All Paddlesports Buyers Guide Paddlers Guide 2022

Covid. Delta. Omicron. Supply chain issues. Staff shortages. The past two years have felt like paddling out into a never-ending break, where, just past the next wave, or maybe two, there is calm water on the horizon. But, instead of cresting the green and reaching the place of calm, it feels like we keep getting caught in the whitewash, pummeled, and dragged back towards shore. It would have been easy to give up, to turn back. Yet still, the paddle sport industry has preserved, and most would argue, thrived. “New challenges bring new markets brings new opportunities,” states our industry magazine article looking at innovation over the past two years, but the theme applies to all the rest. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going,” says the old adage.…

PGM: Jeff, last year Kotatat celebrated 50 years in business. Tell us more about Kokatat. How did you start? JT: In the early years, Kokatat decided to focus our business in the paddle sports market, manufacturing apparel designed to keep paddlers dry. The first significant milestone occurred when a friend of our founder, Steve O’Meara, asked if Steve could design some jackets for a crew planning a first descent of the Alsek River in Northern British Columbia, Canada. Kokatat has been driven to manufacture gear to keep paddlers dry and safe ever since. PGM: What have been a few milestones along the way? JT: We launched our first paddling drysuit in 1987. It was a rear-entry model with the first integrated over-skirt. Three years later, in 1990, Kokatat introduced the first GORE-TEX drysuit…

There might not have been much product on store shelves in 2021, but that doesn’t mean nothing was happening in the design room. Instead, “The pandemic forced most companies to take a good, long look at where they sit in the marketplace. It’s been an introspective moment for many as R&D almost felt like a luxury,” muses James McBeath of Jackson Kayak. Despite the challenges of 2020 and 2021 many companies worldwide invested heavily in innovation. New developments took place in multiple areas, from new boats and boards to new partnerships and finding ways to increase production, be more environmentally friendly, or prioritize the customer experience. Innovation is “the practical implementation of ideas that result in new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services” (User Experience UX). Product-wise,…

Over the past two years, the costs of material, labor, and shipping have risen exponentially, and with them, the prices of paddle sports gear, from the entry-level to the high end. As prices go up, so do fears of pricing people out of the sport they love. While it’s easy to believe the cost increase falls solely on the consumer, the reality is far more complex. It is undeniable that what we pay to play is a major factor in participation. The Outdoor Foundation’s 2018 Outdoor Recreation Report lists the cost of gear as the second most common deterrent for getting outside. Yet as prices rise, margins are not increasing. At a time when many companies hope to increase participation across more diverse populations, we must be willing to look past…

“In June of 2020, we saw a surge in demand of more than double that additional manufacturing output we'd unlocked,” writes Venture Kayaks in a blog post titled, “How to Buy a Kayak in 2022.” While they couldn’t be happier about the increased interest, Venture acknowledges, “we cannot possibly make as many canoes and kayaks as have been ordered.” They are not alone. As more people worldwide tried paddle sports, products were suddenly in short supply. Dealers sold through their stock not knowing when the next shipment would be available. With backorders stretching months into the future, what can a customer do? One option is to check the second-hand market. Once primarily used by beginners or those looking for a cheap option, with product shortages the second-hand market has risen…

In the past two years, nearly every industry, whether schools, hospitals, or paddle sports, has been forced to navigate staffing shortages due to government lockdowns and individual illness, and changing priorities. As a result, the pressure is on to make employees feel valued and recognized. Staffing issues caused by Covid have been further exacerbated as paddle sports gains popularity. To keep up, some are posting job opportunities online: The Jobe Sports website announces openings in product design, e-commerce support, and more; Tahe Outdoors/Bic SUP is looking to hire product developers, shipping handlers, and machine operators. At Palm Equipment, where getting new staff has been “difficult, with quite a churn rate,” they have worked to promote internally, “multiskilling our staff to be adaptable, raising wages, and ensuring everyone has a safe and…