Review: Aquaplanet Supapump – The answer to your Paddle Boarding dreams!

January 5, 2024

I started paddle boarding during lockdown. It was a healthy escape from the cabin fever, zoom quizzes and home baking. 4 years on I still love the sport. I try to get out to explore our local rivers and coastlines as much as I can. But there has been one thing that I’ve really struggled with about paddle boarding from the offset… the manual pump!

The Imperfections of a Manual Pump

Most Paddle Boards come with their own manual pump as part of the package when you buy them. To begin with the work you had to put into pumping up the board really didn’t bother me. We’d often go out paddling as a family so hubby would often chip in for the last set of pumps if I couldn’t get the PSI’s high enough. But as my enjoyment of the sport grew I found myself heading out on my own more frequently. This is when the manual pump really started to let me down. I don’t mind a bit of physical hard work but there were many times when I simply couldn’t pump the last few PSI’s. I’d have to compromise on a softer board than I wanted which often impacted on my paddle experience. I needed help!

About the Aquaplanet Supapump

The Supapump is a compact but robust and powerful pump capable of inflating your board up to 20psi in minutes. Packed up in it’s own case it comes with different size gaskets, attachment hose and a variety of standard nozzles. The pump operates using a car cigarette lighter which attaches via a 3 metre cable. All that’s left to do is get the car running, connect to the board and tap in your required PSI.

My Experience of the Supapump

I’ve now used the Aquaplanet Supapump on two solo winter paddles and it has made a huge impact on my SUP experience. I keep the pump in my car as it’s so small it just tucks away under a seat – this means I never forget to bring it with me. The pump bag is well laid out with everything to hand. I found attaching the hose and the cable straight forward and before I knew it it was time to set the pressure. Again, this is fool proof – just tap the orange button with a + until the display panel shows your desired PSI and off you go. The pump starts with a low hum but suddenly cranks up when the board becomes more inflated. The noise is the only downside of the pump. One of my test paddles was in quite an idyllic, isolated area in Sussex and I did feel a bit embarrassed to be making so much noise! However, the disturbance is short lived as within 5 minutes the board is fully inflated – and I haven’t even broken a sweat. Once your desired pressure level is achieved the pump automatically cuts off allowing you to remove the hose and reattach the board seal. Then you’re all set. I’ve been able to inflate my board to a pressure level I could never achieve with a manual pump. As an experience this means that the board is harder, sturdier and easier to balance on. It’s been an absolute game changer.

Pros