Reddit reviews Solstice by Swimline Bali Stand-Up Paddleboard

this SUP is the most spendy of them all!

I'd love to have to to go paddling on the lake this summer, but if I didn't get it I would be ok with it!

Oh...

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

We have an NRS Baron 6, an Isle Airtech, and a Solstice Bali (listed most expensive to cheapest, also most volume to least, and I think longest to shortest). We bought the Solstice four years ago because it was the cheapest one available at the time and I wanted to see if we liked SUPing before throwing a bunch of money into it. I'm 5'10" and 150lbs and my boyfriend is 6'2" and 225lbs. He can ride the first two, but the solstice is much too short and thin (too little volume) to support him stably and he said he doesn't enjoy it at all. The NRS Baron is too much board for me to maneuver around the lake over a few hours and especially on rivers, thus I have a less enjoyable time on it. However, the Baron is super stable when inflated to the right pressure and it can hold a heavy cooler and I can even sit on it with him. It's a pricier board, but I thought I'd throw that in there if you ever find yourself wanting more stability. I primarily only ride the Isle and I love it, but I do find the Solstice easier to maneuver as it is shorter and has the touring style. I mostly ride the Isle over the Solstice for silly reasons--I like the graphic design better and since I spent more on it I feel like it should see the light of day more often.

Your height and weight can make a significant difference as to your enjoyment on the board so I would base your decision on how much weight there is to you and how much core strength/stability you have (more weight/less stability/easier board to balance on, go with a higher volume board, want ease of maneuverability, go with a touring board; it's kind of a balancing act of features to get the right fit). Here is a very short guide from REI, and one from StandUp Journal (which I recommend a subscription to if you get really into paddling).

Also, if you get one with D-rings but no deck rigging, I highly recommend getting some. I clip my water bottle to it with a carbiner and use it to hold down my shoes, food, hammock, and drybag.

When it comes to ordering, we've both had much better customer service with Backcountry than REI, and with Amazon, they have a great customer protection policy if you're unsure of your seller.


Edit to add that I couldn't imagine backpacking/hiking with my Isle. It's so cumbersome alone, and any additional gear would be too much bulk for me (I can fit inside the bag) to carry over terrain that isn't completely flat. I'm not very strong for a female but I am athletic (for an idea of fitness level I do Insanity 5 days/week for the past year and jog ~ 8 miles 3 days/week). My boyfriend has some severe back issues so I couldn't tell you how it is for a taller or more muscular person as he is unable to carry it far without pain.

I bought mine from Amazon a couple years ago and love it here is the link. It is inflatable and takes about 5 minutes to get all ready to go from the trunk of my car. Also, when I bought my annual pass to Stone Mountain (for only 40 bucks) I scored a second for my gf for only 25 buckeroos. So long story short go in with someone if you want a pass and split the 2.

This post is a bit old but I'll post my experience so far for anyone searching for more info on iSUP. I have a Saturn iSUP (SOT330) I bought from boatstogo.com last year. It's 11' long and 6" thick and inflates to about 12PSI. I'm new to the sport so it was a cheap way to get started and I can bring it in my car anywhere easily. I have no problems with that board so far. It does ride a bit higher in the water than a normal board, but it's pretty stable. I really like the option with the D-ring setup on this board because I got their kayak seat and kayak/SUP paddle combo so I can kayak around the lakes sitting too. Some boards only have d-rings in the front/back. I got that whole setup with electric pump for under $700 shipped.

My girlfriend just got a Solstice Bali (35128) inflatable on amazon so we can both tryout different lakes. It's 10' 8" and 4" thick board that inflates to 15 PSI. It rides lower in the water than the Saturn and bows slightly in the center depending on weight of the rider. I feel it's a bit faster in the water than the Saturn, but you're feet get a little wet since it rides so low. The one thing I don't like about this board is the removable fin requires a screw to secure it while the Saturn slides in and locks without any screws.

I will say one of the challenges we've had with the inflatables is inflating them properly. It is key to get it up to the max pressure or you will be disappointed. At higher PSI you really need to adjust your stance and put your weight into the hand pump. A lot of the bad reviews I find with iSUP's are people simply not getting them up to the proper pressure. It's a bit of a system you just have to work out for yourself because the first few times maybe frustrating or take much longer than you would like.

We bought a 12 PSI electric pump and small battery pack and that works well at getting both boards filled up most of the way with little effort right away. Sometimes the pumps struggle to get the higher PSI though, so I just finish it with hand pump (or in the case of the solstice board it needs 15 PSI).

The problem I've run into is the connections on the hand pumps and electric pumps are a bit iffy, they always show people on videos just plugging the hose on a connector with nothing securing it or sometimes they come attached using a small zip-tie to secure it, but as the pressure increases and/or the hoses heat up from the electric pump I've had the hoses shoot off the connectors and then you're back to square one. So I recommend getting some metal hose clamps and Teflon tape right away and redo all the connections or at least be prepared to do so. Nothings more frustrating then hand pumping a board from 10PSI to 15PSI only to have the hose go shooting off on the last few pumps and having to start over. After re-securing the connections, we've had no issues and can get both boards ready to go in about 15-20 minutes from parking the car to walking down to the beach to launch after putting away the pumps and such.

I just got this iSUP at <$500. It rides very nicely on a mildly choppy river bank. Seems well built and overall I feel like we got a good deal. Lots of reviews on amazon