HO Sports RAD, RAD+, and FAD
I was introduced to these strange discs at the Utah Boat Show this past February. At first I didn’t know what to make of them, then I started talking with Joe Sassenrath and watching the promo video and realized that I had to have them. (Yes, I really am that easy a mark.)
Is that a tube?
Although the RAD may look similar to a standard tube, the rigid stricture makes it into a different type of water toy. As Joe explains in the interview, HO uses the same construction used in inflatable paddle boards to make the RAD and FAD noticeably different. There is no squishiness like a tube. These are solid toys that allow the user to try  lot of different things on them.
When compared to a standard tube, these will stow away in about the same amount of space, either inflated or deflated. We had a big towable for the last few seasons that took over our entire dock closet. Deflating that behemoth and putting in two of the HO Sports RAD toys opened up a lot of space for us.
Tons of Fun
Do you remember those LIFE cereal commercials from the ’80s where the kids pass the cereal off to Mike because he won’t try anything? That’s what my kids are like with water sports. They just don’t try anything, much to their father’s dismay. When the RAD and RAD+ first made it to the lake these were the same way. However, once my kids did finally try them they became a favorite almost instantly. There is a stability to them that makes them easy to start on, then as you get faster, they behave predictably allowing kids to play around while being towed behind the boat.

Links
HO Sports RAD page