How do you deflate and store an inflatable SUP?

When practicing inflatable paddle boarding, the handling and management of the equipment are essential in order to maintain healthy and reliable equipment over time. The deflation phase is essential to properly store your SUP.

In this article, we will answer the following question: how to deflate and store your paddle? And address the problems you may encounter and how to avoid them. We’ll start by talking about the material, then the procedure itself and give you some tips along the way.

1. Preparation

To store your paddle, you will need the following equipment:

The storage bag,
a cloth
as well as your hands.

To deflate and store your paddle while respecting your equipment, it is essential to follow the following steps when preparing:

To prepare, find a suitable spot, avoid places where your paddle could fly away, or it could be damaged. The ideal would be a large rug or carpet on the floor in order to preserve your SUP.

Then, make sure you have everything you need on hand.

2. Preliminary steps for deflation

Before deflating your paddle, start by using your cloth to wipe your paddle and therefore protect it from mold, sand that could damage it and odors.
Then, disassemble your fin to put the SUP flat on the ground.
Dry and store your fin.

3. Deflate the inflatable paddle board

We finally come to the most important part,deflating the paddle.

To do this:

Open the inflation valve cap, then open the valve by pressing the central button and lock it in the open position by a quarter turn before releasing.
Let the paddle empty of air.
While the air is escaping, store or disassemble the paddle leash in the way that works best for you. Disassemble it to prevent it from dragging once the paddle is folded.

4. Fold and store the inflatable paddle board

We are now going to start rolling the paddle:

Stand in the back. The sup is right side up.
Start by making a forward fold so that all three fin housings are visible.
Then, fold the rearmost fin housing over the other two bringing it towards you.
Finally, resume driving in the original direction. Bend the paddle by applying pressure to empty the remaining air in the SUP.

Once folded, store it in its bag and close it.

For storage, choose a dry and cool place, away from direct sunlight.

Le tips SROKA

The first little advice would be to be wary of algae, which can react with the materials and could stain them, so make sure to rinse your paddle properly especially if you store it for a long time.
Regarding storage in the garage, avoid putting weight on your paddle and ideally, store it vertically, and not flat.
Finally, and although it seems logical, avoid deflating your paddles in the water, because even if it avoids sand, it would be dramatic to get water inside your SUP.

Conclusion

In conclusion, be careful where you choose to deflate your paddle, make sure that it is as clean as possible when storing it, especially for long storage and above all, learn our homemade folding technique to avoid damaging your fin housings.

All you have to do is enjoy our paddle boards which, we assure you, if you take care of them, will last you a long time.

How do you deflate a paddle? Now you have the answer. Always make sure to take care of your equipment, it’s the guarantee that it will last you a long time! All you have to do is go and enjoy yourself on the water. Many other articles are available on our website to help you in your paddle practice, do not hesitate to take a look!

The SROKA team.

If you still have questions about this, or for any other request, please do not hesitate to contact us !