How To Plan An Epic Multi-Day SUP Trip

If you’re an experienced paddler and are looking to have more adventures on your SUP then a multi-day paddle boarding trip might just be your favourite holiday yet. It’s a great way to make the most of your SUPing skills whilst creating some incredible memories with friends or family. The key to planning the best SUP trip is safety and preparation. With this in mind, take a look at the following top tips before you plan your next multi-day SUP trip. 

Be Honest About Your Skill Level 

A multi-day SUP trip isn’t suitable for beginners, and even if you’re an experienced paddler, it’s important not to overstretch yourself, particularly if this is your first overnight SUP trip. Before you start planning your adventure, make sure that you are completely comfortable on the board, have paddled in different conditions, and know the distance that you can cover safely. It’s important to base your itinerary on the skill level of everyone in the group to ensure you don’t plan a SUP trip that is unrealistic and dangerous. 

Plan Your Route Thoroughly

Are you planning on heading to a different location each day or staying and paddling in the same area? If you are changing location, how are you getting from A to B? These are all important questions to consider. Make sure you’ve researched all the locations you’re planning on paddling in thoroughly, to ensure that they’re safe. If you’re planning on driving between locations you’ll also need to make sure there’s parking near your entry/exit points. It’s also essential to have a strong idea of the distance you’ll be covering on your board each day. Make sure your plan is realistic and safe… Remember, you’ve got to keep it up for a few days and so don’t overdo it on the first day!

Sort Your Accommodation

Another crucial part of planning the best SUP trip is choosing your accommodation. Do you want to camp or would you rather stay in a hotel or Airbnb? If you want to make it a camping SUP trip, make sure that you’re able to camp in your intended location or book a site as necessary. Equally, if you’d prefer to stay in a hotel or rented accommodation overnight, make sure to get these planned in advance so that you can focus on enjoying your SUP trip when it comes around.

Check The Weather

Whenever you go paddle boarding, it’s always essential to check the weather beforehand to ensure that conditions are safe. Before you leave for your SUP trip, check the weekly forecast to give yourself a basic idea of what conditions will be like, so that you know if it’s safe to go ahead, and if so what gear you need to pack. At this point if the weather conditions are looking unsafe, for example if wind is extremely high or heavy rainfall is expected, you should consider delaying your trip until it’s safer. If conditions look okay and you head out on your SUP trip, make sure to keep on checking the weather on a day by day basis, assessing conditions directly before you head out on the water.