What’s in Your Drag Bag?
Fall / Winter additional gear to have on hand. Less items may not be as need in the summer months but a colder paddle is more cautionary. Here are a few inspirational tips!
It may depend on what time of the year you are paddling, will determine what you might pack inside your dry bag. Here are few inspirational tips on what I throw into my dry bag in the early fall to when the lake might freeze. I find that I don’t need as much stuff with me in the summer months but a colder paddle is more cautionary. Therefore I like to keep some items with me that are just in case. Maybe even items to use when I’m done paddling. Im also testing out a new dry bag from Goose Hill.
Dry bags can serve has a few options, a go to bag for the beach or strapping down on your board. Allowing items to stay dry, hence the name dry bag. 💦 This one has a nice strap to wrap around your body, easy to carry while launching on the water. Its a 5L bag, the smallest one but still holds enough for a short time out. They do have bigger ones to carry more for longer durations.
Extra Gear: Around the table 1. Headlight (if ending the paddle in sunset) 2. Emergency Blanket 3. Luna Moon Beanie Hat 4. Waterproof socks 5. NRS Waterproof Oven Mitt Glove 6. Luna Moon Neck Gaiter 7. Long Sleeve Hoodie
These are only extra items to keep on board.
Head light might help with taking gear home. Sometimes I like to wait for a perfect sunset show to get some snaps before heading home.
Emergency Blanket - Early fall I start to keep this one with me. Especially if I have others with me who are less experienced. One quick fall off the board and a emergency might come in handy to keep yourself warm. Fairly cheap and small item to have just in case.
Beanie Hat - Usually Im already wearing something to keep my head warm. This one is extra or if the conditions change and it gets cold later.
Waterproof socks - These could be on board for purely just extra. I typically already have my boots on or layer the socks with boots. If its still on the warmer side, above 50 degrees then I might wear these later in the paddle. Helps with warmth and if you need to walk your board in to shore.
Waterproof Oven Mitt Gloves - I would have these with me if I needed an extra glove on top of what I am already wearing on my hands. They come in handy if you need to put you hands in the water for a reason. Maybe to pick up some trash!
Neck Gaiter - I LOVE to have one around my neck. Later the paddle the cooler it gets!
Long Sleeve Hoodie - Great for the walk home or if you do lose balance! Layering up on the way home or if you got wet.
Staying warm is the name of the game. These are few items I like to have on hand in my dry bag. Here are few items that I am already wearing and need keep close to me. The must haves! Pictured below are items already on my waist or around my neck.
Student Feature: Lisa W.
Lisa (left) & Kei (right) - Finishing PSUPA SUP training on Sylvan Lake, MI
Once or twice a season we like to feature a paddle boarder that is willing to share their story. Lisa has come a long way through dedication and consistency. Upon completing her SUP certification this summer, she also competed in her first SUP race. We love her passion to share the stoke of the sport. You may have paddled with Lisa or maybe seen her helping out with group paddles.
Lisa, Thank you for all your dedication! - Misty
How did you find paddle boarding?
I was actually introduced to paddle boarding by my yoga instructor at the time (now friend) who was taking a class in Lansing Mi. It was a yoga class on water and add in the paddling out to the destination I was hooked.
After your first paddle on your own board. How did you feel coming back to land?
Looking back at my first trip now I can say I felt happy to get back. I had been so excited to get my first board, but I did everything wrong. We had gone to a public lake, I launched in the swim zone and it was so windy, I had to fight to paddle out to even attempt to stand up. I did get up for a split minute that day and was very excited.
Did your SUP certification training meet your expectations?
Yes my SUP certification was great. I learned so much. There is really a lot that goes into paddling. The certification really takes you to a whole different level and mind set. It provides a thorough understanding for not only you personally to have a better understanding but to train to lead others was just great.
How does paddleboarding make you feel? Mentally & physically.
I always say this is the most relaxing /challenging sport out there. I feel no matter what day I’m having once I hit my board those cares go away. 1. Because your on your board and surrounded by the beautiful water. This provides a calming and peaceful experience 2. Also you have to balance, so your thinking about feet placement and holding your paddle and paddling. This brings in the challenge and at the end of a outing you always feel a sense of accomplishment.
After completing your first SUP race. What would you recommend to others who are curious about racing?
Try it! Check the races see if there is something less than a 5k. I was able to do a mile race my first time. Paddle boarding has a very supportive community and was fun to see everyone cheer each other on.
Sylvan Coven Witches Paddle
If you witnessed some witches on the water at Sylvan Lake last month, you weren’t hallucinating – it was Luna Moon’s first Annual Witches Paddle benefitting Magic Wheelchair.
benefiting Magic Wheelchair
If you witnessed some witches on the water at Sylvan Lake last month, you weren’t hallucinating – it was Luna Moon’s first Annual Witches Paddle benefitting Magic Wheelchair.
