Pumping up an inflatable SUP by Red Paddle Co

I’m often asked about how long it takes to pump up a Red Paddle Co inflatable SUP. So, when I set out to review the 2014 Red Paddle Co 12’6″ Race (~~review out next week~~ out now), I was sure to include a pump up video. It’s not so much a how to inflate your SUP video, rather a how long it takes to inflate and prepare your inflatable SUP for your session.

[Spoiler alert] It takes me 7 mins 10 seconds to inflate the board, install the RSS battens and install the US box style fin. By comparison the 10’6″ Ride took me 4 mins 47 seconds for this review, and the 10′ Surfer took me 3 mins 56 seconds for this review. Installing the RSS battens took just over a minute and installing the fin took just under a minute.

In the video, I pump the board up to the recommended 20PSI, but not quite to the high performance 25 PSI. For this, the Red Paddle Co HP pump is suggested. The board comes standard with the Ezee pump. Already at 20PSI it’s a good 5-8PSI above most brands’ recommended inflatable stand up paddle board pressures. For these boards, rigidity, and therefore performance, boils down to 2 very simple criteria: Pressure and construction.

Red Paddle Co are not only the industry leaders in high pressure inflatable SUP boards, but also in the high density drop stitch construction and the TEC Air construction process. With both these factors combined, it makes for a very rigid yet comfortable board. More in the review next week.