A Guide To Camping Paddle Board In 2023

Why plan a camping paddle board?

There is so much to love about paddle boarding camping. Fresh air, tranquil water, the sounds of nature, greenery and escape from the hustle and bustle of digital devices and the city are some of the reasons to go for a paddle-boarding camping adventure along with your friends and family. 

However, paddle-boarding camping is not as easy as it sounds. There is always a sense of fear or danger involved in this activity, especially when you are camping late at night or for a long day. With that in mind, you should always keep a few safety tips in mind during a fun-filled paddle-boarding camping adventure. 

Today, in this guide, you’ll come across a full stack guide on paddle board camping so that you can enjoy a hassle-free experience on your next wilderness. 

Who can go on a camping paddle board adventure? 

Paddle-boarding camping is not everyone’s cup of tea. You need to have the upper hand on paddle boarding if planning a camping activity on it. It is not at all recommended for a beginner, newbie, teen or kid to plan a paddle board camping activity on any type of water. 

However, such individuals can plan a tandem camping activity alongside a professional paddler with years of experience. 

Apart from male professional paddlers, females can also plan a camping activity on their paddle board and enjoy spending some quality time out on the water either by exploring the wilderness or 

Things to keep in mind while going on camping with a paddle board

1.Be aware of the risk

When going paddle boarding camping, you must be aware of the risk associated with this activity. Unlike normal camping adventures, paddle board camping is slightly more risky as it is done on lakes, rivers and ocean bays with a fear of uncertain weather conditions and water waves. 

To stay protected, you should avoid paddle boarding camping on fast-moving rapids and whitewater as it might be a life-threatening event for you. You also don’t know which seawater animal or fish might be waiting for you as a predator. 

In case, you are camping on a paddle board with your child or dog, you must be extra cautious and avoid going to tight spots where your paddle board can’t reach. 

You can stay close to the shore or beachside and enjoy sightseeing. 

2.Bring ample food

Food, Food and Food are what you need for your paddle-boarding camping adventure. Of  course, you don’t want to get your self fatigue or 

paddle around with an empty stomach. Since paddle boarding camping is a bit tedious activity and requires good efficiency to row your paddle board around, you must bring in ample food and water with you. Although you are paddling on the water, you cannot rely on the water being available there. Bear in mind, sea, ocean, and river water is not at all suited for drinking.

Therefore, I would recommend you bring your own food and water for drinking. If you are taking perishable food items or the ones which need to keep cool, invest in a paddle board cooler or a kayak dry storage backpack.

Top tip: Consider how you’ll store your food. Air-tight containers are important to keep bugs from crawling in. You don’t want your morning cornflakes to come with bonus protein!

4.Check the weather and water condition

The next important thing that you need to mind is the weather condition and the flow of water. As I mentioned earlier it is not advised to plan a paddle board camping activity on whitewater and fast-moving river rapids, because of accidents and hazardous issues. 

Even if you are planning such a camping adventure make sure you are loaded with:  sunglasses, hats, sunscreen during the day and thick socks, trackies and a warm jumper at night.

5.Check what services are available 

If you are a beginner paddle boarder, you’ll surely need some help. Be it, someone who is an expert paddler or good at navigating the water, you’ll need someone to cover your back on the water. 

Knowing which is the nearest island, a camping spot and how to reach there could save time and effort. If you are long for a long-distance camping paddle board adventure, take some time and work out an evacuation plan. Also, if you don’t know swimming, make sure to learn it in and out.

Make paddle boarding lakes, rivers and oceans in the USA have limited phone coverage. You must have a look at your network coverage map to work out where you can paddle around. Also, a paddle board GPS system or kayak fish finder can help you out. Avoid getting lost by having access to maps, especially if you are planning for long-distance paddle-boarding camping. 

Maps are always available in the GPS system and you take help of them anytime. 

6.Keep an eye on wildlife

Always keep a special eye on seawater animals and marine wildlife, remember it’s the smaller critters or aquatic snakes that will cause the most problems. Also, crocs, sharks, and ocean whales are risky to tackle and very dangerous. Using a paddle board dry suit and long sleeves top and with long pants is always recommended. At least, they’ll save you from mosquito bites. 

When you are planning your camping paddle-boarding adventure on forest lake water, it is likely that you might encounter snakes. Snakes are generally shy and will not attack you until you don’t poke your nose. Remember, even a little bite from a snake can be life-threatening, so be careful.

Top tip: Keep wildlife wild!  Make sure you don’t feed the wildlife and other aquatic animal while on a camping paddle board. This can be dangerous and life threatening. 

7.Take a partner along

If you are a beginner, kid or teen paddle boarder, then you must have an experienced or more professional paddler along with you for a ride. You can opt for a tandem paddle board that can take a professional ride with you to take care of in daunting conditions and difficult times. 

The camping paddle board is surely a difficult adventure for newbies and beginners. On top of that rowing, on a paddle board is not an easy task. It requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears to ride a paddle board hassle-free. Of course, there are many lightweight paddle boards and SUPs available, but still, you need to have good command over them. 

Hence, having a professional paddler will always give you enough confidence to camp in any place without fear of tipping off into the water or any other unknown fear. 

