How to pack and send bikes, golf clubs and skis

Bikes, golf clubs and skis travel well if they are packed properly. The catch is that they are long and light, so you almost always pay for their size rather than their weight. A bike box weighing 18 kg is charged as 56 kg. Good packing protects the kit, and a few of the steps below also make the box or bag smaller, which is the one thing that brings the price down.

Two other points before you start. E-bike and e-scooter batteries cannot be sent. And for some countries, including Australia and New Zealand, outdoor kit must arrive clean.

Why long items cost more than they weigh

On most door-to-door services, size-based weight is length x width x height in cm divided by 5,000. It is compared with the real weight, and the higher one, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg per item, is what you pay for. Our guide to size-based weight explains why. Here is how it works out for the ready-made sizes on our price page:

Two things follow from this. First, the size of the box or bag matters far more than what is inside it. Second, there is often spare weight you can use at no extra cost. The bike box above is charged as 56 kg whether it holds 18 kg or 25 kg, as long as you stay within the weight limit the booking page shows for that service and route. Shoes, a helmet and clothes make good padding.

Which measurement matters most?

The thinnest one. Each centimetre off the thinnest side removes a slice the size of the two biggest sides. For the bike box:

That is why taking off the pedals and turning the handlebars matters so much. They are usually what stops a bike box closing flat.

Length plus girth

Many services also limit the longest side, and the "length plus girth": the length plus twice the width plus twice the height. For the bike box that is 140 + 2 x (80 + 25) = 350 cm. For the golf bag it is 265 cm, and for the skis 280 cm. The price page and booking page show the limits for each service and route, so check yours there before you buy a box.

Packing a bike

Use a cardboard bike box (bike shops often have spare ones from new bikes), a padded bike bag or a hard case. Hard cases protect best but add size and weight, so measure before you choose.

1. Clean it. Wash off mud, grass and seeds, especially from the tyres, chainrings and frame joints.
2. Photograph it from both sides, with close photos of any existing marks. See photos, receipts and damage claims.
3. Take the pedals off. Both unscrew towards the back of the bike, because the left pedal has a reverse thread. Bag them and tape the bag inside the box.
4. Turn or remove the handlebars. Loosen the stem and turn the bars in line with the frame, or take them off and strap them alongside the top tube, padded. Do not kink the cables.
5. Take the front wheel out, and the rear one if the box needs it. Fit plastic spacers in the fork and rear dropouts so they cannot be squeezed together. Bike shops usually have these too.
6. Protect disc brakes. Remove the rotors or pad them, and put a spacer between the brake pads so they cannot close if a lever is squeezed.
7. Protect the rear derailleur. Unbolt it from the hanger, wrap it, and tape it inside the frame. The hanger bends easily.
8. Lower or remove the seat post. Mark the height with tape first.
9. Wrap the frame in pipe lagging or foam, and wrap the chain in a rag.
10. Take out anything that cannot travel: CO2 inflator cartridges, which are gas under pressure, and lights or computers with removable batteries.
11. Fill the gaps so nothing moves when you shake the box, then tape it with loops both ways.

E-bikes and e-scooters: their batteries cannot be sent, and they are blocked on the packing list. Please talk to us before you book. Our guide to dangerous goods you cannot send explains why.

Packing golf clubs

1. Use a travel cover. A hard case protects best. A padded soft cover is lighter and can pack smaller. Measure it once it is full, because covers bulge.
2. Protect the club heads. Head covers on the woods and putter. Wrap the irons together in a towel and tape the bundle so the heads cannot knock each other.
3. Take the driver head off if it is the detachable kind, wrap it and pack it separately in the bag.
4. Add a support rod. Stand a rod a few centimetres longer than your longest club in the bag. If the cover is dropped on its end or squashed, the rod takes the blow, not the driver shaft. A cut-down broom handle works.
5. Fill the space with clothes and towels. At 31 kg charged and 15 kg real, there is room to spare within the service's weight limit.
6. Empty the pockets. No lighters, aerosol sun cream or spray waterproofer. Switch off rangefinders and GPS units and keep any spare batteries with you. Electric trolley batteries are often lithium and cannot go in your shipment.
7. Clean the club heads and shoes. Soil in the grooves and spikes is exactly what biosecurity officers look for.

A cover that packs to 125 x 35 x 30 cm instead of 125 x 35 x 35 cm comes out at 26.5 kg instead of 31 kg, so leave out anything that adds bulk without protecting the clubs.

Packing skis and snowboards

1. Use a padded ski or board bag. Double bags take two pairs, but check the packed size.
2. Strap the skis base to base, with the brakes held up by a ski strap or strong rubber band. Strap the poles alongside.
3. Cover the edges. Ski edges are sharp enough to cut through a bag from inside. Wrap the tips and tails in foam, cardboard or pipe lagging.
4. Wax the bases. A coat of wax left unscraped protects the bases from scratches in transit. Scrape it off before you ride.
5. Take snowboard bindings off, or at least tighten every screw. Bindings add depth, and depth is expensive. Say a board bag is 165 x 35 cm. At 25 cm deep with bindings on it is charged as at least 29 kg. If taking them off gets it down to 15 cm, it is charged as 17.5 kg.
6. Use the spare weight. Skis in a bag are charged as 22 kg, so boots, gloves and jackets can go in around them as padding at no extra cost, up to that point.

Clean kit for Australia and New Zealand

Australia's Department of Agriculture lists bicycles, golf clubs, camping gear and footwear among the items that must be free of soil, plant material and insects. Anything used in fresh water must be dry when it arrives. Contaminated items can be treated, or destroyed, at your expense (Department of Agriculture, personal effects, checked on 3 October 2026). New Zealand applies similar checks. Our guide to cleaning outdoor gear for Australia and New Zealand goes through it step by step.

Questions people ask

Is it cheaper to take the bike apart further?

Only if it makes the box smaller. Taking off a part that sits inside the box's outline changes nothing. Taking off a part that sticks out, such as the pedals or the bars, can save several kilograms of size-based weight, as the table above shows.

Can I pack clothes in the bike box or golf bag?

Yes. It is a good use of spare weight and adds padding. List everything on your packing list, because customs sees the whole contents, and keep anything on the prohibited items list out.

Should I use a hard case or a cardboard box?

A hard case gives the most protection and can be used again, but it is bigger and heavier, so it often costs more to send. A well-packed cardboard bike box or padded bag is lighter and smaller. Measure both and compare them on the price page.

What if my item does not match a ready-made size?

Measure it once packed and enter the real measurements. Our guide to measuring and weighing luggage shows how to measure awkward shapes.

What to do next

Pack the item, measure it at its widest points, and weigh it. Then the price page compares every option side by side, with an all-in price for our charges.