Rare Air

WE PUT FIVE HOT NEW INFLATABLES TO THE TEST

- JEFF HEMMEL

If there's one towable that has stood the test of time, it's the inflatable. Or, as those of us who grew up riding those literal truck-tire innards around the lake used to call them, tubes.

There's plenty of reasons for their long-term popularity. Unlike most tow sports, tubes have no real learning curve. The right inflatable can also satisfy a vast audience, young or old, large or small, timid or aggressive. And then there's the simple fun factor. No other towable elicits the volume-on-11 laughter (OK, and maybe nervous Level 12 scream) that a weirdly shaped, brightly colored bag of air can produce as it skids its passengers outside the wake in a turn or gets air off a wave. Just sit on the dock and listen. Tube-induced squeals and laughter are some of the most familiar songs of summer.

Ready to meet a few of our favorite inflatables from the class of '23? Read on. But don't forget to look and listen to the accompanying pictures. We swear you can almost hear the shrieks.

WOW Wake Walker ($449.99)

WOW's Wake Walker is a twofer: a 76-by67-by-34-inch inflatable that you can ride like a great big comfy couch or, using a secondary tow point, Roman-style chariot. After many hours in the sun, our testers gravitated toward the tube-and-chill mode to start, with backs reclined, legs stretched out, and the large inflated dividers keeping them from banging into each other (or exiting the ride) once the driver sent the tube walkin' across the wakes and into the flats. There, the tube was loose and playful because the tow point elevates the leading edge out of the water. When it was time to mix things up, a secondary web strap sewn into the bottom cover switched the tube into Ben-Hur mode, with riders standing and skidding across their watery Colosseum. In both versions, soft EVA pads protect wear points and add a touch of comfort.