Driftsun Explorer Inflatable Paddle Board Review

With a variety of water products, the Driftsun is doing a great job with every item of theirs. You’ll find almost everything you need under their brand’s name to have a chill summer in the water.

Inflatable stand up paddle boards are what we’re concerned with here, and you’ll find that the Driftsun 10’ iSUP is already reviewed on our website. Another great board by Driftsun is the Explorer, and we’ll try to do it justice on this review.

Driftsun Explorer Review — Features & Specs

Measurements

The Explorer is relatively a large iSUP that measures a solid 10 feet in length; a small to medium adult will find it perfect for all kinds of activities, while a large one might find it to be a little small. However, just so you know, the Explorer can take up to 300 LBS, you do the Math.

Width on this one is more than I expected honestly; it’s 32 inches wide which is great for an all-round board. This specific aspect makes the board more stable which is a great thing for beginners who wants to pick up this friendly water sport.

The last part concerning this section of the review is thickness and it’s everything but a disappointment. The Explorer is nearly impossible to bend thanks to its thickness that measures 6 inches.

As previously mentioned; 300 LBS is weight limit here and with these 6 inches, the Explorer can handle any rider without submerging under water.

All in all, I find this board to be quite the perfect deal for anyone who is looking for an iSUP that is on the light side(23 lbs), basic yet sporty and sharp and also slim and durable.

Quality

Another major plus for the Driftsun Explorer is its rigid construction; it’s made of military grade drop stitch PVC material that is worldwide known for making those inflatable boards able to compete with the hard ones except that an iSUP is way more flexible and portable.

The PVC material makes any inflatable board virtually indestructible; once inflated, the Explorer is dense, rigid and hard. Add to that the fact that it’s 6 inches thick; you need a ton of weight to make this guy bend.

The details are pretty neat and clean; you won’t notice the gluing work from a little distance. The design also is sleek and smooth as it all comes together to shape an all-round iSUP that is durable, functional and very practical.

Features

As basic as the Explorer is, it’s still featured with all the awesome qualities that make standup paddle boarding such an easy and fun water sport. As usual, let’s state the obvious:

• The Explorer is featured with a great diamond grooved traction pad that adds to the thickness and density of the board. It’s soft yet very grippy, which makes standing on the board easy and comfortable.

 

• Next, you’ll find a bungee system on the board’s deck which works as a storage area. 6 D-rings are connected with a durable bungee cord so you can secure anything you need to the board. It also features 4 more D-rings on the tail. An 11th D-ring is on the board’s tail and it’s meant for safety leash attachment.

 

• A central carry handle is a necessity on every iSUP now, because it’s the best way to carry the inflated board around in maximum comfort and safety.

 

• Last but not least, the navigation system is a major point of power when it comes to stand up paddle boarding. The Explorer is featured with 3 fins; a central one that is large and removable and another two that are smaller, fixed and lateral. They allow the board to track effortlessly in flat water, as they also make taking on rivers and waves a lot more fun.

Performance

This is absolutely the fun part about the Driftsun Explorer. This board is capable of so much to the point where I was blown away of how smooth and versatile it is.

To start with, we tried it in flat water and as you can guess; it did not disappoint us. It was easy to control, responsive, stable and it tracked very nicely.

Still, we needed to take it a little harder on it to test its other abilities. A tour in the river revealed that the Explorer can totally be a badass. It reacts to water as good a hard board; it doesn’t flex or bend keeping you in total control of the whole situation.

We still need to try this awesome board in the ocean to ride some waves, but until then, the Explorer delivered a strong and satisfying performance making it a suitable iSUP for different level riders.

Packaging

A one-time purchase is a many people’s interest because it saves a lot of effort looking for each item separately. The Driftsun Explorer comes in what I’d call the perfect package that includes the following:

• The deflated board, obviously.
• The removable large fin.
• A 3-piece lightweight Aluminum paddle.
• A repair kit.
• A coil board leash.
• A carry backpack with rolling wheels that is strong, extremely functional and comfortable.
• A hand pump that can inflate the board up to 15 psi.

Given the price you can see; the Explorer is a board that fell straight from heaven. The value of this iSUP is a lot more than what the price reveals. It’s personally something to go for without a second thought.