Spring Training Favorites 2019 (Part II)

Last month I shared my spring picks under $100. This month, I'm going BIG. This is new equipment I'm using that may break the bank. You may need to start saving NOW to snag one next year... or maybe you're rolling in doe and you'll just grab one now. Either way, I won't judge.

Hippo Stick 7.5 AL Pro

This is my go-to paddle for 2019. It's small enough for a lot of the longer mileage I'm putting in and doesn't wreck my shoulders. All of the "AL" paddles have a solid catch and really come alive when you have dialed in your technique. I'm not a fan of a lot of the different shapes and dihedrals in various brands. It's definitely personal preference, but for races with varied conditions I like a traditional shape because it handles everything well. You won't see me running this in a downwind race, though. Why? I find it has TOO much catch and I physically can't turn it over as fast as I would like. I would probably say this is personal error/preference. But I'll be trying the Blurr for downwind when I get to Hood River, as for now, I'm still running my 81 V-drive from Quickblade. I will give some unbiased opinions of both later.