So paddling your inflatable board has been so much fun you have invested in an electric sup pump to avoid the effort of inflating and making getting on the water a much more pleasant experience.
But there is still the faff of plugging the pump into the car 12v outlet, and doing this within a distance to reach the valve on the board. Further, if there is any question of the capability of your car battery it is necessary to run the engine whilst charging so that there is no fear of draining the battery and not being able to start the car.
But there is an answer to give you maximum flexibility of where you set up the board to inflate, by using a rechargeable battery very similar to the power banks we use for phones but on a larger scale.
Vango manufactures a Powerbank which is marketed primarily for camping use for inflating tents and awnings but it is equally at home for use with a 12V SUP pump.
Often the car park where you are launching from can be congested or muddy and finding a location, to spread out, to inflate a short distance away can be so much easier and cleaner!
Or you may wish to carry your board in its bag to the launch location and use an electric pump there.
Make your electric pump portable with the Vango Powerbank
The Vango Powerbank is quite a compact size approximately 150mm x 100mm x 50mm or 6” x 4” x 2” in old money. To charge it up you use the USB cable provided into a 2A charger outlet (phone) and it says 8hrs to fully charge. I just let it charge overnight and the blue led battery display lets you know the state of charge {4 led lights on for full charge). This is of course the downfall of any power bank, in that you need to remember to make sure it’s charged before you head out.
Using the Powerbank is easy. You just insert the pump plug into the outlet on the side of the Powerbank, turn on using the button on the top so the LEDs are illuminated and away you go.
But you are asking how efficient is it and can I inflate more than one board?
So using an Outdoor Master pump and my wife’s 12’6” Starboard Tourer I put it to the test.
I set the pump gauge to 16 psi and away we went.
The first inflation was complete but the gauge was down to two lights so was it going to be able to inflate the board again? Deflated completely and started again. The second inflation was completed, albeit not totally efficiently as I forgot to release the board valve!
Now going for the hat trick. Erling Haaland get in there – how did he miss that? 9.57 psi and we are out of juice! So two boards easily and a good way on the third should meet most paddler’s requirements.
I’ve only tested the Powerbank with an Outdoor Master Pump but would assume that the power requirements of other pumps are very similar so you should be able to at least match the above. If you have more compact boards the Powerbank will easily cope and would also probably inflate two 14’ boards.
The Vango Powerbank is a really nice accessory for regular users of inflatable paddleboards and whilst it is not cheap it gives so much flexibility when inflating your board and of course can be used for any other gadget that uses the 12v plug for power.
It also has a USB outlet so can be used to charge your phone and GoPro as well. Certainly a nice present for keen inflatable paddleboarders. Definitely a win!
About the author
Watersports Pro is managed by Ollie, who has been in the industry since 2007. A paddleboard and advanced windsurfing instructor, Ollie has travelled the world teaching these sports.
Now based on the South Coast of England, he shares his experience and knowledge on watersportspro.co.uk.
