As editor of SUP Mag UK one of my roles is testing the many bits of gear that come our way. I often get asked why test kit?

When I first got hooked on SUP there was hardly any info knocking about regarding equipment. Tit bits tended to pop up in various places online – mainly via the American mags – and every now and again you’d spot a fellow paddler, at some UK put in, who would be using a unique bit of kit (or at least something you hadn’t seen before). A chat would usually ensue about the product in question resulting in a bit more info for the knowledge bank – this was back in 06/07.