Author: Texas Paddle Board

First aid basics on the paddle trails

Sunburn? Maybe. Heatstroke or twisted ankle? Possible. But what else are realistic first aid situations to be mindful of when going on a paddle trip? The ACLS Training Center shared some pro tips for paddle boarders and kayakers: https://www.acls.net/2016/02/17/wilderness-first-aid-basics

Wilderness first aid is the knowledge and ability to effectively address injuries, illnesses, or emergencies outside of modern facilities, out in the wild. Skills include knowing how to dress a wound, treat a burn or bite, or set an injured limb.

Preparation for first aid and wilderness essentials

The most basic wilderness first aid skill is the skill to properly prepare. Putting together a well-stocked travel first aid kit. Common items in a wilderness first aid kit include disinfectant, bandages, bite or sting ointment, a pair of tweezers, and Benadryl. 

Basic first aid

While having all of the supplies for first aid is important, knowing how to properly use all of the items in your first aid box is crucial ACLS, BLS, or PALS recertification may be beneficial to those who may have let their initial certification in these life-saving skills lapse and are in need of a refresher.

Survival skills

Survival skills are also critical for those exploring the great outdoors. Knot-tying, shelter-building, fishing, fire-making, and foraging are all skills that, should you be stuck in the wilderness, will help to sustain you until help arrives.

https://www.acls.net/2016/02/17/wilderness-first-aid-basics

https://www.acls.net/2016/02/17/wilderness-first-aid-basics

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment

Cooler wheel kits for Yeti’s: the good, bad and ugly

I tried out three different cooler wheel kits on my Yeti 65 and Igloo 120 quart coolers: the Camco wheel cart, Badger wheels and Fullet wheel kit. I was surprised what I found! Links to prices below.

LINKS TO WHEEL KITS ON AMAZON:

  1. Camco Wheel Kit: https://amzn.to/3PNx5jg
  2. Badger Wheels: https://amzn.to/3XJ8VIB
  3. Fullet wheels: https://amzn.to/43akDx2
  4. Restrospec Palisade: https://amzn.to/3O2mgHN

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment

New for 2022: Guided paddleboard and kayak tours at Wally’s Watersports at Medina Lake

There’s not a ton of places to rent paddleboards at Medina Lake, but if you go to MICO on the south side of Medina Lake, there are a few rental shops. Wally’s has both kayak and paddleboard rentals that go along with their real bread-and-butter of ski & wakeboard instruction (check out their photos on their site – their instructor Mike is an OG.)

Here’s three things I like about renting paddleboards at Wally’s Watersports:

First, it’s a good value. You can rent Stand-up Paddleboards for $45 for 4 hours – which is a great “per hour” rate for on-location rentals.

Second, they do guided experiences. I intentionally say “experiences” instead of tours. New for this year is a 1 hour or 1 ½ hour guided rental package where you’re instructed in SUP, taken on a tour of the lake coastline, and guided in mindfulness techniques. Quick pause – What’s mindfulness? Mindfulness is a relaxation and stress-reducing technique similar to, but different than meditation. It’s intended to help you focus on the senses and feelings in the moment. It’s intended to be simple by not trying to reaching some deep thoughts or personal revelations. Mindfulness includes breathing exercises, visualization, and other things that calm your concern over how the world is basically a hot mess. 

Last, its one of those fun hidden gem places – like that incredible hole-in-the-wall taco place (looking at you Tacos n Salsa!) or that underutilized city park that people don’t seem to find. Everyone needs a party-trick where they can say “I was at this cool hole in the wall place last weekend” and be the most interesting person in the room for 5 minutes. Wally’s Watersports is your party-trick.

Unlike many public launch and park areas, Wally’s Watersports is private. You’re able to unwind and avoid that one guy who’s always blasting his bro-country stereo. While you’ll generally have the place to yourself you may occasionally cross another group of those enjoying water ski lessons – which may be inspiring or hilarious or both.

Medina Lake has some of the cleanest lake water in Texas from the filtering nature of all the limestone. Its not crystal clear like the spring-fed San Marcos River, and the water level (and where the waterfront is) varies a lot. So you win some and loose some, but overall the water quality is great to play and swim in. Even during windy days, the lake has protected coves in parts if things are more choppy than normal.

