Hala Gear Straight Up iSUP Review
Pros
- Excellent lightweight construction
- Extra wide shape with a high rocker provides great stability for rivers.
- Highly maneuverable
- Excellent carrying bag and universal fin system
- 5-year warranty
Cons
- Difficulty tracking straight on flat water due to the river-specific shaping
- Few fittings and limited cargo space on the deck
The Hala Straight Up is an all-around / cruiser iSUP designed for performance on the river.
Hala Gear has built a reputation for making some of the most capable river SUPs out there, and the Straight Up is their spin on an all-around board that’s still tuned for moving water. Think of it as your go-anywhere, do-anything river cruiser that is light enough for easy transport, stable enough for beginners, but still nimble when the current picks up.
We think the Hala Gear Straight Up would be a great SUP for:
Paddlers who primarily recreate on the river, but occasionally paddle on flat water
Those looking for maximum agility for occasional river play
Don’t want a highly-specialized whitewater SUP but still want to be able to handle some low-grade whitewater.
Hala Gear Straight Up: Spec Sheet
- Board Category: All-round, River
- Listed Board Dimensions: 10’0 x 33 x 6″
- Measured Board Dimensions: 10’0 x 34 ¼” x 6”
- Listed Board Weight: 19 lbs
- Actual Board Weight (inflated): 19.3 lbs
- Listed Max Capacity: 250 lbs rider weight
- Recommended PSI: 18 PSI
- Fins: US box with 9” flexible touring fin
- Paddle: B-Line carbon/nylon hybrid
- Board Shell Construction Materials: Fusion PVC, welded seams
- Drop-stitch type: Cross-Woven
- Price Range: High
- Warranty: 5 year
Performance Review of the Hala Gear Straight Up Stand Up Paddle Board
Overall Score: [8.6/10]
- Stability: 8.6/10
- Speed: 5.5/10
- Tracking: 5.0/10
- Maneuverability: 9.9/10
- Construction Quality: 9.8/10
- Features/Accessories: 9.0/10
Stability Rating: [8.6/10]
The stability score shown here is a global rating, based on comparative performance to all other sizes and styles of paddleboards (other than multi-person boards).
The Hala Gear Straight Up is, ultimately, a stable paddle board but it’s not nearly as stable as you would expect for a board this wide – which we should touch on first. Hala lists the Straight Up as being 33” wide, but we measured it at 34.25”. That’s a big difference and should make the Straight Up feel really stable on the water.
As mentioned in the introduction, the Straight Up is designed more for river use than flatwater use. A big part of that design is the rocker profile – how it is turned up at the nose and tail. By turning the board up so much at either end, far less of the board is in contact with the water at any one time. So instead of having 10’ of board length on the water you have closer to 8’ of length.
That gives the Straight Up a bit of a double-sided feeling of stability. When the board is flat on flat water it feels very stable. But if you are paddling through choppy conditions on the lake or shifting around on the board a lot, it becomes noticeably less stable than other 34-35” iSUPs like the Glide Retro or Blackfin Model X.
But, that rocker shape has a purpose. When you are paddling on the river and experience rapid shifts in water elevation – like paddling through waves or over holes – that rocker helps smooth out those transitions and makes the Straight Up feel more stable compared to a flatter board.
The Straight Up is designed more for river paddlers, so this shape is a positive thing overall, but in our global ratings, the extra-wide Straight Up doesn’t quite stand up to other boards of the same width for total stability.
Speed: 5.6/10
The speed score given above is a comparative rating to other sizes and styles of paddleboards, whereby 14’ raceboards would be scoring in the high 9s, and the widest all-round boards or surf-orientated shorter boards would be in the 5s or below.
Over the many years that we have been reviewing paddleboards at supboardguide.com, we have experimented with numerous different methodologies for speed testing, involving various hardware and software solutions. However, none have proved replicable; even using the same rider in the same conditions the numbers would vary from day to day, and of course when using different riders, or even just a different paddle, the results would change significantly. For this reason, while we still test all boards in cruise mode, fast cruise mode and then push them as hard as we can, we no longer give ‘absolute’ speed data (ie 5.5mph etc) – which ultimately doesn’t really matter unless you’re specifically looking to compete – and now report more on the general feel of the board when asked to perform.
Nobody is expecting a wide cruiser board to be a racing rocket on the water, but the rocker of the Straight Up does make it harder to paddle at high speeds than other wide boards. However, the excellent construction of the Straight Up gives it a leg up when it comes to cruising at a slower pace.
Cruising
The Straight Up paddles easily and smoothly at this pace. The B-Line paddle offers plenty of propulsion with a slower cadence and the rigid construction glides smoothly, and surprisingly far given the board’s width. Easy cruising is where it is at with the Straight Up.
Fast Cruising
Paddling at a harder pace, but still comfortably aerobic so it’s sustainable over a good distance, with a cadence in the low 40s.
Paddling at a faster cruising pace still feels good on the Straight Up. It does start to show its width and it becomes harder to keep it moving on course without extra steering measures.
Going Hard
This is where the Straight Up struggles. The rockered nose means the board presents a very wide front when moving through the water and pushes quite a bit of water directly under the front of the board instead of off to the side. The B-Line paddle is a bit heavy, so it takes lots of energy to keep up this faster pace, and the Straight Up quickly begins to paddle off course.
Overall
If speed on the flats is important, then the Straight Up (nor any cruiser) may not be exactly what you are looking for. But if you are looking for an easy-paddling cruiser for the river, the Straight Up offers efficiency and comfort for all-day paddling.
Tracking: 5.0/10
Tracking ultimately comes down to board length; a longer board will almost always track better than a shorter board of the same general width. So our tracking scores are intended to show how a board compares to other boards of similar size.
