The Best Kayak Paddles of 2024

Let’s start off by saying there are some bunk paddles out there. Cheap plastic blades, ill-fitting aluminum handles, and push-button locking mechs that rattle away into the shaft, never to be seen again. The Carlisle Magic Plus ($125) is not one of these — but it still hits the budget pricing we’re after for a casual paddle. 

A slight upgrade paddle from the brand’s Magic Mystic — an aluminum shafted paddle — the Magic Plus hits in all the right places and combines a fiberglass shaft with glass-reinforced polypropylene blades. This is the perfect compromise in our minds, providing a better paddle with little to no flex under pressure.

The paddle shaft is wrapped to provide a measure of grip for wet hands and is slightly ovalized for indexing your hands when the paddle is feathered — with an option of 60 degrees in either right- or left-hand control. Going with a fiberglass shaft over an aluminum one lightens things up and is also warmer to hold.

The available 220-250 cm lengths make this paddle ideal for flatwater paddles and long, sweeping strokes. The push-button ferrule was a bit loose from the start, and while we could feel it if we really paddled hard, it didn’t manifest often.

One metric the Magic Plus comes up short in is weight at 2 pounds, 9 ounces. Only the NRS Ripple was heavier in our testing, and even the super-budget Bending Branches Whisper weighed a bit less than the Magic Plus. For quick jaunts in the lake, however, we’d be lying if we said it’d ruin your good time.

Highly comparable to the Aqua Bound Sting Ray Fiberglass, the Magic Plus is the paddle to grab if you’re just getting into this kayaking thing, or need something to outfit a new paddler in the family.

For extended days in the saddle and long transits, the Werner Kalliste Bent Shaft ($550) squeezes every last drop out. This low-angle stick sports mid-sized blades that cut effortlessly through a stroke, and the bent shaft variant puts wrists in a more neutral position as a safeguard against fatigue. Hefted in one hand, the Kalliste feels like a weapon.

As a full carbon design, the Kalliste is solidly in Werner’s tip-of-the-spear ‘Ultimate’ performance line, which is aimed at eking paddling efficiency out with smart blade tweaks. At a lofty 1 pound, 9 ounces, this paddle is feather-light and makes for effortless strokes. The sea kayak guides among us especially praised this paddle as being one of the easiest to move through the water.

Available in both regular and small shaft diameters, the grip and fit on the Kalliste is made for long tours, and the bent shaft puts your wrists where they need to be during the power stroke, limiting the strain that can creep on late in the day. A straight shaft version is also available, but for extended tours, we’ll take every percentage we can get.

On the backside of the paddle blade is a smooth face that dips in and out of the water easily, and the ultra-buoyant design springs from the water during strokes. Along the edges of the blades is a material called Dynel, a composite reinforcement that adds chipping resistance where needed most. We’ve had issues with full carbon paddles wearing along this edge in the past, and the addition here is well appreciated. 

In terms of critiques, it’s tough to rustle up any to hold against the Kalliste, though the bent shaft design does make storing the paddles on the deck of our sea kayaks awkward. The price is obviously glaring, and with some paddling around entire kayaks that cost as much, this paddle is certainly for folks who get out often, or who want to simple paddle the best.

For the money, the Aqua Bound Sting Ray Hybrid Posi-Lok ($180) is a rightfully popular paddle and nails the needs of flatwater paddlers. The hybrid nylon/glass blades are robust enough to be bumped on the bottom repeatedly, while the carbon shaft lightens things up where it counts. 

Perfect for low-angle touring strokes, this paddle had us moving across lakes and bays with ease, and the mid-sized blades are well balanced with a defined dihedral that prevented flutter. The face of the blade is just under 600 cm², making this a fairly low-volume paddle that’s easy to move through the water.

The Posi-Lok joining ferrule on this paddle is neck and neck with the best out there. A simple two-button release splits the shaft, and infinite feather angles can be dialed in 15-degree increments. The carbon ferrule insert has a tighter interface than fiberglass and will stay that way for a good bit longer.

Compared to the other injection-molded low-angle kayak paddles we reviewed (the Werner Skagit FG and Carlisle Magic Plus), the Sting Ray Hybrid slides in a handful of ounces below both of them at 1 pound, 14 ounces. This might not seem like much, but the swing weight can certainly add up, and with the jump up to a full fiberglass blade being an extra $200, this paddle has some serious value.

