So we've been asked this a few times and there are a few generic answers which we shall do our best to explain. If you haven't already had a look at skate further or long trecks on skate decks then you probably should. These are the long distance elite and are full of really helpful advice and awesome vids and merch!

Your riding/pushing style will determine ultimately what works best for you but as a general rule of thumb, lower boards are more comfortable for long trips. [This is enormously disproved by Matt Elver!]

The Deck
longboard larry pushers and Rayne demonseed are both very popular long distance boards. While both are considerably weighty providing poor acceleration, they both keep that speed from then on, proving very effective on long flat straights.
Drop Throughs are again very popular; as mentioned in the trucks section below you can also experiment with drop up risers to get you really low! Often shorter and more nimble a drop through can make a great all rounder; a long distance pusher you can live with.
Top mounts are generally well avoided as the extra distance to the ground can be really felt in the thighs, however if topmounts are your thing and you enjoy pushing it around, it may be the best thing for you!

The Trucks
This is more of a preference than the board as most RKP style trucks will do fine, however when considering the length of most long distance boards, most people tend towards 50* randals, Holeys or similar.
Depending on how interested you are, you may want to play with drop up risers on your drop through board. These essentially move your board even lower to the ground making it easier to push; however too much drop and you may experience hanger bite.
The alternative is to use indie style trucks. While these are very low, they aren't particularly turny and thus are not widely used as long distance trucks, however if you already love them, use them!

Wheels
There are two things to bear in mind when choosing a long distance wheel. Size and durometer:
Size: A large wheel will again accelerate slowly but keep its speed high once it's there. Seismic Speed vents and Abec 11 fly wheels are both widely used to great effect. Somewhat relatively untested, but in my opinion may be an excellent long distance wheel, are the 81mm Sector 9 Race formula's.
I would not recommend anything smaller than a 72mm Wheel for long distance! Anything smaller loses speed very quickly. [Already have a set of 72mm Cults? Perfect! Unless you're very serious I wouldn't invest in expensive alternatives]

Durometer: Hard wheels travel faster over smooth surfaces but are hard on the knees on the rough stuff & quite slow!
Soft wheels in contrast are slower on smooth surfaces but more comfortable and faster on rough roads. [Hint UK roads aren't perfect!]
If you have the time/money to experiment with wheel duro's before your trip it's well worth a go.


However; the most important part of a good distance set up is you! It's always a good idea to assess your fitness and do some test skates before embarking on anything with a deadline. Be realistic and you should have a really good skate!

Safety gear & clothing:
Somewhat overlooked in most skates but distance skating is different. Can you really skate 30miles with a heavy helmet without vents? And heavy leather slide gloves? Probably not. It's certainly worth looking into getting a lightweight vented helmet to stop you sweating so much and some cheaper breathable gloves [The more you sweat, the more water you've got to carry/replace]. If you've got an old set of torn up gloves maybe cut the fingers off to give some more air and some versatility.
In a distance skate you hope never to have to need your helmets and gloves but if you forsake all other protective gear we recommend you have these as the BARE essentials. You never know when a car's going to come tearing round a blind country road corner and cause problems.
For more longboarding related safety see longboard sessions!

Skate safe, skate hard & have fun!


Although I did the trip last year on a dangerous decks criminal prototype, Original S10 trucks and smashed green cults. So what the hell do I know?