Of course, the most needed accessory when you go out paddle boarding: your paddle! Hence the name paddle boarding obviously 😉
There are huge differences between paddles, although they all may look the same to you. If you pick up a high quality paddle, you will feel the difference immediately though.
High quality paddles for paddle boarding are made out of fiberglass and/or carbon, which make the paddles a lot lighter than cheap plastic or aluminum ones. This makes it a lot easier to paddle without getting exhausted, but these paddles are also way more durable.
So I will not surprise you below, no aluminum or plastic paddles will be included. However, these are often included with beginner paddle boards to keep the pricing low. As a beginner, just to get started and practice without making long tours, an aluminum paddle will suffice.
Do you want to make long tours or paddle faster, then get an upgrade or purchase a package where a better paddle is included. Check out my article about the best paddle boards for 2024 to find some good packages with fiberglass/carbon paddles included that aren’t crazy expensive.
Below I will tell you all about the best SUP paddles and what makes them so good, besides the fact that they are fiberglass or carbon. Because paddles of the same material are of course a bit harder to differentiate, I will also take other online reviews into account to see what their conclusions are.
Let’s get started below with the important factors when choosing a SUP paddle.
