Jimmy Styks Asana Review

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A brand new board for 2018, the Jimmy Styks Asana inflatable SUP is designed primarily for SUP fitness, pilates, and yoga. This board measures 10’6″ x 33″ x 4.7″ and it weighs in at a lightweight 20 pounds thanks to the company’s new dual-layer fusion construction.

A company that has been making affordable gear for outdoor adventure enthusiasts since 2009, Jimmy Styks has made big strides this year with their revamped and relaunched inflatable paddle board lineup. Adding five new iSUP models, redesigned accessory bundles, and the latest in fusion construction technology, Jimmy Styks’ inflatable paddle board line is one that should be on your radar if you’re looking for a nice blend of quality, affordability, and features.

In addition to their line of inflatable SUPs, Jimmy Styks also has a range of inflatable surfboards, watersports platforms, soft boards, epoxy boards, and Ironhide SUPs.

In this review of the new Jimmy Styks Asana, we’ll go over this SUP fitness board’s specs and features, construction, overall performance, pros and cons, what comes with it, warranty, and more.

In a Hurry? Here’s a Quick Summary…

	Pros	Attractive design Lightweight fusion construction Very comfortable traction pad that is easy on hands/feet Convenient new Click 'N Go fin system Grab handle at tail Lay-flat carrying handle doesn't get in your way Very well-designed paddle Accessory bundle comes with everything you need
	Cons	Stability could be improved Prefer metal D-rings for bungee storage area Backpack could use additional grab handles Warranty is only 1-year
	Price & Where to Buy it

Jimmy Styks Asana Review: SUP Overview

Click Here to Buy the Jimmy Styks Asana iSUP

The SUP fitness market continues to grow as an increasing number of people are taking to the water for their pilates, yoga, and conditioning workouts. The Jimmy Styks Asana is a board that was designed purely with SUP fitness in mind, but it still offers a good amount versatility and can be used for all-around recreational paddling.

Features

The Asana’s top deck is covered by an extremely comfortable, multi-colored traction pad that features an eye-catching design. The EVA foam deck pad has a soft, brushed finish that is comfortable to stand on and very easy on the hands and feet.

At the middle of the board is a carrying handle with a sewn-in neoprene cover. The handle lays flat nicely and isn’t uncomfortable when laying or sitting on it — an obviously important feature for a SUP fitness board.

Located at the nose of the Jimmy Styks Asana is a very small bungee storage area with two attachment points made out of a folded plastic material. While it’s not able to secure the amount of gear that a four or six point bungee storage area is capable of handling, it does give you a place to stash a small bag or your flip flips while you’re on the water working out.

The tail of the Asana features a handy grab handle which is really convenient for pulling the board in and out of the water. Attached to both sides of the grab handle are stainless steel D-rings for securing the included SUP leash, and there’s also a high-quality inflation valve that uses the popular Halkey Roberts-style adapter.

On the bottom of the board is a single removable fin that features Jimmy Styks’ new Click ‘N Go fin attachment system. This is an incredibly convenient new fin setup that is proprietary to Jimmy Styks, and you can literally attach the fin in one second by flipping open the locking tab, dropping the fin down into the fin box channel, and then closing the tab. Very quick and easy, and there are no tools, screws, or washers to lose.

Construction

Jimmy Styks transitioned most of their new inflatable SUP lineup over to the latest breakthrough in iSUP manufacturing — fusion construction. This new method of inflatable SUP construction reduces glue, materials, and waste, resulting in boards that look better and are much lighter in weight.

We found the fit and finish of this board to be very nice, and the hardware and build quality are all top-notch.

Despite the fact that fusion technology dramatically reduces the weight of an inflatable SUP, durability and rigidity is still quite impressive with these boards. As far as stiffness goes, the Asana’s thinner 4.7″ profile just doesn’t compare to 6″ boards however, and we’d really love to see the board beefed up in the future for added rigidity.

Paddling Performance

This is one area where we were actually a bit disappointed. While the Asana is definitely a lot of fun in the water and versatile enough to do more than just on-the-water workouts, it didn’t feel as stable as a SUP fitness board should be. iSUPs designed primarily with pilates and SUP yoga in mind should have stability as the number one priority, and in our opinion, the Asana sacrifices some of that in the name of all-around paddling versatility.

The issue is not the board’s 33″ width, although a slightly wider 34″ platform would certainly improve things. Rounding out the board’s nose and beefing up the board’s 4.7″ thickness would really help in the stability department, and these are changes that we’d love to see made in future versions of the board.

It’s important to note that we’re not saying the Asana feels unstable or “tippy” in any way — it still offers plenty of stability for all-around paddling, doing workouts, and even beginner paddlers. However, when compared with other specialized yoga or pilates paddle boards on the market, it just doesn’t perform quite as well in terms of overall stability (and again, this should be the number one goal with a fitness board).

As far as tracking goes, the Asana performs quite well — especially for a single fin model…

Likes and Dislikes

As far as likes go, we thought Jimmy Styks did a great job with the design of this board and the build quality is excellent. The included accessories and new Click ‘N Go fin system are both outstanding, and as we mentioned, this board offers good versatility.

