Best inflatable stand-up paddleboards for fun on the water

Paddle boarding is one of the best ways to get outside and enjoy a lake, river, or ocean. Since some boats and traditional wood paddle boards are less portable due to their bulky nature, an inflatable paddle board is the perfect solution whether you’re traveling by foot, car, or airplane.

Most beginners use a 10ft 6in board, which is a good all-rounder that will track well in the water and go where you want it to. But there are different lengths for all kinds of uses, from surfing and racing to touring and even yoga.

It’s not just on the water where SUPs need to excel, because they need to be portable, easy to inflate and made from some quality materials that will survive submerged scrapes and on-board bumps.

Whether you’re a paddling pro or boarding beginner, these are the best SUPs for exploring the coastline

The board is 10.5 feet long, and it includes an ankle leash, an adjustable aluminum paddle, one plastic fin, a manual air pump, a repair kit, and a nylon carrying bag.

While it took about 10 minutes to inflate the paddle board, once it was ready to go, we were thoroughly impressed with how lightweight and easy it was to carry nearly a half mile down a dirt trail to get to the river.

It weighs a mere 13.9 pounds, making it the lightest board we tested, and it proved to have superior portability. Despite its lightweight build, the PVC material has noticeably sturdy drop-stitch seams, and it’s clear how durable the board is after we used it during a four-day river camping trip.

Obviously, inflation systems (yes, we mean the pump) are pretty important when it comes to an inflatable paddleboard, but pumps have come a long way from the days when blowing up an inflatable on the beach would leave you a sweaty mess. All the boards included below were easy and quick to inflate, especially those that came with high-pressure double-action pumps.

A board with enough stability can get most first-timers standing up and paddling in minutes and well on their way to mastering the basic strokes and skills by the end of their first SUP lesson.