For most folks, the Sting Ray Hybrid Posi-Lok would make an excellent daily driver of a paddle. The broad range of sizes makes it easy to dial in on what you need, the light weight won’t fatigue you prematurely, and the ferrule is a joy to use.

While carbon fiber paddles are flooding the scene, we’re still rocking the Werner Powerhouse ($308) as our whitewater paddle of choice. This fiberglass blade balances the scales well and is able to put it down when it counts.

At 720 cm² of blade volume, the Powerhouse is the full-sized counterpart to the travel-ready Sherpa paddle and digs noticeably deeper. Recently, when paddling the rugged Thunder Creek in Washington State, we used the Powerhouse to navigate sections of water with must-make moves, and it performed admirably.

Though carbon fiber paddles like the Sho-Gun and Stealth have undeniably more backbone and power transfer, we find them to be less forgiving when the inevitable rock bashing occurs, and the glass blades on the Powerhouse have just enough give in them to bounce instead of break. The back of the blades sport a broad spine that stiffens up the whole affair, much like the Shuna and Sherpa paddles.

While the single-piece version of the Powerhouse will be the stiffest, we did sometimes want a slightly more packable version without going to the super-compact four-piece. If Werner made the Powerhouse in a two-piece variation, we’d be all over it. Even still, this paddle is our go-to for rough water.

Packrafters have some unique needs when it comes to a paddle, and one of the primary among those is the ability to be broken down and stashed away. The Aqua Bound Shred Carbon 4-Piece ($265) is a killer option for those looking for a whitewater-ready paddle that can be split and packed into your drop-in. 

Featuring a full carbon shaft and carbon-reinforced blades, the Shred isn’t a boat anchor either, and has a stiff flex that transmits power when you need it. We used this paddle to packraft down the Sauk and Dosewallips rivers in Washington, where it had enough oomph to keep us out of trouble in rapids.

Those four pieces tuck away nicely in packs as well, with the longest being 25” in our tested 200 cm paddle — easily fitting on the outside of our packs. This paddle also takes the possibility of a ferrule failure on long expeditions off the table by using a time-tested snap button system to unite the sections.

Thankfully, the Shred is available in four different angles in both right- and left-hand control, and five sizes, ranging from 191 to 203 cm. It’s important to remember that sizing a paddle for packrafting is different than for a hardshell kayak, and you’ll need to opt for a longer length to clear the wide tubes of your raft.

It’s important to note here that while the blades of the Shred are reinforced with carbon (in the same way that a fiberglass-reinforced nylon blade is), they still retain most of the characteristics of a plastic blade, with added stiffness. This can be a boon for paddlers who can’t keep from bumping around in rock gardens but don’t expect a feather-light blade here.

The one aspect you weren’t as stoked about on the Shred Carbon is the blade interfaces with the shafts, which aren’t as confidence-inspiring or tight as full fiberglass or carbon ferrules. We don’t anticipate any blades flying off anytime soon, but we’ll be watching in our long-term testing for any slop in the fit.

If you’re using your packraft to mainly traverse calm lakes or river crossings, you’ll likely be better served by a low-angle paddle like the Aqua Bound Manta Ray Carbon, or even the ultra-minimal Supai Olo Paddle. For packrafters who like to chase heavy water, though, the Shred Carbon 4-Piece is where it’s at.

Ideal for bashing about while kayak fishing or during low-water passages, the NRS Ripple ($150) is a rugged paddle that honestly surprised us with its performance. It’s no willowy sea kayaking paddle, but the fit and finish are high-quality, and there are a few features not found on even high-end daily drivers.

Using hardier ABS plastic instead of polyethylene, the blades on the Ripple are just plain tough, and are mounted to a fiberglass shaft to keep things light. The swing weight on these blades is noticeable compared with fiberglass, but that’s not even on the radar for the types of paddling we used it for. 

With a blade profile similar to the Werner Shuna, the Ripple has a high-angle shape that responds well to deep strokes, and is powerful enough to get you moving quickly in rougher water. The blade is noticeably thicker, however, and we saw this manifest in a sloppier entry and exit while paddling. 

