A test of the Saltwood Grasshopper paddle from Adventure Kayak magazine.

Saltwood

Grasshopper

If carbon doesn’t turn your crank, perhaps Saltwood’s one-piece wood shafts are more your speed. Artisan builders Richard Davis and Mike Robinson pair balsa-core, carbon composite blades with a fiberglass-wrapped, hollow wood shaft. The result is a light swing weight and stiffness where it’s needed, and the unmatched flexibility and feel of wood where it’s not. Plus, double hand indexes mean your fingers always know where they are, even if you don’t.

$375 (straight) / $450 (bent)| www.saltwoodpaddles.com

Take a peak at more hot new gear in the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Adventure Kayak—click here to read for free.