The best in show from the inaugural Paddlesports Retailer convention.

The first annual Paddlesports Retailer trade show has just concluded in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. After a week spent talking with industry leaders and learning about the newest designs our industry has to offer, we’re pretty excited about the future. Here’s our roundup of the newest and most exciting boards we found on the water.

Hala Gear

The bane of all inflatables has always been the sacrifice of rigidness for the ability to roll up the board. Hala has come up with a solution to this issue by adding a carbon fiber weave stringer on all of their new boards. We dig it; the design really gives the board a rigid structure.

It (almost) feels like you’re not even paddling an inflatable and we can’t wait to see how they fair in the whitewater.  The only concern for some folks is this makes the boards heavier and a bit more expensive. Overall, a very good design feature.

Article published by SUP the Mag.