The paddle is something I don't like about the solo.
Trade-offs are involved in every design decision. Pau Hana decided to use a soft paddle with a rigid bottom bar in order to make the pack smaller. The transfer of power from your arms to the water isn't as good as it could be. It broke the second time I used it. I stuck a hose clamps on it instead of tossing it.
I decided to bring a plastic paddle strapped to the outside of the pack in order to reverse the portable trade-off. I would love to see Pau Hana add it to the pack. Everyone has spare paddles.
The small fins are one of the trade-offs. The stability of a three-fin setup is not as good as it is on theBote. It makes this board better suited to people with experience. The part that was removed was a bit more concerning. I had trouble getting one of the fins to lock into place, and I have seen similar reports around the web. It can take a lot of work to get them to lock in place.
A number of people have said that their pump doesn't register. It seems like it takes forever to register anything, but just keep going. You eventually get a reading. I was able to get it to the recommended amount.
There is a portable price premium.
Is the portableness worth the price for you, if you should get the solo? If you mainly paddle in places with easy access, the extra money isn't worth it.
If you frequently find yourself wishing you could figure out a way to get your board into to some water that's just a little too far to carry your typical stand up paddle board, the solo might be a good investment. I was able to explore places I didn't think I'd be able to, with the help of the solo. In my opinion, that alone makes it worth it.
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