Decked out with a simple push button ferrule and three angle options, the big news on the shaft is the built-in hand index grip — a raised section added to the right side of the paddle to register your fingers and know you’re lined up with the paddle. While this is accomplished with ovalizing the shaft on other paddles, we liked the execution on the Ripple, and found it worked well.

The weak point on the Ripple is certainly the blade to shaft interface, secured with rivets — not our favorite. Were you to beat on the paddle mercilessly enough, this is certainly where it would give up the ghost. In all of our testing so far, however, we haven’t seen any loosening occur.

The Ripple may well be our favorite angling paddle — if it had a notch in the blade for retrieving lures. Even still, We were impressed at the ability this $150 paddle had, and for everything from flatwater to some splashy rivers, it paddled admirably.

The Wilderness Systems Pungo Glass ($350) is the perfect companion for a good rec kayak. The full fiberglass blades are noticeably lighter to paddle than plastic versions, and the 50% fiberglass, 50% carbon shaft is rock-solid through the power phase of a stroke.

It’s the novel ferrule system on this paddle, however, that really got our motors running. The Leverlock ferrule uses an expanding rubber stopper to hold fast, and can be adjusted in both length (220-240 cm) and infinite feather angles. While initial hold had a bit of slop, after snugging up the mechanism a bit the Leverlock held strong.  

The adjustable length makes this paddle ideal for passing around to different paddlers, or for someone who paddles a 20” wide touring shell one day and a portly fishing kayak the next. Adjustable length mechanisms are typically bulky, but the simple lever on the Pungo Glass keeps it out of the way.

Like other fiberglass paddles, the Pungo Glass will start to accumulate marks and scratches as time goes on, and the unique print design highlights these. You’ll need to take care not to leverage too harshly on the tip of the blade, such as pushing off during a launch, as this can damage or even snap the blade.

Like the kayak it’s named after, the Pungo Glass paddle is an absolute all-arounder, even-keeled across all the metrics we tested, and paddled well wherever we used it. It’s the higher price that keeps us from giving it a full-throated recommendation, but if you need wide adjustability, this paddle can do great.

The Werner Sherpa ($325) and its larger cousin, the Powerhouse, are classic whitewater paddles that have sliced, boofed, and skipped their way through some of the most wicked water on the planet. We tested this paddle in the rapids of British Columbia’s Cheakamus and Elaho rivers, where it hung tough through class III+ rapids.

With a broad 680 cm² face, this paddle is near the upper end of blade volumes, and is primed for digging into high-angle paddle strokes. A subtle dihedral across the blade keeps it from fluttering, and a broad reinforcement spine along the back braces against the flex that some fiberglass blades can have.

Werner’s multi-piece whitewater offerings all use stainless steel push-button ferrules to join — a choice we can get behind. While not as adjustable as some of the nicer ferrules used on other Werner paddles, there’s also less to break on the Sherpa, and it’s arguably the stronger interface.

This paddle is available in one-, two-, and four-piece designs, as well as straight or bent shafts and fiberglass or carbon blades. We paddled a fiberglass-bladed version of the Sherpa for our testing, and while a full carbon tool won’t flex at all, we actually enjoyed the nimbleness of the fiberglass — which felt more forgiving. 

If heavy water is all you’re after, a full-carbon one-piece surgical tool like the Werner Sho-Gun might be more up your alley. But for a more well-rounded paddle that’s up for whatever you toss at it, the Sherpa is our go-to.

Solidly in the budget-minded touring paddle camp, the Werner Skagit FG ($174) has some impressive value on board, and paddles near as well as some of the high-end low-angle paddles we’ve used. For many, this will be an excellent intro to kayak touring paddle.

We tested the Skagit in its namesake river, where broad muscling flows make for an enjoyable down-river float, and the paddle excelled. Its longer lengths make it ideal for low-angle paddle strokes and clearing the broad beams of recreational kayaks. For slow-moving water or relaxed paces, this paddle makes it happen.

The fiberglass-reinforced nylon blades keep the price down on this paddle, but in typical Werner fashion, don’t skimp on the design, and a sharp dihedral on the power face split water well in our tests. The 605 cm² blade volume is pretty middle of the road, and this paddle was easy on our joints after full days in the cockpit.

