Call me old fashioned, call me cheap……but so far, I’ve been unable to bring myself to fathom the idea of dropping $85 on a pair of boardshorts. Hell, even the standard $50 is pricey. At least to this point, that’s been my prevailing thought ever since Hurley came out with their Hurley Advantage Phantom Boardshort. Yet the more I hear about them from those who’ve paid such a hefty price for boardies, I find myself starting to at least consider the thought of plunking down 85 big ones.

I never dreamed of seeing a day when the price for trunks would creep toward the century mark. I’d seen advertisements for the Phantoms, but it wasn’t until my recent cruise through a surf shop in Hawaii that I laid eyes on Hurley’s asking price. I honestly had a hard time believing that was the cost and asked the store manager if that price was for real. He confirmed that it was, and assured me they were worth every penny. The material used for the Phantoms is said to be revolutionary and the direction that boardshorts will be heading. The selling points are that they are ultra-thin, flexible, and dry out very quickly.

So here I am, conflicted as the warming temps and water remind me that it’s time to pick-up a couple pairs of boardshorts for the upcoming summer season. Are the Phantoms all they’re cracked up to be, or is this just another sign of the times and a serious case of overpricing?

Hurley is throwing it down this week by offering a free download of Sound and Vision Vol.2 featuring Rizal Tanjung. The 15 minute short film is available this week only (Feb 11th - Feb 18th) through Hurley’s website and is available as a full download which includes; photos, trailers, the full length movie, and a bunch of other downloads. You can also opt to watch the flick right on the Hurley site as well if you’d prefer.

Sound and Vision Vol.2 is a documentary style film that follows Rizal Tanjung around his home island of Bali. Not only does the film give a glimpse into Rizal’s life and what it’s really like living in Bali, but it also features some epic surfing from some of the best waves in the world from one of the best surfers in the world.

While this isn’t the kind of flick that you’d be likely to throw in before a sesh to build stoke, it’s still a very solid one that will certainly be watched over and over again. Plus, it’s free and you can’t really beat that. But you’d better hurry, if you don’t download it this week you’ll have to buy from iTunes.

Hurley, one of the leading global youth brands that prides itself on it’s strong roots in surf, skate, art, music and beach culture, today announced it will be partnering up with Future Distribution in South Africa, which was established and is currently operated by managing director, Jevon Le Roux. Le Roux has a respected track record in the action sports industry, not only as a former pro surfer on the ASP WQS tour, but also from his experience working with such brands as Billabong, Von Zipper, Element, Kustom, and Nixon.

“The opportunity to bring a prestigious brand like Hurley to South Africa is a dream come true,” said Le Roux. “Hurley is an amazing brand that continues to evolve, and I easily identify with the core values and sense of family shared throughout the company. I am excited to further Hurley’s commitment to delivering world-class products to the young-minded audience here.”
Hurley South Africa is set to be based out of Cape Town which has a population of over 3 million. It’s a huge market with very strong ties in the surf industry. From the Thomson’s in 70’s to Jordy Smith, year after year world-class surfers are produced from this area and Hurley should have no problem tapping into this market.