My Adventure with SUP camping - A Customers Story

Sent by a man whom we'll call Sam (not his real name), gave permission for us to share his experience with SUP Camping on an O2 Angler fishing inflatable paddle board.

Here is his account.

*Photos featured are not from his account*

When I was first looking to get a stand up paddleboard one of the biggest things that I was looking forward to was being able to reach those hidden spots on lakes and rivers that you just can’t get to by car or even by foot.

As an adventurous college student sharing a house with 6 housemates, I hardly had room to store my backpacking gear, let alone a fourteen and a half foot canoe. An inflatable paddle board was perfect for me.

Glide Inflatable Paddleboard packs up small enough to fit under my bed and I can comfortably fit 2 inflatable paddle boards in the trunk of a hatchback or a sedan with more than enough room for all of my gear. I can even strap them onto a cargo rack on the roof of my car and have extra room for a dog or a few friends. 

paddle board Camping Excursion

After some research, I decided that the Glide O2 Angler was the board for me. It’s marketed as a fishing SUP but it’s the perfect board for camping. It’s incredibly stable, surprisingly fast for a wider board, and has front and rear bungees for storing gear and plenty of D-rings to strap down a cooler.

It even comes with a kayak seat for longer trips where I don’t want to stand the whole time. Glide’s woven drop stitch fusion construction means that their inflatable paddle boards are incredibly durable. You can learn more details about that here.

I don’t have to worry about a hidden rock or branch bringing an end to my weekend away. The board can also hold 500 lbs so I have no problem loading it down with everything I could possibly need for an overnighter or even a multi day trip. I find that it is even more stable when it is loaded with gear because the center of balance is closer to the water.

One concern that I always hear about paddle board camping is how to keep things dry. The first thing to know is that water getting in your gear is a lot less of a concern on a stand up paddleboard than it is in a kayak or a canoe.

It turns out that having walls on your watercraft is a bit of a negative in this respect. On a canoe or kayak all of the water pools at the bottom of the boat (often in the exact spot your gear is at) but on a SUP the water just flows off the edge of the board. Some moisture from your paddle or waves is inevitable though. 

Paddle board camping

One popular way to keep your gear dry is to have a dry bag but my go to has always been to put a couple of large black trash bags inside of a duffle bag or backpack that I don’t mind getting a little damp.

This method is cheap and just like with dry bags, if your bag falls in the water it will float right to the top because of the air trapped inside of the trash bags.

Overall, I think that SUP Camping was the highlight of my Summer, and I'm grateful for Glide's O2 Angler for making it feel safe and for taking me to spots I wouldn't have camped at otherwise.

 

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