could give advice that would be great thanks

 

[Kim Chee]

I met a guy who was riding choo choos and he used his board to get around when in town. Not only was it portable and was a source of increased mobility but it did wonders for making him look like a local.
When I asked him about it he went into detail of how well it worked for him. Do it, do it (don't get drunk and crack your frickin' skull now).

**there's a well-known member here who probably has pictures of his busted up stuff.

 

[bryanpaul]

hells yeah take your board!!!!! strap it to your pack when yer not cruisin. otherwise ride the fucker......... what sux is when you hit a crack or rock or somethin with a pack on.....it sux normally anyway but when your cruisin, not payin attention, and you hit that popped up sidewalk crack with 45 pounds strapped to your back......fuuuuuck! gonna EAT IT no matter waht.......... plus nowadays almost every major city town and even half the bumfuck towns have parks....esp. out west...... concrete parks for daysss..... good places to meet up with folks too.....only con i can think of is it's easy to get drunk and walk away from your board....... another good thing is it's kind of a weapon.....like if your walkin thru the hood and get fucked with just hold on to that truck tight and stand your ground.....and it's a good getaway device from people/places..... see the cops rollin up.....get on and cruise

 

[nvasv]

I take my board. I like finding new spots and it honestly makes towns you don't want to be in, much more tolerable. And like bryanpaul said, you meet other fellow riders that'll show you around and such. And I agree with mmmmmmmichael as well, it does help with blending in.

 

[dylann]

aaaahhhhh those are the pro's i was looking for. i didnt think of those. thanks alot guys. definately gonna take it with me!

 

[Unslap]

I carry a "shlongboard", basically a modified shortboard that rolls like a longboard. (guy in Ft. Collins set me up with deck, spacers, and bomber wheels for 35 bucks.) I don't (can't) do tricks with it but it's very useful and fun for getting around towns. I have a way of hooking the wheels into my shoulder strap when I'm catching on the fly or climbing ladders. Like Bryan said, falling fucking blows when you're wearing a pack, I'm lucky to have intact wrists after the months i've been backpacking with my board.
Another advantage, inside of Canadian grainers you can put the board between the two inner holes and sit on it like a bench while facing out.
I also use it as a chair, and can sit/lean on the end wheels when i'm hitching so it sort of looks like i'm standing up! (nobody likes lazy hitchhikers)
If you want to bomb a steep hill, you can get a long piece of cardboard, hold one end in your hand, and step on the other end. It's like foot braking but saves your shoes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longboarding#Shlongboards

 

[tobepxt]

Ive thought about it.. and when im home i work at a skatepark....
but when im out and about i have a small guitar with me as well as everything else.. so no space really.. i can carry one or the other... but i can at least busk with the guitar.

 

[dylann]

"will skate for ride"

 

[Kim Chee]

 

[daveycrockett]

yes, yes you should.

 

[dylann]

hahahahaha thats to good!

 

[Tadaa]

take it!!
i hitched with a longboard for a while.. it was a bit too long tho.. (46 inch) it was good for cruising in cities or to the next onramp if you are in a bad spot.
also good for cruising around in areas and look for a spot to spend the night. you cover way more ground this way.
just pack light and you do fine.. cause crashing with a big, heavy backpack aint the same as without..

i left it behind 3 weeks ago to hop trains, cause i already had a big pack and was new to hopping so.. but i regreted that right away.. (cause now its in Portland and i am in Canada and flying to Europe so i need to buy a new one there.. a shorter one tho
on the other hand its a good excuus to come to the westcoast again

 

[Nerdypunkkid]

Ya bring your skateboard and find a road dog that skates as well. A skateboard is a lot quicker the walking espically when you have a long distant to travel and yo rural to hitch. Just make sure to bring long garbage bag to wrap your bag up in. and if you traveling with a road dog make sure he skates and has a board as well. I traveled through NJ with to road dogs and only who boards so there was always someone lagging behind. also be sure to bring spare parts and a skate tool

 

[FLoP]

I just got a board together. It's got some big wheels on it, but I can still Ollie. If I could I would be able to do tricks. I just like to cruise on it. I actually travelled with my bmx bike for a minute. That was nice. I'm actually good on a bmx bike. I'm shit on a board. But yeah, I'm bringing mine so you should bring yours. It's really nice to coast down a hill for a mile and reast for a minute rather than walking for fifteen minutes to get to the same spot. I crashed full speed, mid kick, in traffic with a 45 pound bag as well. Hint... Try and land on your pack instead of your shoulder or face. Like keep your falling side free from breakables in that area.

 

[FLoP]

And my dog absolutely loves to pull me on that thing. He gets his work out and I have fun. And people like to see that shit. Learn to do a kick flip though. Everyone asked for that.

 

[Lucius]

I traveled Colorado last year on a downhill longboard, I would stash my pack and bomb hills in the mountains. I can give you some good pros and cons from my experience.

Pros- increased mobility, I found myself going into places I normally wouldn't because I could get around quicker, like Denver. Great way to meet local skaters. And there's nothing like cruising into the sunset on gentle rolling hills.

Cons- you gotta be careful man! I had a 45 pound pack and had a nasty fall. I was in boulder coming down the hill from the park on the west side of town, got a bit too much speed for the weight I was carrying and hit a small pebble that sent me flying face first to he ground. I had to skate to the hospital to stitch my lip up (they wanted to charge me $1500 for two sutures and ten minutes of the doctors time), broke a rib, sprained wrist, and two chipped teeth.

Some cops won't like you either, I got a ticket for skating down the sidewalk in downtown Denver on the street with the strip mall(6th street maybe?) after some research into this cop for the harassment he gave me, he is known to harass homeless and travelers coming through that area.

I would say the pros outweigh the cons but be careful, don't bomb hills with a 45 pound pack and just cruise.

 

[dylann]

thanks alot guys! im going to take it with me. the pros definatley out weigh the cons so im just gonna have to do it.

 

[bryanpaul]

if your pretty good or at least can pull off some flatground tricks.... you can make a sign that says "hungry traveller...skateboard tricks- $1.00"..or somethin similar..and try that on a busy sidewalk.............

 

[dylann]

oh yeah im definatley gonna do that

 

[eurekascastle]

i traveled the whole time with my longboard. it definitely was a must needed tool for me. first you can scoot so much faster down the highway, especially with a dog pulling you and if you get sick of carrying your pack just throw it on your board and kick and push. not only that but it makes a great weapon if someone pisses you off