They are removable. Every pieceattaches to the decoy with industrial strengthvelcro. Take the parts off, roll the basketball up and tuck em all away in your vest. That's why I used the basketball and not just a big foam ball or something. It's easy to pack. I just added a new part that allows the fan be leaned back into half strut. It looks way better than full strut with his head sticking up. Now he's half strut with his head sticking up, looks more natural I think.