Damn you Facebook and your targeted ads, man. This morning, FB was reading my mind (per usual) and decided that I needed to know that something called an iSUP exists… which is an inflatable paddle board. I’ve heard of inflatable flamingos and pizza slices as sources of aquatic fun, but an inflatable PADDLE BOARD? Shut the front door.
Soon enough, I was down the rabbit hole of iSUPs as I struggled to drag my sorry butt out of bed (par for the course on any given Tuesday), and now I have one on my “Save for Later” list.
Here’s what I’m eyeballing, the PEAK Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboard, which comes with a carry case and paddle to go with the board for just a squeeze under $500. I always thought owning my own SUP was a pipe dream until I moved somewhere with a garage or started renting a storage unit. Now, this changes things.
Does anyone out there have any experience with owning/using an iSUP vs a traditional SUP? I have a place I love to paddle during the summer about 20min from my house, but I’d love to cut down on having to rent all the time. I’m curious as to how compact this baby really gets, how it rides, and now much of a pain it is to inflate, deflate and DRY OFF so it doesn’t get all mildewy in storage. Amazon is showing tons of favorable reviews.
So, what a happy coincidence that lululemon opted to upload another wave of swimwear this spring this week! I’ve had a couple pieces of swimwear for lulu for 2 summers now, and so far they haven’t shown much signs of wear or tear. Aquelu isn’t flimsy, and I’ve since become a fan of lulu swimwear once I had to come to terms with the fact that my older VS suits just weren’t cutting it anymore.
Therefore, the majority of this week’s top 5 is going to feature stuff you can wear when the urge strikes to give zero f*cks and jump into a lake. Full upload here, keep reading for the ratings!
5 Faves & a Dud – 3/21/17 Upload
Favorite #1: Paddle Times Suit ($128) in black
I have such a tough time fighting off the urge to buy this. It came and went last year, and again I’m going to have to have some serious willpower to convince myself that I probably don’t need to spend $128 on a long-sleeved swimsuit. But I want to spend $128 on a long-sleeved swimsuit.
*internal battle between frivolity and fiscal responsibility ensues*
Favorite #2: Flow Rider One-Piece ($118) in blue tied/black
Hey there, hot stuff! The high neck and one-piece part of the deal make it fall on the conservative end of the spectrum, yet the mesh paneling on the side is covertly sassy, which is winning me over big time.
Favorite #3: Vitalize High Rise Bottom ($68) in black
Business in the front, a bit cheeky in the back. Not going to lie, this one’s got me curious, in a good way. They’re like Wunder Unders that you can swim in.
Favorite #4: Crescent Long Sleeve ($68) in black
Hear me out, here. Have you ever worn an outfit with a sweet belt that you wanted to show a little peek of? If your shirt is short enough to show the attention to detail in front, you’re usually left uncomfortably uncovered in the back. This one features a knot with only a slight drop in back, and has solid potential for a casual outfit.
That said, from far away it will likely look good, but if you’re self-conscious about your midsection, it may not be the most comfortable feeling to have extra fabric bulging around part of you that you’re not comfortable with. Proceed, but with caution. I’m optimistic.
Favorite #5: Flow Rider Top ($68) in black
I passed this one over on first scroll, but looking more closely… the jury of voices in my head has reported that they LIKE this top after all.
Also, can we just take a moment to appreciate how the model looks in the Flow Rider Top and Paddle Times Tight? I want to run around all summer looking this good. Outfit win.
The Dud: Baller Hat Run Ponytail ($38) in white
Isn’t this why visors were invented? While I appreciate the sentiment (I too like high ponies and my trusty Baller Hats), I’m finding it a bit tough to get on board with this one. Half a hat should be half price, btw.
I just spent a lot of money on home repairs this afternoon. I just broke the lulu-free streak in favor of the blazer blue Speed Shorts (they run small btw) and the Out to Lunge Untight Tight (runs looser than I expected, wearing them right now anyway). I really shouldn’t fall back into my old ways and drop a boatload of money on swimwear (no pun intended), but I really want to.
Despite the snow piles all over the place, give a girl one sunny day in the 50s out and suddenly she thinks it’s summer.
Thoughts on this week? There were a few cute pieces of standard activewear today, but the swimwear obviously caught my attention. Also, if anyone reading this has any insight to the whole iSUP thing, I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section. 🙂
xoxo
Love love love my inflatable paddleboarding I bought to be able to travel with it ….I’ve brought to portgual and Costa Rica so far with me ….absolutely worth the money and that’s a great deal you found
That’s great to hear! Is it a pain to inflate/deflate all the time?
