The She SUPs Edit - A SUP Gear Shopping List for Female Paddlers
Have you tried to purchase SUP gear, whether it’s a stand-up paddle board or simply a dry bag, and been overwhelmed by choice and SUP jargon? Yup. Me too.
I’ve also unfortunately witnessed hundreds of women sold the wrong gear by salespeople who didn’t care for the paddler’s needs or SUP goals, but were only concerned about the sale. The number of times I hear “oh the sales guy just told me I needed it, and I didn’t know any better” infuriates me.
I have always been (and will always be) passionate about empowering female identifying individuals and gender minorities with knowledge to enable them to feel confident and empowered in an industry that for decades was male-dominated.
I never imagined She SUPs would become a retail business, but seeing an opportunity where I could once again serve this mission and support more female paddlers, I was excited to take it.
And so, The She SUPs Edit came to be.
What is The She SUPs Edit?
The She SUPs Edit is a curated collection of Red Paddle Co products selected and sold by She SUPs specifically for female identifying folk. I have hand-picked a small selection of products based on my own SUP journey, lifestyle and the products that I truly believe would help and support our community on their own unique SUP journeys. The goal of this collection is to reduce the jargon, make selecting SUP gear easier, and help you buy less but buy better - keeping your wallet and the planet happy.
The backstory - how did this come about?
I’ve been a brand ambassador for Red Paddle Co for almost 5 years now. My first board was a Red… as was my second… and third… and now I own TEN of them.
I have considered other boards… I was actually researching and planning on getting a hard board last year, but the design of the new 12ft Red Paddle Co Voyager just won me over and took my money!
Having paddled A LOT of boards and paddled in locations around the world, I’ve come to realise Red’s premium quality and design is UNMATCHED in the paddleboarding industry.
They hold themselves responsible to aiming for circular economy design processes, in order to reduce the impact they are having on the planet as a manufacturer of a plastic-based product which could end up in land-fill. And I haven’t seen ANY other paddlesports brand going as deep into this as Red is.
For full transparency - being an ambassador for Red is not a paid role.
So many people have thought over the years that I’m paid to speak positively of Red. I can promise, I’m not.
It’s simply a ‘recognition’ from Red that they appreciate how much I love and endorse their products, so they may help me get a new personal board at a discount or repost things I’m up to with She SUPs.
However after almost 5 years of being an ambassador and introducing thousands of women to the amazing products that I love and use every single day, earlier this year I had a conversation with Red that birthed The Edit.
Red offered me the opportunity for She SUPs to become an official retailer of Red products. At first I felt flattered, but then I felt concerned, I know retail is a tough business. I took a moment to think about what my paddlers would WANT and NEED, and suddenly the idea of ‘The Edit’ sparked in my mind.
I wasn’t interested in She SUPs being a generalist retailer like all the others out there. I asked myself, what if I could make choosing a paddle board or paddleboarding gear EASIER for women?
What if I could use our platform to reduce the jargon, simplify the offering and recommend and endorse products that I know She SUPs paddlers truly want/need helping them spend less and buy BETTER, which is not only better for their wallets but also for the planet!
Ultimately the majority of the paddleboarding industry is made of plastic (of many varieties) and I didn’t want to just sell people ‘stuff’ that would end up in land fill 5 years down the track. I knew with Red I could sell quality gear that would last, and with The Edit, I could help avoid over consumption.
And so, a couple of weeks ago, about 40 women and 3 men joined me and Sam from the Red Paddle team, at Red Paddle Co’s new HQ in Sydney for an evening of conversation around SUP gear, ‘the edit’, how to pack your board for expedition style adventures AND the unveiling of an EXCLUSIVE new product just for She SUPs paddlers… our She SUPs branded pro-change robe! And then even more exciting, over 80 of you then tuned in virtually the next day to watch the video repeat! The video recording is still available on request, please email me vikki@shesups.com.au if you’d like to be sent the link.
