REI.com
  • Online: www.REI.com
  • URL for this product:
  • From the U.S. and CanadaCall 1-800-426-4840
  • Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
  • InternationalCall 1-253-891-2500
  • Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.
Bending Branches Whisper Paddle

BLACK

    Bending Branches Whisper Paddle

    • $60.00
    4
    (20)

    Item # 766595

    REI Members get back an estimated $ 6.00 on this item as part of their annual member refund.

    The REI Member Dividend

    The REI dividend is a unique benefit of membership in the REI co-op. It's comprised of your member refund—typically 10% back on eligible purchases—and/or your REI Visa® card rebates.

    Each March, active REI members and REI Visa cardholders who earned a rebate receive a refund in the form of an annual dividend notice.

    Only active members receive annual dividend notices. To maintain your active status as an REI member, you need to make net merchandise or shipping purchases of at least $10 per year, unless you joined that year. Member numbers are issued in one name and only that person receives the member refund. Your number can be used by others in your family, but it cannot be transferred to someone else.

    Questions? Call us at 1-800-426-4840 for more about your dividend or its redemption.

    Learn more

    Product size and color
    • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
    • Gear and Advice You Can Trust

    This item ships for free! Learn more

    To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.
    _

    • NOW PLAYING

    Perfect for the beginner, this entry-level model incorporates many of the features usually found only on more advanced models.

    • Nearly silent blade shape enters and exits water cleanly
    • Carefully engineered lightweight, injection-molded nylon and fiberglass blade design helps you paddle longer with less fatigue
    • Dihedral curve and asymmetrical power face eliminate blade flutter; thin and low-profile to reduce wind resistance
    • Blade surface area is distributed evenly for a balanced feel, uniform pull and minimal roll
    • Lightweight, strong aluminum shaft has 3M Versafit™ over the oval grip area for comfortable and confident hand control
    • Composite ferrule is extremely light and strong; tested to ensure great fit, feathering angle, breakdown ease and joint tightness
    • Feathering is adjustable to 0 or 60 degrees, with left or right hand control
    • Comes with heavy-duty rubber drip rings

    Made in USA.

    Item 766595

    Spend $100 or more, Earn a $20 Member Bonus Card

    Offer good June 21-30.

    Single-use bonus card must be redeemed July 3-15. Details

    REI Membership

    Related items

    Bending Branches Whisper Paddle Specs
    Specification
    Description
    Best use
    Kayaking
    Aluminum
    Fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene
    Low-angle
    Straight
    2-piece
    Asymmetrical dihedral
    18 x 6.75 inches
    Right and left
    0 / 60 degrees
    37 ounces
    Shaft material
    Blade material
    Paddle style
    Shaft shape
    Shaft type
    Blade shape
    Blade size
    Hand control
    Feather angle
    Weight

    Bending Branches Whisper Paddle Customer Reviews

    REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

    by PowerReviews
    Bending Branches Whisper Paddle
     
    4.3

    (based on 20 reviews)

    95%

    of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

    Pros

    • Comfortable shaft (13)
    • Adjustable (12)
    • Good control (10)
    • Minimizes fatigue (8)
    • Lightweight (4)

    Cons

      Best Uses

      • Day trip (15)
      • Touring (8)
      • Kayak / canoe / rafting (3)
        • Reviewer Profile:
        • Casual/ recreational (8), Recreational (7), Beginner (3)
        • Was this a gift?:
        • No (8)

      Reviewed by 20 customers

      Sort by

      Displaying reviews 1-10

      Back to top

      Previous | Next »

       
      4.0

      Nice basic paddle

      By DavidM

      from Gilbert, AZ

      About Me Intermediate

      See all my reviews

      Verified Buyer

      Pros

      • Functional
      • Lightweight
      • Rugged

      Cons

        Best Uses

        • Kayaking

        Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

        Good basic paddle! Could be lighter, but this paddle is nice for the price. Good choice for lakes and rivers. Added some reflective tape to the shaft so it stands out more on the lake when the boat and jet ski traffic gets busy.

        • Was this a gift?:
        • No

        Comment on this review

         
        5.0

        Great price for high end performance!