“Magic Wheelchair is a nonprofit organization that builds epic costumes for kiddos in wheelchairs — at no cost to families,” with the express mission to “bring communities together to create unforgettable moments for children around the world by transforming their wheelchairs into magic.”
The opportunity to participate in such a worthy cause while at the same time giving us some belly laughs on the water was an event we won’t soon forget. We believe in giving back to the community and we can’t think of a better way to express that than witches on the water at Halloween!
And yes, we were prepared to flip a witch back on the board if necessary – because as always, we’re all about safety first. And yeah, maybe someone fell in and lost their witch accessories, but was still magical!
The goal was to raise $555 - all fives for 5th year anniversary of Luna Moon. We surpassed the main goal and raised over $900!
Check out our photos and footage of the event and share your best costume tricks with us, on and off the water.
Trick, treat, or paddle? What’s next for Luna Moon SUP? We’re heading to the pool, friends. Schedule a class and see you on the water.
Happy Halloween!
-Misty
Luna Moon SUP Yoga Celebrates its 5th Anniversary!
Luna Moon SUP Yoga Celebrates its 5th Anniversary! Established 2017 in Sylvan Lake, Michigan.
“I’ve always been a water kid!”
“I’ve always been a water kid,” says Luna Moon’s Owner and CEO, Misty Marcum. “If there was a pool or lake or ocean, you couldn’t get me out of it. So when I went to Hawaii sometime around 2004 and saw people paddle boarding, I thought – Wow! That looks really cool.”
That initial paddle board sighting stuck with Marcum as she worked her job as a User Experience Designer at the Chrysler Headquarters in Auburn Hills. Around that same time, she took up yoga, where she set a goal to become a certified yoga instructor, clocking in more than 200 hours as an instructor. But there was just one problem about teaching yoga – like her job, it required her to be indoors.
Fast forward some eleven years, Marcum had settled into a home with her husband, Jeremy, on Sylvan Lake, Michigan and noticed that paddle boards were showing up in outdoorsy shops next to the kayaks and boat supplies. Intrigued, she started researching paddle boards, watching YouTube videos, and envisioning herself on the board. “Suddenly, this [ad for a] kit popped up and I hate to even say it, but it was at Costco. It was a hardboard and a pretty decent brand and I thought – you know what, I'm gonna get it! It was a 10-[foot], I think, and it came with a cheap paddle and leash and that’s where it all started!”
“I would come home from work and get on the board and be out there the rest of the afternoon.”
Those afternoons on Sylvan Lake would soon morph into the launch of Luna Moon SUP Yoga (named after her huskie who learned to paddle board as a puppy) featuring 8 boards and a community of eager students. Marcum went after her additional teaching certifications and launched her new business, teaching paddle boarding and paddle board yoga.
Along the way, she teamed up with another water lover from California, Cynthia, who she met while working at the Chrysler Building. The two hit it off immediately, cheering each other on, practicing and honing their craft, trying out new yoga positions and even developing a lip balm. They discovered early on that falling in the water was part of the process and was just another opportunity to learn and have some fun. Now those falls are referred to as “Flip it” where the board is used to flip the person back on to their board and back into the game. Some might say that’s a great metaphor for life, just one of the many lessons and community moments shared out on the lake, and in the off-season, nearby pools.
Merging her love of the outdoors, the lake, yoga, and community, Marcum is content out on the water, but it wasn’t always a straight line. Even while she attended College for Creative Studies, Marcum realized that although she loved making art, something was missing. “When you're in an art school and you're making things and you're using the computer…or you sit down and draw or do something else – you’re still stuck at a computer…indoors.” Now, when Marcum finds herself at her desk in her office running her business, she knows it’s necessary, but her sights are always set outdoors and on the water.
“Every time we get on the board, we get to start over.”
When asked what inspires her most at this 5-year milestone, Marcum shares, “I just wanted to introduce this [paddle boarding yoga] as a gateway or an outlet for people who might be afraid to try yoga…People might not want to do yoga in a studio because of the four walls…Or maybe they fear that there's a little bit more judgement. But I feel like the board and the water – it just brings everybody down to ground zero, where every time we get on the board, we get to start over.
“I think if I went back and looked at old journals [of mine], I’m pretty sure I wrote about how I should be leading something that other people would be able to enjoy. There’s just too much seriousness in the world, you know?”
We do know. But perhaps not on Sylvan Lake, where laughter skips across the water, oblivious, searching for connection, a board, and a paddle.
What is an Inflatable Paddleboard?
Owning a new inflatable or thinking about buying one. Here are few basics around an ISUP.
Curious about inflatable paddle boards? Inflatable boards can be so handy to travel with and carry around. With proper care they can also last for years. Especially if you invest in a quality brand.
Here are few differences between these inflatables; Evolve Lotus Inflatable and Movement Inflatable. Plus informational tips for when you first get your board.
Watch the video below on how to inflate, what surprises you might have when airing up for the first time and what gear comes with the Evolve and Movement inflatable boards.