Thank you SO much to everyone who attended in person or virtually, the response has been AMAZING! I loved receiving emails after the event from women saying “I have been wanting to buy a paddle board for a while, and after watching/attending The Edit launch, I finally found the right one for me.”
Let’s take a closer look at The Edit:
THE BOARDS
So there are 6 key boards in The Edit. That’s not to say She SUPs isn’t able to sell you a Compact SUP (I adore this board) or a Race SUP or other paddleboards from Red Paddle Co. As a retailer of Red, you can still buy these items through She SUPs (just email me if you’re interested) however with the idea of simplicity in mind, our curated collection features our top 6 that we believe caters to the majority of female paddlers. They are broken down into three areas:
The “I’m seeking something super stable, super easy for all sorts of social paddles with friends and just gets me on the water ASAP” boards
(AKA The All-Rounders)These are the 10’6 and 10’8 ‘all-rounder’ boards from Red Paddle Co (also know as the 10’6 Ride and 10’8 Ride, available in purple and blue). These are the boards we use in our SUP Confidence lessons because they are so stable and are suitable for ALL environments and ALL paddlers. This was the first board I ever purchased and I paddled hundreds of km’s on it, as did the majority of our paddling community. It never fails to impress and help anyone fall in love with SUP. It’s also the best option for families, as it has heavy duty plastic fins which are kid-safe! Feel free to give me a call 0421 298 844 if you’d like to discuss more. As you can see below, all board packages come with paddle, leg rope, waterproof phone case, bag, repair kit, hand pump and a 5 year warranty.
2. The “I’m seeking something that will grow with me as a paddler as I look to paddle further or for longer. OR I’d like to upgrade from my cheaper board...” boards
(AKA The Sports)
Ready to go faster and be more efficient? Ready to head out on the water for longer periods of time or distance? Or perhaps you bought a cheapy board to get you started with paddling (Kings, iRocker, Anaconda board, etc) and you’re ready for an ‘upgrade’? The Sport range is for you, and in our Edit collection we have the 11’0 and 11’3 Red Paddle Co Sports as our top recommendations. The shape and size of these boards mean that you get much more GLIDE for every stroke you take in the water compared to an allrounder style board. This ‘glide’ is what helps you reach those longer distances with ease!!! These boards are available in purple and blue. We recommend the 11’3 if you want to keep the stability of the all rounders you’re used to, or if you’re a larger paddler or will be taking more weight on your SUP (e.g. kids on the front, dog or SUP gear), but if you want to progress a little further in balance, you may wish to consider the 11’0 as it’s 2 inches narrower and has ‘less board’ to move through the water with every stroke (ideal for smaller paddlers). If you’re not sure - call me!
3. The“I’m seeking something to embark on awesome SUP adventures! I want to go camping and take all my stuff on my board with me!” boards!
(AKA The Voyagers)
Finally, we have many paddlers looking to take their SUP adventures to the next level and embark on SUP camps, so our final category of boards in The Edit are Voyager boards, designed for long distance touring and holding lots of gear for taking camping. There are three sizes available but in The Edit we are recommending two key sizes, the 12ft by 28 inches, ideal for a petite paddler and someone comfortable with a much narrower board, and the 13’2 by 30 inches for those seeking a little more stability. These boards hold tons of gear and have incredible glide thanks to the unique V-shaped hulls. These boards are hard to turn but a beauty to paddle for hours on end. If you’re interested in long distance touring feel free to give me a call to discuss the locations you have in mind and the best gear for you (0421 298 844).
THE ACCESSORIES
When it comes to accessories there are SO many options to choose from, but with the desire to help you buy less but buy better, we’ve tried and tested them all and come up with this simple list.
1.“the one for the hummus and champagne” (AKA Coolbag Backpack) …the ultimate waterproof cool bag, which as a community we tend to use for hummus …and champagne!! (Tried and tested - it can fit 4 bottles of champagne!) In all seriousness, on your day paddles, if you’re wanting to bring lunch, a cold drink or some other nibbles, a waterproof coolbag backpack is a MUST and this one is the best.