We also thought the company did a good job with the lay-flat design of the carry handle, and the grab handle at the board’s tail is really handy whenever you’re pulling the Asana in and out of the water. Having a grab handle at the tail (as opposed to the nose) helps you to elevate the fin and avoid potential damage caused by dragging it along the beach, grass, or rocks.

As far as dislikes go, our only real complaint is the fact that this board just didn’t feel as stable as we think it can (and should) be. If you’re looking for an all-around board that has some features for SUP fitness such as a brushed deck pad and lay flat carrying handle, the Asana is a great choice. However, if what you’re looking for is a dedicated yoga or pilates board that offers extreme stability, this board probably won’t be the best choice.

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Specs

	Length	10'6"
	Width	33"
	Thickness	4.7"
	Weight	20 pounds
	Max Capacity	240 pounds
	Price

What’s Included

This season, all Jimmy Styks paddle boards come with a full bundle of very nice SUP accessories. While there are some slight differences in terms of accessories from board to board, all models include everything you need to start paddling. The Jimmy Styks Mutt comes with a pared-down backpack, while the Strider and Puffer touring SUPs both include an upgraded carbon fiber shaft paddle.

The Asana comes with Jimmy Styks’ brand new travel backpack, adjustable aluminum paddle, dual-action pump, coiled leash, repair kit, and user manual/sticker pack.

Backpack

The new Jimmy Styks SUP backpack is a nice-looking bag with a clean, minimalist-inspired design. While it’s a fairly basic bag, it does a good job of keeping your board and accessories together.

Other than open mesh storage pouches on the sides of the bag, the exterior of the backpack lacks external storage. There are compression straps for cinching everything up, and the bottom features a metal grommet for draining as well as four spiked rubber feet to reduce wear and tear.

This bag also lacks grab handles. Other than one handle attached to the rear of the bag near the shoulder straps, there are no carrying handles on the bag which makes it a bit difficult to pull in and out of the car. On top of the bag is a clear luggage ID window which is a useful feature for those times when you’ll be flying with the board.

On the rear of the backpack are two well-padded shoulder straps as well as a sternum strap and a padded waist belt for additional stabilization. The back of the bag is also well padded with a thick cushioned area that is covered by a breathable mesh material.

This bag has two zippers and a nice wide opening that gives you easy access to the interior compartment. One side of the bag opens up a bit more than the other, and inside you’ll find two internal compression straps and a large open storage pocket along the back.

Paddle

If you’ve seen any of our other Jimmy Styks reviews, you know how much we like the design of their new travel paddle. The included paddle features a durable aluminum shaft, rigid nylon blade, and brilliant design that prevents twist.

To assemble the paddle, simply depress the locking pin, slide the two shaft pieces together, and line up the pin with the hole. Since the uppermost portion of the shaft is permanently locked to the middle shaft piece, this travel paddle only breaks down into two pieces.

At the top of the paddle is a locking lever on the outside of the shaft that you simply flip open and closed to adjust the overall length. The very top of the shaft is conveniently marked with various lengths, and the sides have a flat profile that fits perfectly with the inner shape of the middle shaft piece. This is a simple but incredibly effective design that prevents the shaft from twisting under pressure — a problem that you often see with iSUP travel paddles.

Pump

The included dual-action SUP pump is high-quality and does a good job of inflating the Asana. While the Asana can be inflated all the way up to 18 PSI, 15 PSI is sufficient — it takes 5-10 minutes of effort with this pump to hit 15 PSI (depending on how quickly you pump).

Of course, the pump comes with a flexible inflation hose and built into the handle is a convenient pressure gauge with an easy-to-read display that tells you exactly how much air is in your board during the inflation process.

Leash

As with most of the inflatable SUPs we review these days, the Asana comes with a durable coiled SUP leash. A critically important SUP safety accessory that you should never paddle without, a leash will keep you from ever becoming separated from your board — something that can be a life and death situation in many circumstances.

The included leash has a tough coiled cord that stays out of the water when you’re paddling, and there are swivels at both ends to prevent tangling. The comfortable ankle cuff has a secure velcro closure, and there’s also a hidden storage pocket for stashing your keys. Unfortunately, the factory sewed the key storage pocket shut on our leash, so that’s something that should definitely be addressed.

Repair Kit

Last but not least, Jimmy Styks includes a very nice iSUP repair kit which you can quickly use to make repairs if the need ever arises. Inside of the plastic orange canister is a tube of vinyl repair adhesive, instructions, PVC patches, and a valve wrench.

Warranty

All of Jimmy Styks’ 2018 inflatable paddle boards are backed by a rock-solid 1-year warranty which covers any and all manufacturing defects.

Where to Buy it

The new Jimmy Styks Asana is currently in stock and ready to ship at Amazon. Amazon is offering free shipping on the Asana at the moment and their prices and customer service are always tough to beat.

Final Thoughts

While it’s not the best board we’ve reviewed strictly from a SUP fitness standpoint, the Asana’s design offers a bit more versatility than the average SUP yoga or pilates model. This is an attractive and affordable board that comes bundled with a great set of accessories, and it would be a decent board to consider if you prefer a fitness board with some added versatility for better all-around paddling performance.

Click Here to Buy the Jimmy Styks Asana