        By TT Kayaker

        from Castro Valley

        About Me Beginner

        See all my reviews

        Verified Buyer
        Site Member

        Pros

        • Compact
        • Lightweight

        Cons

          Best Uses

          • Kayaking

          Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

          Lightweight, comes apart easily for storage in kayak, great price

          • Was this a gift?:
          • No

          Comment on this review

          (5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

           
          4.0

          Great deal

          By ArizonaAdventurer

          from Phoenix, AZ

          About Me Intermediate

          See all my reviews

          Pros

          • Compact
          • Lightweight
          • Rugged

          Cons

            Best Uses

            • Kayaking

            Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

            This paddle is a real steal for the price. I use it at least twice a week for 2-5 mile trips and I have found it to be great for those distances. I fish on my kayak whenever I go out so most of my kayaking consists of paddling from spot to spot to fish. I used to have a Werner Camano and found I liked a shorter paddle to use for high angle style paddling, which is better suited for doing bursts of paddling between spots like I do when I fish from my kayak. I also use a small 9ft drop stitch infatable kayak so I found the smaller overall size of the blades to be better for a smaller kayak. When I tried the touring style Camano paddle it was too much surface area for this smaller kayak. I have actually purchased two of these Whisper paddles now, one length of 230cm and one of 210cm. I prefer using the 230cm for longer trips where I will be covering large stretches of water such as on lakes or on long days at the river where I prefer to use more of a touring style of paddling. For shorter trips I have found to prefer actually taking one piece from the 230cm and one piece from the 210cm and making a middle sized length which is better for a high angle style of paddling. When using the 210cm size I found it to be ok and comfortable for doing short burts of paddling, but on a windy day with a lot of distance I really don't like have a paddle that is too short because I have to put a lot more focus and effort into each stroke.

            This paddle is also pretty lightweight which is a real bonus for me because I do a lot of back yakking where I have my inftable in my pack along with lots of water and fishing tackle plus all of the other essentials like my PFD and miscellaneous gear. To save weight and get multiple uses out of my paddle I actually use it like a trekking pole. Most of my back yakking is through the Arizona desert where the blades are always getting banged into sharp hot rocks for hours. After using my paddles countless times as trekking poles plus putting them through lots of other trials I have found the Whisper to be extremely durable and it has never let me down yet.

            So for a very affordable price you get a paddle that is very functional and vey durable. I feel this paddle is a real winner.

            • Was this a gift?:
            • No

            Comment on this review

            (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

             
            4.0

            Perfectly adequate budget paddle

            By Serafin Enriquez

            from Maryland

            About Me Casual/ Recreational

            See all my reviews

            Site Member

            Pros

            • Durability
            • Price

            Cons

              Best Uses

                Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                I bought this paddle when I bought my first kayak. I wasn't sure how important a good paddle would be so I went with this bottom of the line paddle.

                Spending a little more for a carbon shaft might be nice if you're going to paddle a lot, or spending a lot more for a fully carbon paddle would be great (I have both and they are definitely big steps up from this one). But... this Bending Branches is perfectly adequate. I've used it for long day trips many times. It works the way a paddle is supposed to and I wasn't wasted with fatigue at the end of the day.

                If you have a budget constraint and you need a paddle, this one works fine enough. When you outgrow it you can pass it down or keep it as a spare.

                • Was this a gift?:
                • No

                Comment on this review

                 
                5.0

                Seriously, for this price...

                By Serafin Enriquez

                from Maryland

                About Me Casual/ Recreational

                See all my reviews

                Site Member

                Pros

                  Cons

                    Best Uses

                      Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                      Okay, so this paddle isn't a five star paddle. But it can't be beat for this price. I use this thing all day long in calm water, choppy water, when I want to cover a lot of ground or when I'm just exploring a swamp.

                      You go there, you look at the paddles, you contemplate the differences and the price... I'd say, start with this one. And it might be a while before you think about upgrading. It's fine enough.

