The Big Board Schlepper
If the walk to the water's edge is going to be a long one, the Big Board Schlepper may have its place in your arsenal of stand up paddle accessories. This is the only non-nonsense board carrier that we know of that you can use to take your stand up paddle surfboard to the water's edge and easily take the carrier with you instead of hiding it in the bushes or locking it to a tree. We put the Big Board Schlepper to the test and here's our report.
What is it? The Schlepper is basically an adjustable, over the shoulder board carrier to help you get your stand up paddle surfboard from home to the beach without having to balance it on your head or shoulder. It features an extra thick shoulder pad, paddle carrier, quick release clips, quick adjusting velcro, and a brilliant waist pack to take the Schlepper with you while your out on the water. There's no question that BetterSurfThanSorry.com put a lot of time and thought into the design of the product.
 Waist Pack Carrier: The carrier pack is brilliant. When you're done carrying your board, simply fold up the Schlepper and slide it in the mesh waist pack and strap it to your hips or sling it over your shoulder. There are also storage pockets on the carrier pack for snacks, phone, ipod, keys, or whatever. The pockets are the same mesh as the carrier itself, so stay dry if you plan to take your phone, or put it in a waterproof bag first. It also has a bungee for a water bottle.
Paddle Loops: The paddle carrier is extremely useful. Not only does it free up your hands, but you can grip the paddle while you're walking to take some of the weight off your shoulder.
Loops for attaching up to two paddles.
Quick Release Clips: Easily release your board from the Big Board Schlepper with the heavy duty quick release clips. There's no need to undo or loosen any straps. Simply release the clip and the board is free.
Shock Absorbing Elastic and Thick Shoulder Pad: There are small sections of shock absorbing elastic built into the shoulder straps. It adds a little bounce to the board as you are walking, however, the increased comfort seem to outweigh the minor board bouncing that comes with this feature. The shoulder pad is thick and appears to be built to last.
Heavy duty velcro and quick release clips.
Do we have any concerns? We had one that was quickly put to rest. When we first hooked up the Big Board Schlepper, we couldn't keep our eyes off the eyelet that connects the shoulder strap to the board itself, wondering if it would hold. Stand up paddle surfboard are quite heavy, especially when the deck pad is water-soaked after a session. The eyelet held strong. We contacted BetterSurfThanSorry.com to ask them about what the limits were, and they were very straight forward with us. They loaded up a Schlepper with about 90 lbs. of gear without a problem, however, they recommended keeping it under 50 lbs. just to play it safe. Concerning returns, they replace about 3 out of ever 400. The product is guaranteed.
 What else can you do with your Big Board Schlepper? Besides carrying your board, tying up your brother or towing your car with the high strength nylon, the Big Board Schlepper makes an excellent and affordable way to hang-store your board. Strap on the Schlepper and hang it on a hook in the garage for an easy low-cost stand up paddle surfboard and paddle storage solution.
What did we think overall? It's a great low-cost product, especially for flat water or downwind paddle runs. The surf was down when we tested the Big Board Schlepper, but it shouldn't be a hindrance if the carrier pack is strapped on good and tight. The price is definitely right especially if you're also looking for an affordable way to store your big board. They retail for $33.50 and as of the release of this article, you can get 10% off direct from the distributor at BetterSurfThanSorry.com.
Cross the strap to the opposite shoulder for greater stabilty.
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