About Us

 

SmithFly builds the best ultralight inflatable fishing rafts, the original inflatable floating tents and the chillest of chill, Cabana Rafts all to help people experience the world in new and unique ways. We build as much as possible in house and from scratch. For everything we can’t build in house, we work with the best manufacturing partners we can find. 

 

Hey there, I’m Ethan-founder and principal of SmithFly Designs.

I started out sewing the prototype product line for packs and bags on our home sewing machines.  Bringing these innovative tactical style modular pouches and soft goods to the fishing world seemed crazy to some at the time but now the tactical features are widely accepted and found on most fishing bags and tackle storage products. In 2013 SmithFly was awarded "Grey's Best" from Grey's Sporting Journal for our first product to launch, El Poquito, fishing plier pouch and we built it from the ground up from that first product.

In 2015 I opened our first location at 211 E Water Street in Troy, Ohio. In the spring we launched the Riffle inflatable paddle board, and later in that year we launched the Big Shoals Raft. 

The Big Shoals Raft changed everything. What started as a single prototype exercise ended up with us scrambling all year long to keep up with sales demand. Once the first rafts hit the water the people who knew, came to us wanting to get their hands one so they could access that coveted skinny water. We had a few of the elite professionals in the industry asking about how we had solved many of the problems with other ultra-light rafts on the market.

From the beginning the demand for the Big Shoals Raft has exceeded our ability to build and supply them to customers. We then moved just across the street to a new and larger fabrication facility, 210 E Water Street.

In 2017 we launched the now infamous Shoal Tent. That floating tent product went viral on social media to nearly every corner of the globe with over 100 million views of world wide. As of 2020 there are Shoal Tents on every continent of the world. (except Antarctica) 

In 2020 amid the chaos of a global pandemic we still managed to test and launch a line of Rigid Inflatables, moved to a larger facility with a better showroom in Tipp City Ohio, we tested and launched the inflatable Solo and Duo Kayaks and worked on building a location in Montrose Colorado. 

It is an amazing time to be in the outdoors industry with unprecedented demand growth and continued support from adventurous customers looking to push the envelope of what's possible. Whether it's sleeping out on a pristine mountain lake in your Shoal Tent or floating your local creeks fishing for anything that swims, we can help you get on the water. 

We make the things, you make the stories.

 

info@smithfly.com

Our fabrication shop is located in
Montrose, Colorado

 

Did I mention I love to fish for anything that swims?