Are Pickleball Paddle Covers Worth It? What Makers and Owners Say

The makers’ care pages say what a cover is for and, just as useful, what it is not for. Owners on r/Pickleball tie their own answer to the bag they carry. Below are the makers’ claims and limits, the owners’ reports, a table for your own setup, how to use a cover, and where edge tape fits in.

Related guide: Are Pickleball Paddle Edge Guards Worth It? It Depends on the Edge

What paddle makers say a cover protects

Paddle makers name covers in their care advice and product pages. Selkirk’s paddle care guide says: “When not in use, store your paddle in a safe place to prevent accidental damage, such as it getting stepped on or stored underneath something heavy. Consider using a paddle cover for added protection against scratches.” Maverix’s care page lists “Use a paddle cover, keep sharp objects away, and avoid leaving your paddle in a hot car or extreme cold.” JOOLA says its Universal Neoprene Paddle Cover “shields your JOOLA pickleball paddle from nicks, scratches, and dust”.

Paddletek’s guide to extending paddle life (July 31, 2026) ties a cover to spin. It says: “Scratches, dings, and abrasion during transport and storage degrade the face texture over time. On a raw carbon fiber surface, where that gritty texture is what generates spin, protecting it when the paddle is not in use is protecting your spin game.”

Several of these companies sell covers (Selkirk, JOOLA and Pickleball Central among them), so read their advice with that in mind. PB5star, a paddle maker, writes that it “doesn’t currently offer paddle covers” and still says “we always recommend safeguarding your paddle to maximize its value and longevity.”

How much a scratch matters is a separate question. The same Paddletek guide says: “Cosmetic marks from normal play, small scratches on the face, minor scuffs on the edge guard, those are trophies. They do not affect performance.” So Paddletek separates marks from play, which it calls cosmetic, from abrasion in a bag, which it says wears down the face texture. CRBN’s warranty, below, also treats minor scratches as cosmetic.

What a cover does not protect against

The same makers are clear about the limits.

• Heat. Selkirk: “Excessive heat can soften the paddle face and may cause delamination. It is best to bring your paddle in from the car or garage and store it in a dry, room-temperature closet.” Paddletek says “Leaving a paddle in a hot car on a summer afternoon can push interior temperatures past 140°F” (60°C), and its advice is to “Store your paddle indoors in a temperature-controlled space. Not the garage. Not the trunk.” Helios (July 6, 2026), a paddle maker that sells covers, claims “A cover adds a second layer of insulation around the face and core.” Its own page says of insulated bags that “insulation buys you time, not immunity”, and it tells readers to “Take your bag inside when you get home, into the office, into the restaurant. Every time.” Pickleheads, a pickleball publication (updated October 4, 2026), says: “A cover isn’t a bag, though, and I wouldn’t leave any paddle in a hot car.”
• Drops and hard hits. Pickleball Central, a retailer, says its own neoprene cover guards the paddle’s body against scrapes, minor marks and discoloration, then adds: “it won’t protect it from being dropped or hit forcefully, so treat your paddle with care even in the cover”.
• Wear from playing. Paddletek: “A cover will not prevent the internal wear that comes from gameplay.” For how long a paddle lasts and the signs it is worn out, see our guide to how long a pickleball paddle lasts.
• Edge scrapes on court. A cover comes off when you play. Selkirk ties edge wear to “frequent contact with the ground” and suggests edge guard tape for edgeless paddles, covered below.

When owners skip a cover

On r/Pickleball, owners tie the answer to their bag. In a March 2024 thread from an owner whose bag has a thermal-lined paddle compartment, the top reply says they use the cover their paddle came with, but “if my paddle didn’t come with a cover, I wouldn’t buy one if I had a dedicated bag compartment.” Another owner in the thread writes: “If it’s in a bag and not hitting other things there’s no need for any cover.”

The owners who do use one describe paddles that share space. In the same thread, one says they cover their paddle “ever since I put a metal water bottle in the same compartment as my unprotected paddle which made a nice long scratch along the face.” Another writes: “If you have multiple paddles and the bag doesn’t have individual pockets for each paddle then I would use a paddle cover. I don’t want the grit from two paddles rubbing against each other and possibly causing premature wear.”

A June 2024 thread shows the same split within one person’s kit. One owner skips covers in a CRBN sling bag that “has individual slots for two paddles” but uses them in a tour bag where “there’s no individual places for my paddles”. Another sums up their own habit: “When I carried 1 in my bag, no. 3 paddles now, yes”.

In a July 2024 thread, another owner describes the same habit: with “separate storage slots for the paddles” they skip covers, “But if I had a bunch of paddles all in one main large compartment, I would use the covers.” In the same thread, one owner argues that “Edgeguards will prevent the faces of two paddles from having full contact with eachother. I suppose if you had two edgeless paddles they would be flush, but that’s not most people.” A reply from an owner whose bag has one large paddle pocket: “sadly, I am not most people and my paddles are edgeless.” In a December 2024 thread, an owner describes “scratching the surface of my Mod TA while stuffing it in my bag with another paddle” and now covers every paddle.

