Tail Travel

[Mermaid Saphira]

I am working on making my own tail bag so I can easily transport my tail to and from

[Mermaid Dottie]

I'm currently doing a trade with a girl in my LARP group, she's making me a bag for my tail, and I'm making her a shirt. My tail is fabric and made with an Oceanika Merfin, so it folds in half really well. I fold it in half to carry it when dry, the problem is hauling it when wet.

[Prince Calypso]

what do you guys think about making costume mermaid Tail tote bags.
measured out to the size and shape of a mermaid's tail
and in matching colors.

[Spindrift]

I had a really intricate design for a monofin bag once. I tried to design it for someone who traveled by plane a lot. It had wheels like a suitcase but also straps for backpack and there was a "drainage system" so that it could be transported away from a water location without really needing to wait for a tail to dry. I'm pretty sure the idea/CAD/design would work, I just never really made the thing.

[Anya]

I'm excited to see how all of these prospective tail bags turn out. I especially wonder how they'll do with the weight of the tails. I was thinking simple drawstring bag/type thing, but that would be very uncomfortable with a 30-50(or whatever they weigh) tail.
Spindrift: Thanks for the link, I seemed to have missed that one when I scoured the thread before starting this post. Was the weight of the tail ever a problem with your brown paper package method? Your bag pattern sounds like you had thought of everything.
A tail bag: definitely added to my ever expanding list of projects!

[Spindrift]

@Anya: The package method worked awesome for a pretty long time. I have a really heavy monofin and what finally made me stop using that idea was because US customs was always making me unwrap it (internationally no one cared since it was pretty obvious what it was). The string around the package made it pretty easy to handle though. It's definitely a good temporary solution if you need a way to transport a tail right away.

The monofin bags usually take about a month to get to the US, from what I've heard from other people and my own experience.

[Mermaid Bella]

i was just going to make a tail shaped bag using the pattern i made for my fin. same shape, slightly larger, and folding the legs into the bag after placing the fin in there, with backpack straps. i dont think it would work for latex as i think if laytex touches itself it melts, as for the massive tails you cant fold i would make a bag like a guitar bag, the whole shape supported with backpack straps.

forgive me if im wrong but dont oceanika fins come with a bag?

[Angel the Little Merman]

Mermaidsrus.com sells custom tail bags I'm already investing on one.

[Lyna]

i was just going to make a tail shaped bag using the pattern i made for my fin. same shape, slightly larger, and folding the legs into the bag after placing the fin in there, with backpack straps. i dont think it would work for latex as i think if laytex touches itself it melts, as for the massive tails you cant fold i would make a bag like a guitar bag, the whole shape supported with backpack straps.

forgive me if im wrong but dont oceanika fins come with a bag?

they sure don't. i believe you can buy them seperately maybe? or it might just be the kids fins that offer that for purchase.

[Talia]

I am glad I found this thread! I was considering making my own bag (I have thought of the portfolio option, but they are very expensive where I live).

Spin, can you tell me where they ship from, and how did you pay? I cannot find any info on this on their website.

[Talia]

These are the bags from mermaidsrus:
http://mermaidsrus.com/Mermaid_Accessories.html

It seems to me they are a tad expensive since they are just a big cloth bag with handles. The bag I was thinking of making would look like that, but I thought about making a pocket and inserting cardboard covered with plastic to help it keep the shape for the monofin, and give it some rigidness.
I am going to investigate portfolios though, maybe I can find one not very expensive.

Spin, I asked in another thread, but since this one is more recent, can you tell me where they shipped your monofin bag from, and how did you pay for it? Their website is not very informative, or I can't find anything.

ETA: Oceanika does not sell bags yet. It says they are coming soon:
https://www.oceanikamerfins.com/oceanika-store

[Lyna]

i didnt like the bags on mermaids are us. they're just a thin fabric. an oversized beach bag would would the same and probably be better reinforced. i think the best solution atm is to make something yourself. or get a suitcase on wheels.

[Mermaid Fenicia]

As I have a very big (72 cm across) monofin, it couldn't fit the standard bag the shop is selling, so I made my own bag from a piece of fake leather, a long zipper and some bands from an old backpack

[MermanJesse]

I recently found out that one can take a single tail as a carry on! (just the tail without a carry case)

[Morticia Mermaid]

Anyone interested in a tail carrying bag. I am currently in the process of building a prototype tail carrying bag. It is going to be made out of canvas, have backpack straps and will be able to be custom fitted for your tail. Once the prototype is finished I am going to send it to Raina for testing. She is going to use her tail from Raven to test it out. I'll keep everyone informed on the progress as I have seen so many people wanting a bag to carry their tails and all that is available is the weaker cloth ones that I keep finding.

[Mermaid Saphira]

they sure don't. i believe you can buy them seperately maybe? or it might just be the kids fins that offer that for purchase.

no, but they are planning on selling so seperately

[Mermaid Harmony]

How do all of you carry your tails? Do you have a special bag for them and then go and change so people don't know you are a person outside of your tail (mainly children). Do you just throw it over your shoulder? How do you carry it in your car? I'm totally curious about all of this, because I don't have a bag and I need to think of something stat.

[Morticia Mermaid]

I'm not sure if you'd be interested, but I'm currently working on a tail bag prototype that I'm going to be sending to Raina to test out. Will hopefully have it finished by the end of the year

[Blondie]

I know some people use artist portfolio bags for their paintings and stuff. That normally can fit a fluke, but I know Raina said hers is too big for that.

[Elle]

I've been considering this (I think there is an older thread about this).

I was thinking create a fluke bag and attach it to a surfboard bag. and hey presto tail bag.