Portofino SUP Inflatable Paddleboard
Stand up paddle boarding or SUP is something we have enjoyed for the last couple of years. In the past we have always hired out a paddleboard but this can be an expensive option as it can be anything from between £10 and £30 for an hour hire and of course there is never a guarantee that paddleboards are available if you turn up on the day.
Since lockdown, people have found joy in outdoor activities closer to home, and stand up paddleboarding has become increasingly popular.
We don’t live close to the sea, but we do have a few local places to SUP within an hours drive of Staffordshire.
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Read here for our BEST campsites with access to the water for SUP
We often hit the road in the campervan and love the idea of packing a paddleboard so I was keen to try out the Portofino SUP inflatable board to see if it worked for our family. Read on for our stand up paddleboard review.
Portofino SUP
The Portofino Inflatable SUP is 33 inches x 4.75 inches when fully inflated making it an excellent option for both beginners and advance boarders. At 33”, the Portofino paddle board is a good 3” wider than many other 10ft SUPs. This basically helps to improve its buoyancy and reduce the amount of wobbles, therefore making it more stable to ride on. The Griptech deck further enhances balance as it is designed to retain optimum grip when wet.
Inflatable SUP – how does it work?
The Portofino 10ft SUP comes with everything you need to carry it, inflate it, and hit the water. It is incredibly easy to blow up, takes around 5 minutes at the most. The Portofino comes in a bag, with a pump and paddle included.
The SUP is fitted with a Quickflate valve and includes a high-pressure one-way pump for fast, easy inflation. . The pump has an inbuilt pressure gauge, and this allows you to accurately inflate the SUP to the recommended capacity of 15 PSI.
The 18cm x 20cm fin is removable – it slides and clips in to place. Its removable design makes the SUP easier to pack away and protect it from damage on transit.
On tip is to add and remove the fin off the beach, as we did blow it up once whilst on the beach and the sand got stuck in the fin and make it tricky to remove.
The paddlebaord also comes with a height adjustable aluminium paddle which is adjustable from 167cm to 217 cm. It is incredibly light and floats so you can easily retrieve it it if you accidentally drop it in the water.
It is easy to store and carry as it comes in a great travel bag. the SUP itself weighs 7.8kg and once deflated packs into an incredibly compact size, making it east to store in a car or in our case the campervan.
Stand up paddleboard for kids
The Portofino SUP has already provided HOURS of entertainment over our last campervan trip. The kids loved it, especially our eldest who mastered standing up and balancing really quickly. The adjustable paddle is extremely light so worked well for the kids, and we found it really easy to pump up and put away so it wasn’t a faff to take it anywhere.
The Portofino has a coil leash with an adjustable neoprene ankle strap to prevent the SUP drifting away if you fall into the water. The cord stretches to 2-metres for greater freedom of movement and gives peace of mind when any of us fell into the water knowing the SUP would not drift away.
Cost of inflatable paddleboard
The Portofino paddleboard currently retails at £299 which is excellent value for money. There are some really expensive options on the market and I would be more hesitant in letting the kids have the freedom on the SUP if we had spent £1000.
Trail Outdoor Leisure offer free UK standard delivery and have a hassle free returns policy.
Inflatable paddle board – final thoughts
Absolutely loved this paddle board. We found it really easy to take out with us, super quick to put up and down with no hassle, and so far has provided hours of entertainment on our campervan travels. I did worry about packing it in an already jam packed campervan, but it didn’t take up much room, and with the carry bag it packed well with no need for additional roof bars! I couldn’t imagine not having one in the van for our beach and lake days and when space is tight. A absolutely brilliant piece of kit!
**This post contains affiliate links – We were also provided with a stand up paddleboard for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**