Pau Hana Solo SUP Backcountry

If you’re looking for a very lightweight but quality inflatable that comes as a complete package you gotta check out the Solo SUP Backcountry from Pau Hana Surf Supply. If you’re wondering if this board is good for you just look at the name and it’s all you need to know. This board was made for someone looking for an adventure and wanting something that would be easy to take along for the ride. The board is compact, lightweight and great for more intermediate-level paddlers. Priced at just $899, this board sits in the mid-tier in terms of affordability.

Pau Hana first introduced this board a couple of years ago so this review is long overdue but well worth the wait. If we could sum up this review to one word it would be: impressed. Where do we even begin? Let’s start with the packaging. The box itself was really nice and had graphics on it vs a blank cardboard box that we see a lot of boards come in. Next, the bag that the board sits in isn’t what you would typically expect, i.e. a zippered backpack. Instead the bag the board fits in is actually a drybag! This is a really nice touch and really supports the design intent of taking this board out in the wild on an adventure. The paddle also has it's nice unique little bag that keeps the paddle sections neatly organized when it's not put together. Another touch of thoughtfulness that didn't go unnoticed here. Even the pump is unique in that it is more compact in size than the industry standard, helping to keep the overall package nice and lightweight for your adventuring. And, we’d be remiss to mention that this package comes with everything you need. Board, bag, paddle, pump, leash, repair kit, accessory bag and fins. That’s a lot of value for the price of this package. Moving on to the board itself. This is one of the lightest paddleboards we’ve ever tested that didn’t have quality compromised. And that’s saying A LOT. The board has bungees on both the nose and tail of the board which is nice to hold your gear. It also has a two-fin setup, which without having that center fin, really helps the board fold up nice and tight. As we mentioned before, this board is extremely lightweight so carrying it is very very easy. Especially when you consider its size. When we see boards this lightweight they’re usually below or just slightly longer than 10 feet whereas the Solo is close to 11 feet long. Impressive. Back to the paddle: a huge difference with this board is that the paddle itself comes apart in four different pieces but the blade is actually fabric which we were pretty skeptical about but on the water it worked surprisingly well and felt like it was a plastic blade. Definitely an interesting design feature to help make this a more compact and lightweight package. When paddling the board was surprisingly stable considering the 30in width. Beginner paddlers might have a harder time with it but any experienced paddler should have no issues. As we mentioned earlier in our review this board was really impressive. The branding throughout everything, the thoughtfulness and uniqueness of the package and materials - it really stands out as a different type of paddle board. Well-deserving of the Supconnect A-Grade. Great job on this one Pau Hana!