Its gross here in the Midwest. Ive ridden winters for the past few years, out of sheer boredom and necessity. Snow is fun to ride in, don't get me wrong. Only the seasonal depression thing has me wanting to spend a week or two on the beach.

I'd prefer to bring only a backpack as luggage, aside from me bike o'course. Only problem is, I'd need a way to box it up. I'd like something I can fold down and stick in my bag, not a hardshell or anything. Id use a cardboard bike box, but it would be awful to have to carry that around everywhere I go wouldn't it?

If anyone has any cheap ideas for packaging a bike for the plane or bus, I'd appreciate the suggestions. Any products you might suggest, as far as nylon fold-up-able bags go?

Any good ideas help really. Or perhaps someone with an old bike bag theyd be willing to sell me for cheap?

Also, if you know of any warmer beaches to cruise and want to grab beers or something, give it a shout!

Thanks chaps and mates and blokes.

You can grab a bike boz from any lbs then just toss it or stash it when you land and repeat when you fly back. You can wrap it in a plastic bag with foam pool noodles. I grabbed a zip up bag off wiggle a couple years ago for like a hundred bucks and have had no issues with it, though I've always had to pay oversize with it, my friend managed to sneak by with it once. Trash also makes a fly bag that's not exactly cheap buy looks very functional for people who want to ride to/from the airport.

I used this one before: https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_174818_-1

Extremely cheap and gets the job done, but you need to pack the **** out of it if you don't want anything getting ruined.

I hope you most certainly don't plan on flying or taking greyhound with a softshell bike bag.... I've heard horror stories from people who used a cardboard box too. I wouldn't use a softbag unless I was riding in a car.
Baggage handlers and the TSA are notorious.

I personally use and love my trico iron case. Sure they may be a hassle to store but it's well worth it considering it protects it from those monsters. See if any shops have them for rent.

If you use a bike box, you're much better off shipping it via USPS Parcel Select Insured than bringing it on a plane as checked baggage.

If you're worried about damage, it's all in how you pack it. If you're worried about cost, it might depend on your transport options. I flew Virgin America cross country with no added fees for checking my bike bag. Some airlines are much more venomous.

Just about every beach has bike rentals(not just balloon tire cruisers)....SoCal is nice. Not too hot. Not too cold. After Nov 1 is off season in NorCal, so things are a little cheaper.