Consider getting an inflatable one that you can easily transport. I bought my first one off Amazon for around $200 with a pump. The pump was very cheap and broke after about 10 inflations. The board is still good, though. I bought an electric pump, which works great.
I bought a Body Glove board at Costco around Memorial Day last year. I believe the retail price was $400–$450, and I got it for $300, including an electric pump. A lady let me try hers a couple of summers ago, and I was hooked. I can’t wait to get out on the water again. It’s a great way to get sun and exercise at the same time in your thong.
I haven’t been out on my paddleboard in just a thong yet. I usually always have one on underneath my swimsuit, just in case I feel comfortable enough to do so. I also don’t know of any spots here in Utah that are okay with thongs. I feel like Utah could be a difficult place to do so because of how prevalent the LDS church is here. But, if anyone knows of any good lakes or rivers here that they have had good experiences with paddleboarding in a thong, let me know!
My GF and I SUP surf off the New England coast, and honestly there are almost no days where the water is warm enough to not require at least a shortie wetsuit because almost every ride involves getting dunked at the end. It’s late June and we still haven’t managed to stop using our 4mm wetsuits; maybe tomorrow we’ll be able to use the 3mm suits.
It finally got warm enough to use 2mm or shorties suits in late July. We both wear thongs under our wetsuits and nobody comments even at the showers. LOL, sometimes the cars passing in the parking lot beep at us but those are probably the same people who beep at all the other women wearing thongs in the parking lot.
This video is pretty representative of the conditions we SUP in, and we even use the board he’s on in a slightly larger size. He’s better than we are so we get dunked in cold northeast water more, making a wetsuit pretty essential. Also, getting rolled in waves tends to pull suits off, so even when the water is warm suits with drawstrings are a good call.
I tried SUP for the first time this last weekend. It was challenging but I was able to stand-up without falling. I dropped my shorts and wore a UV shirt and my thong. I wasn’t going to do it at first but just went for it. Had a great experience and I found a new passion for SUP especially in a thong.
Go to an REI or equivalent and talk to a person who can ask you the right questions, eg, What do you want to use it for? How much do you want to spend? How much do you weigh? What is your skill level now? Are you generally athletic and will learn quickly?
My full carbon wave SUP is quite specialized and if you are paddling on flat water, it’s not what you want. A lot of people like inflatables, but I don’t because they’re not rigid enough. You might prioritize portability instead of rigidity. There are a lot of trade-offs.
I don’t generally get better tan lines on a SUP because the ocean water is freezing most of the year in New England and I usually have to wear a wetsuit.
