SUP | Cargo & storage

A quick guide to SUP storage options for touring and summer adventures.

24 September, 2019 by

Consult Design Create, Steve Childs

SUPS are a great way to explore our inland waterways in the summer, and we've been increasingly getting out and enjoying river journeys with friends in canoes and kayaks.

Now, we like our food, and as such we wouldn't be on the river without at the very least an emergency sandwich or two.... combine this with some drinking water, basic safety equipment, wallet, phone, and even the basic essentials can quickly mount up to being a bit of pain to lug around.

Our first instinct was to make friends with as many canoeists as possible - they've got loads of spare room to stow all our gear whilst on the river, and this works like a dream for a few trips........

Trouble is, after a while, even the finest food bribes seem to become ineffective at persuading said canoeists to haul your cargo for you and so we quickly became aware we'd need to find a solution for carrying our own gear, but what were our options?

Backpacks:

For smaller, and lighter loads a daypack can be ideal - waterproof items can be stored inside dry bags or waterproof liner bags.

Pros: minimal expense, gives you a handy bag for carrying your gear off the water.

Cons: Raises your centre of gravity, risk of smashing fragile items during a fall, not ideal for heavier items, can be uncomfortable with some PFD / life jacket options.

Suggested liner/drybag options: NRS Bills Bag, NRS Mightylight

Odoo • Image and Text

Bags secured to board:

There are a few options here.

We started out by clipping a dry bag to the anchor points on the bow of the board. This was an immediate improvement to the backpack in terms of freedom of movement, and certainly left me with a less achy back at the end of a days paddling, I did find the bag had a tendency to pop through the bungee when the inevitable happens and I fall in though.................

Watershed Ocoee dry bag

RED Cargo net

I then tried the RED cargo net - this was a definite improvement over just lashing, strapping, or clipping my dry bags directly to the deck as it definitely held the bags more securely during 'mishap-moments' it also gave me a handy zip pocket to store bits I need quick access to.