Do you need one? Match it to your setup

Your setup	What the sources say	Who says it
One paddle in its own slot	Owners skip the cover	r/Pickleball owners (2024)
Two or more paddles in one compartment	Owners cover them so the faces don’t rub	r/Pickleball owners (2024)
Paddle beside a bottle, keys or shoes	Keep sharp objects away; one owner’s bottle scratched the face	Maverix; r/Pickleball owner
Raw carbon (gritty) face	Protecting the texture off court protects spin	Paddletek
Edgeless paddle	Faces can sit flush; edge tape for the ends	r/Pickleball owners; Selkirk
Stored at home between sessions	Keep it where it can’t be stepped on; consider a cover against scratches	Selkirk
Paddle kept in a hot car	Bring it indoors; a cover does not replace that	Selkirk and Paddletek (indoors); Helios and Pickleheads (cover)

How to use a cover so it does its job

What not to do

• Don’t store a paddle in the car, with or without a cover (Selkirk, Paddletek, Maverix).
• Don’t count on a cover against a drop or a hard knock (Pickleball Central).
• Don’t clean the face with household cleaners (Selkirk).
• Don’t force a paddle into a cover that is too small; it should zip closed “without a fight” (Pickleheads).
• Don’t count on a cover for edge wear during play; Selkirk suggests edge guard tape for edgeless paddles, while its warranty does not cover “damage caused by abuse, negligence/user modification” and Six Zero’s excludes modifications, so check yours before you tape.

Edge guard tape or a cover?

They guard against different things. Selkirk’s care guide says: “Be mindful of the edge guard, as wear and tear in this area indicate frequent contact with the ground. Consider adding edge guard tape to your edgeless paddles to help keep the ends safe from scrapes and dings.” Six Zero says “Protective Six Zero edge guard tape is recommended on edgeless infinity paddles” and that “Edge damage on edgeless infinity paddles is not covered.”

Check your own maker’s terms before you tape. Selkirk’s warranty says “damage caused by abuse, negligence/user modification, chips to the top or sides of edgeless paddles” are not covered, and Six Zero’s excludes “Any modifications made to the paddle after purchasing”, and neither page says whether tape counts, so ask your maker first (Six Zero’s recommendation names its own tape). CRBN’s warranty says “Adding edge guard weights, overgrips, and edge guard tape is completely fine and won’t affect your warranty.” Our step-by-step guide to putting edge tape on a paddle covers the method, and our edge guard tape roundup compares the tapes.

If you buy one: three kinds of cover

Before buying, check the box: some paddles come with a cover. Owners report it varies by brand. One r/Pickleball owner wrote in 2024: “Seems like the most expensive brands do not (Selkirk, Gearbox, Joola). A lot of the other brands do though (SixZero, Volair, Juicao, etc).” Pickleheads, on Selkirk’s premium case, says “the company often offers it as a bonus when you buy one of their premium paddles”, an offer with a purchase rather than a cover in the box. Another owner’s rule: “I wouldn’t bother getting a cover, but if the paddle comes with it, I use it.”

The three picks below show three cuts: a head-only sleeve, an elongated size and a full-length cover. They come from our paddle cover roundup, which compares eight covers on material, size and fit. The Franklin Pickleball-X is “A neoprene cover with a built-in fence clip”, and Franklin’s listing says it is designed “to fit most pickleball paddles on the market”. The Palms-O-Aces cover is “A padded cover in the maker’s elongated size, 12.75 x 8 inches”. The Franklin FS Tour is the full-length kind: “At 17.7 inches long it covers the handle as well as the head, unlike the shorter sleeves in this guide.”

The roundup found personalized, crochet and funny covers on Amazon “but none from a maker whose own page we could read, so none is a pick here.”

Your paddle maker has the final word

Your own paddle’s care page and warranty come first, since makers word their advice differently. JOOLA and Friday, which sell their own covers, name the shapes those covers fit. JOOLA says its universal cover has been “modified to fit our entire line of pickleball paddle shapes even better, including Perseus, Kosmos, Scorpeus, Hyperion, and Agassi.” Friday says “Paddle Covers fit all of our paddle shapes!” For a cover from another brand, measure your paddle against the cover maker’s listed size.

Frequently Asked Questions

If the paddle rides loose with other paddles, a bottle or keys, Selkirk, JOOLA and Paddletek all recommend or sell one for scratches. If it has its own slot, owners on r/Pickleball report doing without.

It varies by brand. One r/Pickleball owner named SixZero, Volair and Juicao among brands that include one, and Selkirk, Gearbox and Joola among those that do not. Pickleheads, a publication, says Selkirk often offers its premium case as a bonus with premium paddles, which is an offer, not a cover in the box, so check what comes with yours before you buy one.

The makers quoted here do not rely on it. Selkirk, Paddletek and Maverix say to keep the paddle out of a hot car, and even Helios, which says a cover adds insulation, tells readers to take the bag inside every time.

Not by Pickleheads’ account. It says covers “don’t offer as much protection as a bag”, and that “If you’re looking for something to protect your paddle and nothing else, a cover is a great option.” Our roundups of paddle bags and pickleball bags cover the carrying side.

Not always. Pickleheads says a standard cover can be too short for an elongated paddle and too narrow for a widebody one, so measure the head, edge guard included, against the cover’s listed size.

That depends on your paddle’s shape and how you carry it. Our paddle cover roundup compares eight on material, size and fit.

Sources (16)

• Selkirk, How to Clean & Care for your Pickleball Paddle
• Selkirk, Paddle warranty
• Paddletek, How to extend the life of your pickleball paddle (July 31, 2026)
• JOOLA, Universal Neoprene Paddle Cover
• Maverix, Paddle care
• Helios, Does a Pickleball Bag Protect Paddles in Heat & Cold? (July 6, 2026)
• Pickleball Central (retailer), Neoprene Paddle Cover 2.0
• PB5star, Do You Need a Pickleball Paddle Cover?
• Friday Pickleball, Paddle Cover
• Six Zero, Warranty and return policy
• CRBN, Warranty
• Pickleheads, Best pickleball paddle covers (updated October 4, 2026)
• r/Pickleball (forum), Do you put a cover on your paddle if you have a bag for it already? (2024)
• r/Pickleball (forum), Do you use paddle covers? (2024)
• r/Pickleball (forum), Store paddles with or without covers? (2024)
• r/Pickleball (forum), Paddle covers (2024)

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