If you’re reading this, you’re probably as big of a pickleball enthusiast as I am. You probably spend a ton of money on the sport, and you probably tend to support companies in the space.
This my second annual Gift Guide (see here for 2023’s version) where I make mention of some of the vendors who support the sport. Some of these are small businesses that would love your business, others are more established companies opening up to the growing pickleball world. This is not a comprehensive list of every vendor in the space; it’s just a list of those who I found notable or who reached out to me in the past year.
Major Pro Tour Sponsors
Each of the pro tours has cultivated major sponsors over the years, with brands serving as title sponsors for events or just generally underwriting the operations of the tour. Here’s where to find those sponsors by major tour:
Here’s a list of some products to consider, by category.
Paddles
The paddle market over the past few years has both expanded (in terms of vendors pouring into the space) and consolidated (in terms of the paddles that pro players are using). I suspect we’ll continue to see non-innovating vendors drop out of the space moving forward, but for the time being there are dozens, if not hundreds, of paddles to choose from.
For the purposes of this article, I won’t make a specific brand recommendation, but would say that if you’re in the market for a new stick, this weekend is the time to buy it. Surf to your favorite paddle’s site and there’s likely to be a Black Friday deal.
I will mention a couple of links though for your consideration:
- Rally Republic is a San Diego based firm that’s signed partnerships with dozens of major Universities to provide themed paddles. They also sell collegiate-themed covers for major colleges.
- Boundless Pickleball also has a slew of college-themed gear, including tie-ins with well-known alums like Jack Munro (Texas) and Ryan Sherry (Florida).
- Reload Pickleball is kind of unique: they’re pursuing a re-thinking of the whole paddle concept. They offer replaceable paddle faces so that when your initial face wears out, you just replace the skin and not the entire paddle. It’s kind of an interesting concept that certainly is “greener” than what we’re doing now with paddles that breakdown and have to be replaced every few months.
- Friday Pickleball is a newer paddle company that’s doing a very unique promotion: if you buy a specific model before Dec 1st, you’re entered into a raffle for a massive pickleball-themed Airbnb getaway in California.
Equipment
- Crush Pickleball started as a paddle company, but I love their line of accessories. Over grips, Towels, Butt-caps, you name it.
- Komodo Pickleball has made a biodegradable pickleball, for those of you who are trying to be more “green” in your pickleball consumption.
- Life Time has also introduced its own pickleball, which I’ve sampled and found to be no different than any other leading pickleball.
Apparel
- Apres Soul launched in June as a woman-owned small business with pickleball-themed gear that looks sharp, with good colors and well manufactured gear.
- Dilly Life has a great logo and great designs, with a unique “dip dye” collection that kind of looks like tie-dyes and really stands out.
- AVI Athletics has an entire line of men’s and women’s pickleball clothes designed for flexible movement and with pickleball in mind.
- Stack Athletics has made a massive push into the industry, aligned with the Picklr, PPA, and a slew of pro athletes.
- Soul Bandit is a brand new pickleball-themed company with the tag line of, “Pickleball meets Pirate.” They have a gift guide section plus some new, funky takes on sporting apparel.
- Pickleball Apes is a fun brand that also does paddles. I love their logo.
- J Pritchard apparel is an interesting one: they’re aligned with the inventors of the sport, Joel Pritchard, and have a nice line of country-club level attire.
- Recess Clothing has a really comprehensive line of women’s clothing suitable for pickleball, has some Austin-tie ins (one of the biggest hotbeds for the sport), and also sells accessories suitable for stockings. They caught my attention because they make really clever pickleball paddle sets, like Bride/Groom matching paddles or geography themed designs.
Eye Guards
I wrote a longer piece on eyewear, with my opinion that we should be wearing them. In that article I called out a slew of eye guard companies to consider. That being said, here’s a few call-out vendors in particular.
- The company founded by the subject of my Feb 2024 article founded Picklestrong Eyewear after suffering an injury himself.
- The Rudy Project has expanded its reach into the Pickleball space.
- Dink Eyewear continues to be a leader in the space.
Bags
- Volee started as a high-end bag company and has added apparel and accessories. I like their use of blue and white throughout the collection.
- ThinkRoyln has a new line of stylish pickleball bags to add to its existing tennis bag line.
- Doubletake Bags has a huge line of bags, bag accessories, and stocking stuffers. They also have tennis lines for the multi-sport enthusiasts.
Accessories
- CourtGirl has a slew of pickleball (and tennis) themed accessories with really nice looking gift sets ready to ship. These curated sets would make great gifts, and they have stocking stuffers as well.
- Protalus makes a line of shoe insoles designed for pickleball players who are a bit too hard on their feet.
- MyPadl started customizable paddle bands, a clever idea to personalize your paddle. They’ve now added hats and shirts and other merchandise.
- Caterpy makes flashy upscale laces for you to up-style your shoes. They also sell no-tie laces which could make a fun stocking stuffer.
- Strawberries and Cream has dipped its toes into the pickleball market, offering a line of over grips. They’re coming over from a tennis focus and have products there as well.
Nutrition
- FulFil makes protein bars and sponsors the APP. I always try to keep a couple bars in my bag, just in case. Especially for tournament weekends.
- Fuelgoods offers the Pickleball Power Pack, which is a slew of curated products perfect for the pickleball competitor.
Technology
- SPIBelt is a runner’s brand but which makes sense for the pickleball player who wants to try to track calorie burn while exercising. I attempted to do the same for an article in July 2024, where I tracked myself playing a bunch of different racquet sports to try to see how good (or bad) pickleball was as a calorie burning endeavor. In hindsight, I wish I had a better tool to measure, something like this.
- Chirp has a slew of medical device wellness technology perfectly suited for the hard playing pickleball player.
Books
Training Aids
- Dink Buddy started with mini portable nets to allow you to setup and practice dinking anywhere, and has now expanded to include ball hoppers, paddles, and other sets that make for great starters for a beginner.
- Bzer Sports introduced a line of “mini pickleball” balls and paddles designed to improve your hand-eye coordination.
Alcohol-Related Products
- Vizzy Hard Seltzer is already a title-sponsor for the PPA tour, and earlier this year they offered these awesome “Quick Pickle” kits. For $50, you get two paddles, balls, a portable net, a cooler bag, a tote, and a gift card for the Vizzy product. What a deal! I’m pretty sure they’re still available and would make for an awesome gift. Oh, not for nothing, but the seltzer is great too.
- The Botanist Dry Island Gin partners with both MLP and APP and is dedicated to supporting the growth of the sport. They had a special around National Pickleball Day and were gracious enough to send me some product. If you’re a gin fan, you’ll love the Botanist.
- Partake Brewing created a pickleball-themed non-alcoholic Pilsner for a collaboration earlier in the year with the APP. They have a full line of brews, sample packs, and other items of note.
- Dulce Vida is the official Tequila sponsor of MLP, and sent me a slew of absolutely delicious sounding recipes that augment their on-line list of drink recipes.
Happy Black Friday, and I hope you have a productive weekend of shopping and playing!
Disclosure: I am not sponsored by any brand mentioned here. I do not benefit financially in any way from any of these mentions.
Read the full article here