As most nylon blades do, there is some deflection in the depth of a stroke, which while not the best power transfer, does provide a bit more shock absorption. The Skagit’s carbon-fiberglass shaft bumps up the performance of this paddle compared to fiberglass sticks like the Carlisle Magic Plus or Aqua Bound Sting Ray Fiberglass, and the Smart View Adjustable ferrule is leaps and bounds ahead of the snap buttons on those paddles. 

Another solid do-it-all type paddle, the Skagit FG should be on the short-list for anyone serious about moving up from their rec boat and paddling further in a touring shell. The low-angle blades slip in and out of the water easily, and the carbon-blend shaft is an upgrade over similar paddles — making it well worth the extra $40 or so bucks.

Read Review: Greenland-Style Paddles: Gearlab Kalleq Review

Greenland-style paddles are curious-looking things, and draw a lineage to the first paddles used to ply the waters of the Arctic coast — where driftwood was in short supply, and hunters needed a paddle to both transit and surf the waters. The modern Gearlab Outdoors Kalleq ($468) dresses the classic design in new materials and takes the simple stick design to the nth degree.

Available in three sizes (210, 220, and 230 cm), the Kalleq — which, by the way, is Inuit for lightning — is a full carbon fiber build that weighs all of 24 ounces. The paddle feathers down to a blade-like 1.1 mm at its thinnest, and enters and exits the water beautifully. Otherwise very simple, the Kalleq is a two-piece design that joins with a super-minimal ferrule, and sports polyamide tips to act as sacrificial bumpers in rocky waters.

While it might seem impossible even to get moving with such a narrow paddle, the volume of the power face is all there, just stretched out and requiring a more refined stroke to unleash the power behind this stick.

By cocking the upper edge of the paddle slightly forward, the paddle behaves much more like an airplane wing, creating a low pressure in front of the paddle and pulling you forward. It is efficiency that simply can’t be matched by Euro-style paddles.

That low profile also pays dividends above the water, as the Kalleq has no need to be feathered, as it doesn’t catch wind. While paddling, we felt much more connected to the water, and should you capsize, rolling with the Kalleq is also easier, as you don’t have to worry about the angle of the blade. This paddle isn’t relegated to only sea kayaking, either: We’ve even used it to paddle our canoe — to surprising success. 

Many will choose a Greenland paddle as a backup option on long sea kayak trips because of their low profile when secured on decks, but we’re not convinced that many wouldn’t be served better by the opposite arrangement. The Kalleq is absolutely a ‘try it and you’ll love it’ type of paddle, and it’s earned a few new adherents to the faith on our team.

Budget-friendly and ideal for bulking out your stash of loaner paddles, the Bending Branches Whisper ($80) looks like many cheaper paddles but has a higher-quality, American-made fit and finish that distinguishes it from the rest. This won’t be the last paddle you buy in your life, but when it does kick the bucket, you also won’t mourn it.

The aluminum shaft is robust and gives this paddle a good backbone, and is a durable choice for sticking into the hands of kiddos who might choose to jettison it into rocks and trees. Two sections of rubberized grip provide a bit of thermal protection, as metal shafts can be a bit colder than their fiberglass counterparts.

The plastic blades are fairly simple and incorporate very little dihedral into the paddle face, which leads to a bit of fluttering when cranking on the Whisper. Expecting an $80 paddle to perform flawlessly isn’t our bag, and the paddle makes the grade for clunking around the lake.

At 2 pounds, 5 ounces, the Whisper isn’t exactly light (level the blame at the aluminum shaft), but it also won’t weigh you down, and we’d instead make the trade for durability here. We had no problem tossing this paddle on shore or in the back of our pickups, knowing it’d be just fine.

Even with its shortcomings, it isn’t hard for us to drum up a number of folks who would be excellently served by the Whisper: new and young paddlers who might not have the perfect stroke yet (or the ability to avoid hitting the dock) would do well with it. Folks who use a kayak as a ferry between shore and their bluewater boat would also appreciate the Whisper, as it’ll be just fine being stored on deck and deployed when needed.