Best camping paddle boards

Now that you know how to plan a camping paddle board activity. But it is also important of having the right stand-up paddle board with you. So, let us now look at the top 5 paddle boards for camping that is worth buying this year and beyond.

1.Freein Kayak Camping paddle board

When speaking about the best camping paddle board, this paddle board with kayak seat by Freein should be your top choice if you want to enjoy comfortable and hassle-free camping on the water. With its ability to get converted into a kayak in no time, this SUP will take your adventure next level. 

You can also leverage its GoPro camera mount at the front and capture all your memories on the water. There is an ample of the deck with a bungee lacing system, allowing you to carry your paddling accessories and gears. From cooler to fish finder, you can carry anything on this board. 

To make things easier for you, this paddle board comes all the relevant accessories required to make your paddling more fun and effortless. From large-size carry backpacks to quick inflation pumps, everything comes in a package. 

2.Atoll Paddle Board For Camping On Lake 

Atoll is a paddle board brand which you can trust with stability, speed, flexibility and agility. This paddle board is suited for rough water and flatwater types, which makes it apart from its competitor’s solid and hard paddle boards. The more you’ll take it for a spin, the more you’ll fall in love with it. 

Also, because of its high stability and stunning tracking, anyone can take it for a ride and enjoy gliding or surfing on water. It is not only limited to camping paddle boarding but you can also take it for touring the ocean, and lake, learning paddle boarding and many water sports activities. 

It maintains 6 inches of thickness and gives enough deck rigidity to the paddler so they can ride with confidence without fear of tipping into the water. Once you stand on it, you’ll feel the bottom surface extremely rigid and anti-slip. 

Even this paddle board comes fully accessorized with a pump, bungee lacing, carry bag, hand pump, reader’s manual and a lot more. 

3.Goosehill Sailor

This is a professional camping paddle board that is made using material strength-enhancing technology. The advantage of this paddle board is its lighweight nature which makes it easy to carry and transport without a kayak rack and trailer. 

It measures 10’6”*32”*6” and weighs 20.5LBS, which makes it light, fast and easy to glide on water. You can take it camping on quite a lake, the ocean, or down the calm river. It’s a complete package and comes along with a paddle, tracking fins, backpack, hand pump and ankle safety leash. 

Besides, it is backed by 3 years of quality service on paddle boards, 1 year of service on paddle board accessories. Also, you can contact the Goosehill customer team anytime for your doubts and clarifications. They will reply to your query within 12 hours. 

4.Bluefin Paddle Board

If budget is not your constraint, then I would recommend you to buy this Bluefin Cruise 10.8 paddle board. It is versatile, looks gorgeous and is jam-packed with stunning features which makes it seaworthy to buy. 

This is the only paddle board that is made using 1000 Denier Exo Surface Laminate PVC and Pro drop stitching material. This material makes the board tough and rock solid for long-lasting usage. 

There are D rings on the deck that will allow you to convert this paddle board into a full-stack kayak. Yes, it does come with a kayak seat and many other relevant accessories to make your paddling worth remembering. 

5.ROC Paddle Board

This ROC paddle board is best known for its durability and that is what you need for camping on the water. It is also built lighweight using the same material as boards costing twice as this paddle board. It comes with everything that you need to get out and enjoy the water right away. 

The average inflation time of the board is 5 minutes, you can set it up more quickly using the quick inflation electric pump.  

The total weight is 17.5 lbs, 10 feet long, 33 inches wide, 6 inches in thickness and 20% lighweight as compared to other SUP. The board can carry a load up to 300 lbs, making it suited for medium and large-size guys. 

Apart from camping, you can take this paddle board for recreational rides, yoga and fitness session on the lake, snorkelling, diving, surfing and touring. 

Paddling gears to bring along with you

1.Life jacket

Having a paddle board life jacket is one of the most important things, especially when planning a camping paddle board adventure. According to US Costal Guard research, 85% of the people who drowned in kayak-related accidents were not wearing life vests

This is not at all acceptable, so if you care for your life get a stunning paddling or kayaking life jacket. 

There are hundreds of life jackets available in the market right now, so make sure to buy the right jacket as per your need and requirement. In my opinion, you should opt for a versatile jacket with ample pockets, and that can be worn over your clothes as well. 

Also, look for a jacket that comes with a variety of adjustment options and straps to give you the best fit. 

2.Cooler

If you are planning for a camping paddle board adventure on a hot day, what is better than having a cold drink or beverage for refreshing your mind and body? In case you are going to spend a long time camping paddle boarding on water, you surely need a paddle board cooler to keep you hydrated throughout your journey. 

Having a good SUP cooler will allow you to carry your favourite beverage, drink or food and keep it safe and fresh for a long time. 

Opt for a paddle board cooler that can insulate the coldness or the heat of the content and maintain the temperature for a long time. Such a paddle board cooler will allow you to enjoy your drink cold on hot days and enjoy your hot drink or food on cold days. 

Also, make sure you buy a cooler that can load different content, has extra features and offer various ways to keep your food and beverages. 

