No matter how good a stand up paddle boarding session you’ve enjoyed at some point it has to come to an end. And this means packing your iSUP kit down and folding it away. At this stage one of the biggest reasons paddlers choose inflatable boards comes to the fore: the easy pack down nature of an air filled product that simply folds away into a bag and can be chucked into your car boot. All too often, however, it’s a sticking point – for various reasons.
One such point is the folding of your McConks SUP paddle board. It’s easy to roll an iSUP badly and therefore have it fit in its bag awkwardly (or even not at all). But it’s certainly doable. For further evidence of successful iSUP rolling check out this article/video from Fenwick Ridley showing how to fit two longer inflatables into one bag –
Fenwick’s iSUP rolling technique is pretty bang on – for just one board at that! It’s the same method. You’re aiming to get the board packed down as tightly as possible. So first thing is to make sure all the air’s removed. You can squash the board down (making sure the inflation valve pin’s up) and rid the PSI that way. Or alternatively, use your two way pump to suck the pressure out. Just make sure the board’s as flat as possible.
Next up is rolling the board. Start from the nose and make a fold aiming to not be too wide with it. Then concertina moving towards the tail. Before you reach the back end, halt it there and switch to the board’s rear. The fin box needs to be the edge of your fold line here (if you have one – some of McConk’s iSUPs have removable fin boxes so if this is the case with ours don’t worry). Fold the tail in towards where you left off from the nose using the concertina method again. If you’re having trouble visualising this then refer back to Fenwick’s video in the post link above.
Having sorted the folds of your board it’s time to secure it with the buckle strap included. Being careful not to unfurl the board slide the buckle underneath your folded iSUP and secure, pulling the webbing taught to further tighten. Your board will be ready to pop in its bag. The additional securing straps inside the bag’s lining can be used to keep the board in place.
Next up is breaking down your three piece paddle and slotting that inside the bag followed by the pump. Zip up and adjust the outside strap tension for even more security. You’re then ready for the off back home until next time.
Note: When you arrive back at base it’s worth getting your board out for a quick rinse down and dry off to get rid of any muck and debris it may have picked up. Be careful leaving in direct sunlight for long periods of time, however, as this isn’t good for inflatable stand up paddle boards.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of McConks’ SUP SUer Guide articles via the link below –
And for even more stand up paddle boarding knowledge, SUP hacks and general chit chat hit up McConks’ blogroll via the link below –
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