Paddle Boarding Clothes: Sup Clothing for All Year

We’ve been through just about everything in our years of paddle boarding experience: unspeakable sweating, sunburns, hypothermic and injured feet, bone-chilling cold traveling through our bodies.

By now, we more than appreciate how important the right clothing is when paddle boarding for our own safety and health.

We show you the right SUP clothing for men and women, as well as for children.

Why Is the Right Paddle Board Outfit So Essential?

With the right clothing on your body, you fulfill two of the most important responsibilities in paddle boarding: your safety and health.

In the summer, the sun heats us up and in the cooler seasons, the water temperature can be our downfall.

Burns, sun strokes and hypothermia threaten if you wear the wrong thing on your body. For safety reasons alone, in addition to the leash and life jacket, therefore, always look at the weather conditions.

In addition, the paddle board tour is no fun if you are freezing or in sweltering heat under the wrong clothes, literally melting. But not only the weather conditions play an important role in the paddle boarding clothing choice.

Also, the risk of injury must also be considered under certain circumstances.

The Right Paddle Board Clothing for Every Season

Different seasons require different clothing. What is true on land is also true for the paddle board. In addition, however, with consideration of the circumstances that you have to expect on the water.

Depending on the weather conditions, the paddle board outfit differs even partly, quite strongly from season to season.

The Right Paddle Board Clothing for Spring

Tender spring can still be quite harsh at times for paddle boarders. The water temperatures are often not even 10 degrees, in the morning or in the evening it can be uncomfortable even out of the water.

A dry suit offers safe protection and hands, feet as well as the head are happy in spring even if you think about them. There are both unisex suits and paddle board clothing for women.

The Right Paddle Board Clothing for Summer

In summer, both air and water are pleasantly warm. Hypothermia hardly threatens in this season. But painful burns under the sun or even sunstroke. Especially on the water, the sun’s rays reflect quite strongly.

Free body parts, the eyes, and the head are sensitive. A paddle board suit is then too powerful for many. The SUP clothing for men here typically consists only of the swim trunks.

For this season, however, there are for example breathable long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses with and without prescription and also answers to the question of headgear on hot days.

The Right Paddle Board Clothing in Autumn

Although in early autumn you can still benefit from the temperature foothills of summer and the water cools down only gradually, you should not underestimate even mild autumn months.

What is not yet in spring is no longer in autumn: summer. Here it behaves similarly and the body including head, hands and feet should be protected from the cold.

The Right Paddle Boarding Clothing in Winter

Calm water, fresh winter air but also really cold conditions that can quickly become a health risk – winter has charm but needs special attention in terms of SUP outfit.

Besides the cold air breeze, especially the water reaches bone-chilling temperatures. Not only feet want to be protected from the cold wet when sloshing on the board, you should also be sufficiently prepared for a possible fall into the water.

Paddle Boarding Clothing for Touring and White Water

A small lake tour is much more predictable with a paddle board than a longer tour or even paddle boarding in white water.

For this, you need to be prepared not only for SUP in bad weather, but also, among other things, for challenges for the feet when transferring or in churning waters.

Paddle Board Clothing for Different Body Parts

Paddle Board Clothing for the Head

It should be comfortable, but it should also protect you from the sun and cold water – a cap is indispensable for SUP, especially in the cold seasons.

In summer it protects us from sunstrokes. For this purpose, there are models that are particularly well suited for the paddle board.

Paddle Board Clothing for the Upper Body

The wool sweater is of course not the answer when paddle boarding on cold days, and in the summer it can also be useful to protect yourself sufficiently from the sun with a SUP shirt.

Sports shirts also have features that are particularly suitable for paddle boarding in all seasons. Their breathability and ability to dry quickly are just as much a part of this as their comfort.

Paddle Board Clothing for the Hands

Not only cold is a valid point to protect the hands on the paddle. Some also react a bit more sensitively to the friction effect, which can end in painful blisters, especially on longer tours.

In addition, gloves provide better grip on the shaft and handle and can facilitate paddle control. Of course, this is not possible with the classic winter glove, but there are special sports models for water sports enthusiasts.

Paddle Board Clothing for the Lower Body

Neoprene or breathable sports or swimming pants are sometimes the best solutions in terms of paddle board leg wear. To adapt to the season, the pants come in short as well as mid-length and long versions.

For ladies, swim skirts are also a popular fashion choice on the paddle board in the summer.

Paddle Board Clothing for the Feet

We’ve had some unpleasant experiences with torn feet when transferring, and can also sing a little song in terms of numbness in cold temperatures.

Therefore, shoes are a must for us on longer tours, at least in the paddle board luggage on the board.

Otherwise, like probably most paddle boarders, we prefer barefoot paddling. When and why it may not be worth it to do without the paddle board footwear, we explain to you in more detail in this article.

If you don’t feel comfortable with shoes, you can also use neoprene socks for the paddle board.

Paddle Boarding Safety Equipment

• Restube: Even if you know how to swim, safety equipment belongs on your body, which can be life-saving in the event of an accidental fall from the board. At least the Restube is suitable as a helper, which is even approved as mandatory in the regulations of some water regulations. The Restube Classic does not replace a life jacket or life preserver, but it is worn comfortably as a belt around the waist and, thanks to a CO2 cartridge, becomes an inflated buoy in case of danger.

• Life jacket: Life jackets, on the other hand, provide buoyancy to assist the paddler in swimming back to shore, to a lifeboat, or to the board, thus supporting the paddler’s movements on the surface of the water.

• Helmet: Especially in challenging water conditions such as whitewater SUP, the risk of accidents is increased, which can also affect the head sensitively. Helmets are therefore the protective answer for paddle boarders to significantly minimize the risk of injury in this area. A paddle board helmet needs to fit perfectly in order to perform safely. Find out which models are particularly suitable for paddle boarders in our test.

Which Is Better: Wetsuit or Dry Suit for Paddle Boarding?

Wetsuits are more suitable than drysuits for more frequent water contact. They fit close to the body, soak up water and warm the wet with your own body temperature. So you’re always wet, but warm at the same time.

Drysuits, on the other hand, are wider cut, are pulled over your paddle board clothing, and allow minimal to no water to pass through should you fall off your board. Find out exactly what makes the difference between the two methods here.

FAQ