With the holiday season upon us, you might be wondering: what kind of gift should I get a SUP river surfer? Wonder no longer! Here’s a list of gift ideas just in time for your holiday shopping.

Chums
These little straps of cloth connect to your sunglasses to keep you from losing them. The combination of frequently sunny conditions and fast moving water make chums a must for any river surfer.

my shades with chums, I never hit the river without them

Fins
I have lost/broken exponentially more fins paddling on rivers than in the ocean. Rivers are hard on fins which makes them a perfect gift! A river surfer can never have enough fins. Make sure if you buy fins you purchase flexible ones such as M5 Softflexes or Gummy Fins

an assortment of flexible fins

Leashes
Having a releasable leash is super important when river surfing. A lot of people getting into the sport will make do by using a non-releasable ocean surf leash. If you know one of these people, do them a favor and get them a leash designed for the river. I prefer the Badfish ReLeash, but any river leash is better than an ocean leash.

the ReLeash comes in 6′ and 11′ lengths

Carry Strap
These straps make it much easier to carry your SUP. They are extremely useful for waves that require long swims after falling. The strap is small enough to fit in your pfd, and only takes a few moments to attach to a board. Once attached, carrying your board the quarter mile back up river is a breeze. It’s especially useful for extra thick river boards. My girlfriend has one of these that she loves to use with our MVP-S.

Repair Kit
Rivers are full of rocks. Rocks and epoxy boards fight often, and the rocks always win. For epoxy boards, having a quick repair kit handy is a must. I prefer FCS All-Tech Putty for my quick fix needs.

dings suck, but being prepared can save your day

CKS Gift Card
When all else fails, go for a gift card. CKS is a great retailer that has almost everything you could possibly want for river surfing, and they ship everywhere. I guarantee any river surfer will find something they need on the CKS website.

Written by | Benjamin

Benjamin Smith is a land locked surfer living in Colorado. He gets his surfing fix on the local rivers, where he SUP surfs standing waves.