There is a new law that says that a SUP board is a vessel if it is being use for transportation – on a river, bay or lake. If it is 10 feet or longer, the new requirement is to wear a life jacket, and in Oregon, to have an Invasive Species Permit.

I don’t mind paddling in my life jacket. It’s a fisherman’s style. It’s warm. However, paddling for over a mile – is harder to keep the arms out – away from the straps, and it does get warm so in the summer that is really uncomfortable. When you are paddling on flat warm water, it seems a bit overkill to have on a huge life jacket.

Learning to SUP to me, was a lot like riding a bike. You fall off a couple of times, then you’re a bit wobbly, but once you get the balance, you’re good to go. Same with the SUP. It took A LOT longer for me than the average person I’ve seen to SUP comfortably. I will honestly say it had to do with my size and muscle tone last year.  I spent 2 months SUP’ing and hour two times a day – and now I’d say I have the muscle tone I need. I have fallen off one time on a tippy board when hitting a dock, but other than that, I’ve stayed on.  The longest trip I’ve taken is 6 miles. My daily route for Stand Up Paddle or Canoe is 2 miles a day. 

Oh. Solution? sure.

When we went on the Tillamook National Water Trail Dedication trip, all of the Stand Up Paddle Boards had life jackets strapped to the fronts.  Some had plugs with bungees, but many had suction cup bags. They threw in their license, life jacket, whistle, chap stick, water bottle, and a few snacks. They had cool back pack style bags that were black and made of the netting. 

I went to my local mart – and found a laundry bag, then to the plumbing section and found suction cups.  I went to the fishing section to see if the bag was big enough – It Was!  So home gain, filled up the bags, took a tool to squeeze the hooks closed, and presto!  My Life Jacket can stay on the top of a SUP board!  I also like these bags for the canoe – I can just throw one in. 

I put together three packages, mostly because the suction cups came in portions of 3, so buying 4 pkgs made sense. If you like this idea, but don’t have a life jacket or whistle, Google PDF in a BAG –they are Super Cool small bags – come with everything – for under $40.00. Since I have a laundry basket full of life jackets, it wasn’t cost effective for me to buy theirs. I wish they sold their bag separate – it is Super Cool.  

Off for another adventurous day!