As the summer season begins to appear on the horizon, holiday plans begin to take shape. As calendars are filled with potential destinations and details, residents take to mapping out their ideal getaway, imagining the ideal scene for their entertainment and relaxation.
For stand-up paddleboard enthusiasts, this process involves not only choosing their ideal destination, whether a hidden lake or glorious seafront, but also considering how to transport their equipment. While it may seem at first impractical to travel with one’s own SUP gear, there are a number of benefits to doing so and, as time goes on, more accessories to make the process easier.
Inflatable Board
Transporting a solid paddleboard, even via airplane, is far from impossible. However, with the rise in popularity of inflatable paddleboards, bringing a personal paddleboard along on holiday is even easier. High-quality, inflatable boards can be easily compressed into small and robust shapes, allowing them to become checked luggage or even carried onto a plane, without the need to apply for special luggage permissions or pay greater costs.
Paddleboard Bag
Travelling with an inflatable paddleboard, however, does require a little care. While some may have the resources to comfortably fit a deflated board into their luggage, experienced paddleboarders will know the value of a secure and comfortable paddleboard bag. These accessories are not only designed to protect a board across your journey, even directly to the water, but to distribute the weight too. This means that carrying a paddleboard over long distances becomes much easier, minimising impact on shoulders and lower back.
Towels
Whether you have a preference for towels or micro-fibre clothes, these accessories benefit paddleboarders, allowing them to keep their gear clean and dry. While travelling, however, they can play a useful additional role too, allowing travellers to wrap delicate accessories, as well as paddleboard fins and paddles, in a protective padding. Some may be happy to use their own clothing, however. What’s important is that padding is made available, especially if equipment is being handed over to others or stored out of direct view.
Insurance
Travel insurance is not likely to automatically protect your paddleboard equipment. As such, travellers should consider seeking specific insurance for their gear as they travel, especially if the equipment is valuable or the journey is long. This extra precaution will enable travellers to breathe easily when on the move and also makes the transportation of personal equipment even more worthwhile, ensuring that boarders are comfortable on the water.
Accessory Bag
Keeping paddleboard equipment, from leashes to pumps, together when travelling is a great idea. By doing so, and ensuring that there is little crossover between personal belongings and SUP equipment, individuals will be able to more easily access and keep track of their paddleboarding gear, as well as ensure that extra care is taken when transporting and handling bags with more sensitive items inside. These bags can then also be used when travelling from the hotel to the water, making them a useful investment for paddleboarders in general.