What’s it like there?

When you park at Wally’s Watersports you’ll be welcomed in, given information about the area you’ll soon be enjoying, then guided down to the lake for a short hike to a private dock. Inflatable, mid-level SUP’s are pre-set and launched for you. If you are not experienced on a paddleboard, the staff will help you get started. The covered dock and adjacent picnic table with umbrella are yours to enjoy for the duration of your rental. Bring a cooler with your eats and drinks. The back of a cove rarely has other traffic than the occasional fisherman in the area surrounding the dock. Think “hole in the wall restaurant” but for SUP rentals – This private setting is a great get away and the staff is very friendly and helpful.

Wally’s Watersports Mindfulness Paddleboard experience is guided by a certified Lifestyle Coach (the same organization that certifies personal trainers has a cert for nutrition + weight called “lifestyle” coaching). Enjoy a short guided hike through a peaceful, rustic hill country setting to the first stop of the mindfulness experience: a tranquil bridge to enjoy nature while getting centered and adjusting to a slower pace…Lake time. You’ll enjoy the ever-changing lake shore as you complete the hike to the dock. Taking off onto the clear waters of Medina Lake, you’ll be guided through various mindfulness techniques as you enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding hills.

I pulled the prices from their website here: https://wallyswatersports.com/kayak%2Fsup-rental

“SUP rentals – $45/person for 4 hours, 2 person minimum, includes transport to dock and use of private dock and picnic table. Reservations are strongly suggested particularly on weekends. Want to make a day of it and enjoy all Wally’s Watersports has to offer? Call for package pricing which includes lessons, SUP/kayak rentals and private use of the area for the day! Let us do the driving and the launching is already done for you! Guided Mindfulness Paddleboard Experience – $100/2 people for a 60 minute experience or $150/2 people for a 90 minute experience, additional hours of SUP rental are $10/hour/person. No prior paddleboard experience is necessary. Enjoying the experience in a kayak is also an option.“

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment

New park in Shavano Park (De Zavala and Military)

We found a great little park that’s not even on the map yet! It’s always fun to know a local secret place to get outside.

The city of Shavano Park recently built a nice playground with that squishy rubber ground stuff, a huge pavilion you can reserve, and a short set of trails on the property. Plenty of parking, basically no one there, but the security of knowing your literally 200 feet from a police station with cameras all over the place ….so there’s far less weirdo’s over there than at O.P. Schnabel (ask a friend how to pronounce that one).

Just north of the corner of De Zavala and Military highway is the “Shavano Park Municipal Tract” – or a block of land about 20-something acres large. The police station and 911 call center is there,

After we picked up some Gino’s Deli down the road we picnicked at their pavilion – but fun fact – there’s almost no tables because they only get them out for you if you rent the thing. But there’s 5 or 6 nice wood picnic tables around and its all shaded by trees. Other fun fact – did you know Gino’s was #21 on  Yelp’s top 100 in the country? Gino’s philly steak sandwiches with their hot sauce are so good…

But this is about the park. I snapped some quick photos from my phone – take a peek.

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment

GlowRow! An awesome lighted paddle tour in the Corpus, Port A and Port O’Conner area

“Hey all! Cici here down in Port Aransas – I got the pleasure of getting a sneak peak into https://glowrow.com – one of the newest and most interesting companies that I’ve come across. When I first heard it the first thing that came to mind was bioluminescent – and I was exactly… wrong.

I hadn’t heard of the Crystal Kayak tours in San Marcos, and totally missed this is a “lighted and guided” tour! What makes GlowRow so unique is their equipment. Their kayaks are completely transparent, and it’s lit up with LED lights which illuminate the water beneath you. I would compare it to snorkeling without getting wet.

The signup process was simple. Everything was self-explanatory on the website and the coolest thing was that the price came to $40 even per person. The folks at GlowRow said they are the only night time kayak tour company on the Texas coast that’s got the “okay” from Texas Parks and Wildlife and the US Coast Guard’s compliance rules.

The night started off with signing a waiver as most kayaks have in place, but they described it to use with some personality (like Southwest before the whole airline industry got stressed out…). After everyone arrived and checked in, the guide then started the safety briefing. I was not expecting to be laughing as much as I did from a kayak safety briefing. It was anything but dry.