                      • Was this a gift?:
                      • No

                      Comment on this review

                       
                      5.0

                      its does what it says

                      By eduardo cristi

                      from long island, ny

                      About Me Casual/ Recreational

                      See all my reviews

                      Pros

                      • Adjustable
                      • Good Control
                      • Reduces Flutter

                      Cons

                        Best Uses

                        • Day Trips

                        Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                        this paddle is exactly just that, a paddle. its reliable, simple, smooth, rugged etc.. nothing fancy. i gave it a 5/5 because its been more than what i expected in quality for its price. it has no problems and works extremely well as a day paddle . simply put its a rugged paddle that works how a paddle should work and thats that!

                        • Was this a gift?:
                        • No

                        Comment on this review

                        (5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

                         
                        4.0

                        Amazing bang for your buck

                        By FR33RID3R

                        from Bellingham, WA

                        About Me Casual/ Recreational

                        See all my reviews

                        Pros

                        • Adjustable
                        • Comfortable Shaft
                        • Good Control

                        Cons

                          Best Uses

                          • Day Trips
                          • River Running
                          • Touring

                          Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                          I have a 230cm. and a 240cm. I use them with my Dagger Approach 10.0 and my Liquid Logic Remix xp 10. Both have a width of 28in. The 240 for me is more for a casual easy paddle and the 230 is a little more zippy for faster paddles.

                          I broke a tiny chunck of one of my blades throwing it accross a river to a buddy stranded from a run away paddle, but other than that, they really hold up. Best paddle you can start out with by far. Save the extra cash for a good PFD.

                          • Was this a gift?:
                          • No

                          Comment on this review

                          (2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

                           
                          5.0

                          Great all around Paddles!

                          By Mo-Betta

                          from Charlotte, NC

                          About Me Advanced

                          See all my reviews

                          Site Member

                          Pros

                          • Adjustable
                          • Good Control
                          • Minimizes Fatigue

                          Cons

                            Best Uses

                            • Day Trips

                            Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                            I have been kayaking for several years, and I recently purchased these paddles. I was surprised at how light, strong, well-built, and reasonably priced they were. I have used far more expensive paddles that didn't work nearly as well as these.

                            • Was this a gift?:
                            • No

                            Comment on this review

                            (7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

                             
                            3.0

                            Good but not durable

                            By Bryan314

                            from St. Louis, MO

                            About Me Casual/ Recreational

                            See all my reviews

                            Pros

                            • Cheap
                            • Comfortable Shaft
                            • Light weight for price
                            • Minimizes Fatigue

                            Cons

                            • Not durable
                            • Previous version better

                            Best Uses

                            • Backup
                            • Day Trips
                            • Touring

                            Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                            For the price it's hard to complain, but I had this paddle as a backup/loaner paddle for about two years...till this year's skills clinic when I tried to use it for a paddle float rescue. I had barely put any weight on it when it snapped in half. Both the "composite" (aka plastic) ferrule and the aluminum shaft simply broke right at the perforations (alignment holes). NOT as good as its predecessor of the same name which I'm still using as my primary paddle.

                            The previous version of the "whisper" has the same blades, but the drip rings are adjustable and made of a rubber-like substance and the ferrule (the bit that holds the two halves together) is also made of aluminum and is therefore significantly sturdier.

                            If anybody has one of the older Whisper paddles gathering dust in a store room, I'm in the market!

                            • Gift:
                            • No

                            Comment on this review

                            (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

                             
                            5.0

                            Good Quality Paddle

                            By LBS193

                            from CA

                            About Me Casual/ Recreational

                            See all my reviews

                            Site Member

                            Pros

                            • Comfortable Shaft

                            Cons

                              Best Uses

                              • Day Trips

                              Comments about Bending Branches Whisper Paddle:

                              This Paddle is Very Good Quality and Decent Price, for Recreational Paddler. Thank you REI.

                              Comment on this review

                              Displaying reviews 1-10

                              Back to top

                              Previous | Next »

                              How are we doing? Give us feedback on this page.

                              • Join REI today!
                              • REI Membership
                              • REI member benefits include an annual refund (typically 10% on eligible purchases).
                              • Join REI today!
                              • Sign up for REI Gearmail®
                              • and get 15% off selected items!
                              • Store Locator
                              • Locate an REI store near you.
                              • Find a Store

                              Find REI on: FacebookTwitterYouTubeFlickr