We’re firm believers in the benefits of traveling the world, from learning about yourself, to helping others, to living an adventurous life. And rarely is travel so rewarding as when there’s a board beneath your feet and a paddle in your hand. In that spirit, we reached out to our top contributors and asked them to share some tales from the road. We hope you enjoy them–and that they inspire you to book your next trip.
It comes to me in a bad dream. I'm alone, standing on the shores of a calm lake, surrounded by pine trees. In the distance, a granite shard juts out of the mirrored water, a few trees stand against the elements atop the lonely island. I go to grab my board and paddle but they're not there. I cannot explore the island of my dreams. I wake up feeling lost and disappointed, like I've missed out on something important.
It's a terrible feeling to not paddle when you want to--even if it is just a dream. And you know what makes it super easy to always have a board with you? An inflatable SUP. The SUP staff has taken them to races in the South Pacific, to lochs in the United Kingdom and to sailboats in the Caribbean. On trips when it would just be too complicated to bring a hard board or to find one at a remote location, an inflatable SUP is the perfect solution.
And they're not just good for travel. If you live in New York City you don't have room to store a SUP. Go inflatable. If you drive a Mini Cooper, stuff in that inflatable. Want to paddle on a lake that you can only access by hiking? Inflatable, baby!
And they just keep getting better, too. From improving stringer technology, to multiple chamber rigidity, to rail stiffeners, the performance gaps between hard boards and inflatables continue to narrow.
Don't let the logistics get in the way of a good paddling session, no matter where you are. Inflatables allow us to bring standup paddling anywhere, turning any bad dream into a good one.