2. “the fits everything for camping bag” (AKA 60L SUP Expedition Bag)…this one is for our expedition-style campers, who are wanting to load their touring boards with heaps of gear. The 60L SUP Expedition Kit bag has been tried and tested on numerous SUP camps and fits a 2-person tent, sleeping bag, roll mat, stove top and clothes for 1 person EASILY. Get in touch to find out more about gear for multi-day touring, typically we recommend that you should have a 60L camp bag and a 30L day bag.
3. the ”I’m heading from SUP to town waterproof backpack” (AKA Waterproof Backpack)…when it came to choosing a SUP dry bag to have in our collection, we used a bit of #GirlMath to come up with the bag which was not only technically the best design, but best value for money in terms of cost per wear. With this waterproof backpack, it’s perfect for paddling but ALSO your commute to work. So why buy two bags, when you can buy one and get multiple uses out of it, right?
4. “the ’more than’ standard drybag with some seriously handy straps... and my BFF on camps” (AKA 30L Roll Top Dry Bag)… sometimes all you need is a dry bag, but there are dry bags and then there are… DRY bags. Having experienced ‘damp’ clothes that have come out of not-so-great dry bags, I was keen to have a dry bag in our collection that was guaranteed to keep everything super dry. I love this 30L one from Red Paddle Co, also because it has handy backpack straps! When you’re carrying gear down to the water I always find I don’t have enough hands - but that is no longer a problem with this beauty! The reason it’s known as my BFF on camps, is because in expedition style paddling you want a 60L bag for your camp gear and a 30L bag for your day gear, and this one is ideal for that.
5. the “I’m embarrassed to deflate my SUP in public tool” (AKA Silent Air Remover) …and finally, a must for every paddler with an inflatable SUP - the silent air remover! The silent air remover is a tool from Red Paddle Co, that helps defuse the loud explosion that we all know (and are embarrassed by!) every time we deflate our SUPs.
Oohhh I’m interested in some of these products, how do I buy from She SUPs?
If you like the sound of The Edit - check out our online shop! We are gradually updating our online shop to include ALL of the products mentioned above so you can order DIRECT from She SUPs. Please note, we don’t hold stock so once we receive your order we will then place your order direct with Red HQ and they will ship your product direct from warehouse to your house!!
I am writing this blog post at the same time as updating our online shop, so if an item isn’t on there yet, please email me vikki@shesups.com.au to place your order... but fingers crossed it will all be up there by the time you read this!
Why buy from She SUPs?
When you buy from She SUPs you will:
Receive tailored advice on the right gear for you based on your unique SUP goals and needs. I am not holding stock, so I will never be trying to push stock onto paddlers just to make a sale and move stock. I will only recommend products if they are right for you, and if they aren’t, I’ll tell you not to buy and will provide suggestions of where to look elsewhere.
Receive $25 She SUPs Credit with every board purchase so that you’re able to kick start your SUP journey straight away!
Receive a 30 minute unboxing call with Vikki from She SUPs to get you set-up and answer any questions you have about your board! I have met too many women who buy a SUP and then it sits in a box at home unopened, so we won’t let that happen to your new SUP! We will unbox it together on FaceTime and I’ll be there every step of the journey to help and offer advise.
Be supporting She SUPs and women in SUP! Upon purchase, you should give yourself a big hug from us to thank you for supporting a female-run small business and consequently supporting the work we do in increasing female participation in adventure sports woo! You’re an awesome human.
Woah. That was a big post and there’s so much more to share. We are still updating the website with The Edit details so if you don’t see an item you’d like to buy, please email me vikki@shesups.com.au to find out more and I promise to have the She SUPs shop fully updated soon.
Thank you SO much for all of your love and feedback on The Edit. I’m so excited to embark on this journey with you all!!
Happy paddling!
Vikki x
Founder of She SUPs