3.Good paddle board

The next important accessory for campaign paddle boarding is of course a rock-solid and durable iSUP that can take your camping paddling adventure to the next level. 

Paddleboards from brands like Freein, Goosehil, ROC, Body Glove and Sea Eagle is perfect for camping and touring adventures. 

Also, while buying a camping SUP, make sure you buy a board with wide deck space, good carrying capacity and stunning storage space. This will allow you to carry all your essentials on the deck and enjoy your ride without worrying about anything else. 

4.Depth finder

Another important camping paddle board accessory is a water depth finder or fish finder. Some of the paddlers opt for compact and portable depth finder while others want big-size side view 360-degree imaging depth finders.

In my opinion, you should opt for a depth finder with a GPS system that will allow you to stay on top of your journey and also help you with tracking and navigation on the water. 

Apart from that, a depth finder with GPS capabilities will allow help you with tracking your location, creating charts and waypoints, creating maps of lakes and rivers you are camping at and also help you determine the depth of water. 

So, opt for the best depth finder, as it can be a game-changing tool for your camping journey. 

5.Light

Camping paddle boarding at night can be a magical experince. Simply being out on the water after the sun is truly a stunning experince and also gives you a chance to look at the environment and wildness without any visual distractions. However, if you want to paddle board night, you must be ready with the right equipment. This is where light comes into the picture.

A paddling light is one of the most important tools to have if you are paddling in the dark. In fact, these lightweights are compulsorily required if you are paddling at night in certain locations or jurisdictions. Because this lowers the risk of collision and accidents at night. 

You can buy a standing light for a paddle board and mount them with the help of D rings or bungee lacing on the deck. You can also opt for a torch light which is more compact and subtle, but you need to hold them in your hand continuously. 

6.Tent 

A long-distance camping paddle board trip starts with learning how to pack your paddle board for a camping trip. In order to do that efforlessly, you need a camping tent for that. Most of the paddler use sit on a type of paddle board that comes with some storage space for overnight gear and accessories. 

Also, these storage spaces will keep your other camping essentials dry while you are paddling on the water. 

When buying a tent for your camping paddle board journey, you should start with tent and paddle board size. This is the logical place to start with as you need to fit your paddle board and yourself in the tent. So, the size of the tent should be big enough to fit you and your watercraft. 

For this purpose, you can buy a 2-person tent or 3-person tent that comes with additional storage space. Later on, you can give preference to tent weight and weather protection. 

7.First aid

You are doing camping paddle board for more than 4 days on the water. And you are paddling on the ocean that you haven’t visited in 12 years before. You are also tired and sore, and you are ready to put this trip behind your health. But the ocean won’t let you do that easily. There are still three miles of tough rapids between you and your paddle board.

All these sound familiar, right? 

I am 100% sure that you don’t want to experince a situation like this ever. However, you cannot avoid what’s coming, but with some preparation and know-how, and with well stocked first aid kit you can tackle situations like this hassle-free.

Buy a paddle board first aid kit that comes loaded with at least 50+ emergency supplies double-bagged for complete protection. Also, your first aid kit should be compact, waterproof, subtle and easy to carry anywhere.

8.Portable toilet

Having a well-structured camping touring plan saves lots of time and gives you more room for enjoying a variety of recreational activites on water. Particularly, a summer camping paddle boarding is a perfect gateway for chilling and refreshing on water. 

What if you need to unload some timber in the middle of your journey? This situation can be daunting especially when you want to have fun on the water but are preoccupied with this discomfort.  The struggle is surely real but not anymore with the help of portable toilets for paddle boards.

The upgraded portable potties for paddle board camping should be on top of your checklist as they serve an important purpose for campers like you who want to unwind and relax their stomach in the middle of their journey. 

9.Speaker 

Do you want to enjoy your paddle board camping journey fullest? Do you want to unwind in between your paddling journey? If yes, a paddleboard speaker will help you out. 

Apart from listening to music and getting yourself unwind, the kayaking speaker will allow you to connect your cell phone so that you can hear what your friends and family members are saying clearly and precisely. Also, playing music from a cell phone is daunting because of the lack of space on your paddle board. 

Always opt for a paddle board speaker that is 100% portable, waterproof and easy to carry while on your camping paddleboard journey. 

10.Watch and GPS

How will you monitor the time while being on a camping paddle board adventure? Of course with the help of a waterproof watch that comes along with a GPS system.  A watch is one of the most important camping essentials that not only helps in time tracking but also with navigation and staying connected with family and friends. 

If you can opt for a high-quality smartwatch, then it will also help you with a GPS system, tracking your speed, connecting your other digital device with Bluetooth and lot many other acitivtes.

11.Knief 

Last but not the least, the knife is another important accessory while going for a paddle board camping adventure on the water. Paddlers may use knives as first aid, cutting rope, food preparation, processing firewood, opening mail drops and a lot more.

Before picking up a knife for your camping paddling adventure be aware of weather condition which affects the knife you select. For example, if you are paddling in cold conditions, then you need a knife that could process firewood. If you are paddling in a humid environment, you might consider a blade more resistant to water, such as stainless steel knife. 

Hence do proper research before picking up the best knife. 

FAQs About Camping Paddle Board Adventures