The guide helped everyone board each boat and the group of us took off.  The boats are all tandem kayaks and they can take out up to 10 at a time.  Our group was fully booked, and the experience of everyone’s kayaks lighting up the water around us was simply spectacular.  The guide took us on a route where we had small bait fish LITERALLY jumping into our boats with us. Remember that scene in “Life of Pi?” Not quite like that – but still frightening yet exhilaratingly funny at the same time. I have never experience something so fun. 

The guide was entertaining to say the least, cracking silly jokes along the way, but more importantly he made me feel very safe. He knew the water, the obstructions and even caught a fish with his bare hands (then let it go – what are we going to do with a fish?). It was quite a sight, almost like the modern-day Crocodile Dundee. #classics

The tour covered roughly 1 mile and it was a fast hour and half.  Time flies when you’re having fun and oh man did we have fun. I am definitely going back.  After I looked further into the company, they have several different routes and I hope I get to go on each and every one of them.  

I forgot to mention that the company is 18+ and then 21+ BYOB on the boat only.  It is the perfect date night atmosphere; we left the kiddos at home and for the hour and half that we were out it was magical under the star’s small plastic bottle of wine in hand and simply living in the moment of the magic.  I couldn’t have had a more perfect night for someone like myself that loves the water.”

Brennen here – CiCi had a great time and I wanted to pass on the good vibes. So if you stop by there, tell them you heard about it from TexasPaddleBoard.com. I don’t get anything from them for writing about them. I just think they are super cool, and hope wherever you go in Texas, that you can easily find great places to get outside and enjoy the outdoors!

So go check them out at https://glowrow.com/

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment

The best electric stand-up paddleboard (SUP) pump

Quick disclosure:
I own and use all the gear I recommend. Versatility and a great “quality-to-price” ratio tend to be the things I love the most. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

What is the best electric paddleboard (SUP) pump for you? It depends.

What matters to you most to you? Speed, Price, Versatility or Quality.

My goal is to give you a details, unbiased and clear review so you can make a good decision on what’s best for you without that feeling of regret or dealing with a product return.

I’ve owned about 7 or 8 different electric air pumps for my paddle board fleet over the years, and recently there are a few new pumps on the market that are getting a lot of attention.

I did a side-by-side comparison of three pumps that are a good representation of all the car-powered pumps available:

  1. A dual-stage “Shark II” pump by Outdoor Master
  2. A dual-stage pump by Serine Life that has at least 10 other private labels brands,
  3. An inexpensive single-stage pump.

Watch the video, or read the summary below

See the current prices of my favorite Electric Pumps

Speed, price and features matter.

These are the most-to-least important aspects when choosing a pump. Brand names don’t really matter much, as nearly all pumps have the exact same level of quality of the electronics and mechanics. Some brands have cooler logos or sleeker-designed shapes, but they all have the same ‘guts’ inside from the same factories in China. (Literally, they are all made in China. Email me if you find an American-made SUP pump.)

So what electric paddle board pump setup is best?

The best value pump is a generic brand, 20 PSI, dual-stage pump. It inflates in the shortest time of around 6 minutes – the same speed as the most expensive brand name pump – and has all the same bonus features except for a cooling fan but for just 2/3rds the price. With the price savings, I recommend getting a battery that will let you use the pump away from your car – keep reading for more about batteries.

Watch my detailed YouTube review at the top, or find my super simple Amazon shopping list here with all 3 pumps, seats, life-jackets and my other favorite SUP accessories below

click to see the full list

What about the built-in-battery rechargeable pumps?

… like the OutdoorMaster Whale and others? I recommend getting the best pump for you, then just buying a separate battery. A built-in battery is harder to deal with if the battery or pump have an issue, plus separate batteries are helpful other places. I’ve already found the best battery and adapter cord you need on my “favorite things” lists here: https://amzn.to/3sEf2AC

see Battery prices and Details

Quick disclosure:
I own and use all the gear I recommend. Versatility and a great “quality-to-price” ratio tend to be the things I love the most.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
But I only recommend gear I own, use and actually like.

Texas Paddle BoardLeave a comment