I have an inflatable (by Art In Surf) and I love love love it!
My primary reason for buying an inflatable as opposed to a ‘regular’ was for ease – much easier to transport when you don’t have a roof rack on your car.
I’m lucky enough to keep mine inflated as I have storage at a marina but it’s easy enough to pump up if I do take it anyway else – I use the pump that it came with it and it takes around 10mins.
I do rinse mine after every use (99% of my use is in salt water) and just leave to air dry.
Oh, also, try a few before you buy – I needed one that was sturdy enough for SUP yoga but also fast enough for regular paddling – I have seen people out on cheaper / flimsy boards that make everything look hard!
Sorry – that was long but I love my board!!
No need to apologize for the long comment, I love and appreciate the feedback!
I’ve got the roof rack no problem, but unfortunately my issue is storage space (#condolife) – I’ve already got a mountain bike sitting out in the open in my home office, add a SUP and it will look like a Sports Authority in here!
Are inflatables commonly in stock at SUP stores? Living in Central CT, marine gear outposts are few and far between unless I head down to the shoreline.
I can’t help with your question re finding Boards in store – I’m in New Zealand and I love that we all live pretty damn close to a beach so it’s easy to try out boards before you buy. Good Luck!
That’s funny you’ve just heard of these….Costco always usually has a Jimmy Sticks iSUP every season. It does the job and it’s not as scary to load and unload of a vehicle and you’re not worried about dinging fibreglass etc. (cringe). The difference?…An inflatable one usually sits slightly above the water than a stiff board. Depending on the type of stiff board it can be more surf like which cuts through the water. An inflatable one also feels “cushiony”. However doing yoga can sometimes be wobbly on certain inflatable ones (like doing squats on a half ball). Have fun!!
Thanks for the feedback Hillary! I’m pretty comfortable on an Indo Board, wondering if that would help me adjust to a slightly softer surface to float on.
Listen to me talking about summer sports as if I’m actually going to try them this weekend… I still have a 3-foot pile of snow outside my front door 😛
A little late to the party on this one and not sure if you’ve pulled the trigger or not but we LOVE our iSUP’s. We’ve got two…one by ISLE that I use for paddle and SUPY and one from Costco (Jimmy Sticks) that my boys hop on to paddle with me. We’ve done yoga on both with plenty of stability (though the ISLE is better for that as the nose is rounder).
ISLE (you can find them on amazon) sells a SUPY specific board fwiw. A good friend of mine has a 3 year old model in that line and she’s much closer to your height and size…loves it. (I’m 4’11” so I can get away with a shorter board ha ha!)
We don’t deflate everytime as we have garage storage. The iSUP was attractive to me for it’s ease of taking on and off my outback roof rack. They’re pretty durable and I haven’t felt any real stability issues compared to much pricier hard boards. The inflate and deflate are both pretty quick and easy and I wouldn’t spend the extra money on an electric pump…they’re not much faster than the hand pump that comes with and won’t always give you the same level of inflation. We don’t use the backpacks that came with ours, haven’t quite gotten them to fold up as small as they were boxed. But that’s not a concern to me.
REI usually has one or two inflatable models available in store if you want to see one in person. And the Jimmy Sticks at Costco is a decent deal although, as mentioned above, not my preference for SUPY and I would imagine would be even more a marked difference at your height.
The front runner SUPY board is by Boga (Jess Amendola can tell you all about them!) but definitely more of an investment, heavier, and easier to ding if it falls.
As an added aside…once I was driving on a horribly windy day and hadn’t pulled the boards off the car from the day before’s paddle…the wind got up under the nose of my board and ripped the bungee tie off and sent my board flying down the highway. Thank GOD it didn’t hit another car and when I picked it up…GOOD AS NEW! Not a single scratch or puncture on it. Note: Use ratchet straps if you haul them on a roof rack. 🙂
Not late to the party at all! I have to admit I haven’t done any further research on the iSUP situation in the last few weeks. Given the fact that I just sprung for a new watch, I think I’ll be ponying up the $20 to rent a SUP at my usual spot for the near future.
This is excellent information, though! I didn’t realize so many people had gone down the iSUP route and I love to hear experiences, both good and bad, so that when I do spring for one I’ll be making an educated purchase!