The Hala Straight Up struggles to track well over long distances. The heavily rockered shape shortens the waterline of the board significantly and it even shortens the effective length of the included 9” touring fin. The combined effect is noticeable, even compared to other short all-around and cruiser iSUPs. It feels more like Hala’s whitewater-specific designs, like the Radito or Atcha 96 than it does a typical flatwater cruiser.
Maneuverability: 9.9/10
Maneuverability scores are based on comparative performance to boards of a similar general length and style.
Maneuverability is where the Straight Up shines. It is possibly one of the most agile paddle boards we’ve tested outside of Hala’s advanced whitewater SUPs like the Atcha 86. The Straight Up responds quickly and easily to turning strokes – which is a major plus when navigating on tighter rivers. The wide shape and kick-rockered tail make it very easy and stable to pivot turn as well.
Normally we’d mention how you can improve turning performance by using a smaller fin. While that will still be the case, the Straight Up turns so fast that I’m not sure it would be advisable. If you need a shorter fin for shallower water, make sure to get one that has a large surface area to help paddle straight when you need to.
To understand more about turning styles and how to do them, check out our how-to video
Construction Quality: 9.8/10
Hala redesigned their entire SUP lineup this year with new constructions as well as shapes. The Straight Up uses the most up-to-date materials and methods available in the inflatable SUP industry for a top-quality build.
Inside the board
The drop stitch used inside the Straight Up is a 6” thick cross-woven construction. The top and bottom layers are made with woven fabric (not knitted) and the drop-stitching threads connecting them are sewn in intersecting angles to form an “X” shape through the board. This new core helps shave a significant amount of weight without losing rigidity.
Top and Bottom Skin
The new Straight Up uses a fusion PVC shell that physically bonds the outer PVC material directly to the inner drop stitch core with heat and pressure. This removes the hand-gluing step from board construction and helps eliminate gluing errors. Unlike the Hala Adventure and Charge series iSUPs, the Straight Up does not have additional stringers on the deck or hull.
Side Construction
The top and bottom of the board are joined together with a layer of heat-welded PVC material. Like the Fusion process, seam welding eliminates glue and the errors and issues associated with it, along with reducing more weight in both steps.
Overall
The Straight Up has a lightweight construction, but it is no lightweight when it comes to durability. The reinforced materials and welded construction are top quality. The Straight Up is backed by the same 5 year warranty as Hala’s other iSUPs.
Board Stiffness: 1.14”
The Hala Straight Up performed very well in our bend test with a small deflection of just 1.14” with 150 pounds of weight. That’s excellent in our test, but it also feels rigid on the water. You can get the Straight Up to flex if you try, but you will have to try. Our testers didn’t notice any flex during regular paddling or paddling over choppy conditions – only when bouncing on it did any feel the board flex under foot.
To ascertain the rigidity of each board we review, we have been using our own specific laboratory bend test process since 2021. The board is inflated to its maximum recommended PSI and positioned exactly on our measuring jig. 150lb weight is then applied to the standing area to see how much bend it causes. While this isn’t an exact replication of the weight distortion that occurs when a rider stands on a SUP board in the water, it still gives a very useful comparative tool in determining the relative stiffness of the various board construction processes.
Features/Accessory Review: [9.0/10]
Features:
The Hala Straight Up comes in one color option and is set up to be used as a casual river cruiser – just enough to hold what you need for the day. There are no additional fittings or custom attachment systems.
Hala’s board designs focus on paddling performance rather than trying to wow riders with fifteen different ways to attach a speaker to their boards. The Straight Up uses river-friendly soft tied down points rather than D-rings for the front cargo area as well as four additional points toward the rear of the board. These extra tie down spots can be used for additional cargo items or to attach a kayak seat.
That’s essentially it when it comes to cargo and accessory options with the Hala Straight Up. There is a steel D-ring on the tail of the board to attach a leash (not included) and there are three carrying handles to maneuver the board off the water.
The deck pad on the Straight Up has a heavy diamond texture for maximum traction, and has two more features at the tail. At the very end of the deck pad, there is a raised kick pad to give you additional control and stability when standing on the tail of the board. There is also a smaller raised section in the center of the deck pad just before the kick pad. This extra pad lets you know where your foot is in relation to the center of the board without needing to look down.
On the underside we have the single fin configuration. Hala uses one, single-piece, US (Universal Standard) fin box under the tail of the board. They also include a 9” flexible fin.
Included Accessories:
The Hala Straight Up comes with a basic, but high-quality, set of accessories. The Hala bag features comfortable backpack straps and handles, has wheels for easy carrying over smooth terrain, and a duffel-bag style opening for easily loading the board into the bag. The single chamber hand pump works well, but isn’t the fastest we’ve used, and you also get a basic repair kit and a flexible 9” touring style fin.
The Hala B-Line paddle that comes with the Straight Up uses a carbon fiber shaft, fiber-reinforced nylon blade, and a lever-lock handles for easy adjustment. It is a bit heavy, but the paddle is quite durable (great for shallow rivers) and provides plenty of power for the Straight Up.
Summary Review of the Hala Gear Straight Up
The Hala Straight Up is a lightweight, agile, and durable iSUP designed for paddlers who spend most of their time in rivers but still want something that can handle flatwater days. It’s not the fastest or most stable board on glassy lakes, but that’s the tradeoff for quick maneuvering in current and better handling for the occasional whitewater features. If your SUP adventures often include moving water, and you value portability and build quality, the Straight Up is a great pick.
Happy paddling! We hope you enjoyed this review of the Hala Gear Straight Up. If you have any questions or comments please leave us a comment below!
SupBoardGuide
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