Which Surf Magazine Do you Prefer?

I really like transworld surf because they sometimes feature the east coast. Most of the other magazines don't even touch the east coast unless they are forced to get their one every two years traditional article "NE people are crazy because they surf after it snows"

 

I have had subscriptions to Surfer and Transworld, but never felt that I really got some interesting in-depth articles--plus every other page is a pic of someone pulling a slob or a reverse.

With that in mind, whenever possible I try and pick up the Surfer's journal...its not your typical $12.95 surfing rag mag, but the quality/uniqueness of the articles really sets it apart for me.

 

Surfer over Surfing. ESM is pretty cool and I agree Surfer's Journal is excellent. Or books, The Wave was cool by Susan Casey.

 

Slide , Surfers Journal, Surfer ESM , and TWS only cause I get it free cause i won some contest online for it

Slide is a really good longboarding mag come out only 4 times a year

Surfer Journal the articles are really good and they dont just cover the latest fad in surfing

Surfer I always liked it keeps me up to date in whats going on in the rankings not that I really care and it also it fun to read the letter people send in

TWS , like I said I wouldnt pay for it . It really kinda a ****ty mag and honestly it get old seeing guys bustin Airs on every page

 

Surfing and Trans World - aimed at the under 25 crowd (not just my opinion - get their press package and that's what they claim). That's how these mags pitch themselves to advertisers. Pro surfer driven, aimed at the young guys who want the newest pro style boards, boardshorts, watches etc.

Surfer - Tries to have something for everybody. Pro coverage, some "soul" pieces, commentary on the sport. And overall they do a nice job. It's not easy pleasing everybody.

Surfer's Journal - Aimed at the "mature" surfer. Beautiful mag, often with some really cool pieces. Last year they did a wonderful story on East Coast and VB legend Bob Holland. It's a piece no other magazine would touch. But sometimes it just seems like a rehash of photos and events that Surfer ran 30+ years ago when SJ editor Steve Pezman was the Surfer editor. I wish they would look outside of their box a little more often.

The Surfer's Path - My favorite at the moment. A little expensive, but that's because it's out of the UK. But don't let that fool you. It has a very "worldy" outlook that is FAR from the pro driven stuff in the other surf mags (SJ is excused here). Definitely more soul than the others. The last issue had TWO pieces about Fukishima. One about all the good breaks that used be near the nuclear plant, and a second one that was sort of "live" account from a surfer in Japan about the tsunami, and the aftermath. No other surf mag is going to do those pieces. Very well done too.

Eastern Surf - It is what is. I love it because it gave me my first big writing break (I was a "Contributing Writer" for them another lifetime ago), and I have so much respect for how Mez and Dugan started cautiously and nurtured their project. That it's still going is really, really a tribute to them. They cover us like no other mag would dare to. And most time they get it right. I just wish it was a little less "grungy" sometimes (love ya Mez! ).

In deciding on a mag - read the "Intro" pieces that the editors write in the front of each issue of the magazine. If you like the "vibe" that editor gives off, chances are you will like the mag. It's his/her editorial decisions that give the mag its personality.

Keep reading on!

 

ESM is great for east coast coverage nothing else compares, its free (in shops) but i think you can get a subscription for $20/year or something.

TWS is funny, cote makes me laugh while im on the ****ter. Surfers journal articles are for the long slow dumps.

 

Just get all of em except for transworld... they're pretty cheap if you subscribe

 

I get both Surfing and Surfer. I think that they were cheaper than Transworld when I signed up but I like Surfing more because it is more about the lifestyle of surfing instead of the competion where the Surfer focuses on. I'm pretty sure I dont really differentiate I just look at them

 

looks like I am the only one who likes transworld...I like reading the surfer's journal while I wait on my fish tacos at rojo's in OC NJ too.

 

I get all three of the big U.S. mags. It cost me about $36 a year for all three, if not cheaper, get em all man, its like getting three presents once a month!
If I had to get one I would do Surfer, thicker mag, way better in the article department and plenty of east coast coverage when there is something to cover. Also they have a great board buyers guide, wetsuit guides, stuff like that wihich is nice to see whats new in the market. Surfer is the king, then Surfing, tTansworld a distant third.
But Transworld gives the best free crap. I got a pair of Sanuk flip flops with a $13 dollar sub to transworld. Just wait for the best free deal things. My Transworld had a subscription card in it last time you get a free T-shirt with a year script.
In fact i got two years of surfing and surfer for $24, thats the both of them for two years. Thas $6 a year for each.

 

Say hi to Reds for me!!! I worked for him at The Waterfront some years ago! Great Tacos!!!

Dean

 

TWS and ESM. Surfer completely lost me when they started putting out more and more politically slanted articles.

 

TSJ... but I'm a crusty old barnacle.

But I still get 'er and 'ing for laughs.

 

Definitely Surfer's Journal or Surf's Path. Fewer ads, actual articles instead of weird MTV-like "be cool like us" vibes.

Another one that's cool (albeit hard to find in the states) is Australia's Surfing Life. It's sort of an in-between...legit articles, but they have a lot of BS funny stuff as well. It strikes a good balance (like most things down under) between the Surfer/Surfing and Surfer's Journal worlds.

All that being said...I don't buy any of that crap. Plenty of photo's online, and I'll drop by the Barnes and Noble and read the articles every now and then. I figure why spend the money at all if I can read them for free?

 

transworld is great for the money. BUt if your into longboards and old school fish type stuff u cant touch SLIDE magazine, expensive if u can find it but totally worth it. my personal fav!

 

Sums it up very well!

I let my TSJ subscription lapse several years ago but renewed it about 6 months ago as increasingly there were articles of special interest to me. The bonus for subscribers: access to PDF files of all past articles, from Vol 1 to present. That makes the price worth it.

The Surfers Path today is what Surfer/Surfing was in the 1960s/early 1970s. Interesting travel articles for the average joe, not the sponsored Roxy/Quicksilver team trip.

Surfer/Surfing/Transworld are full of advertising hype but obviously have a market.

Spend some time in a good bookstore browsing through your various options and find out what is right for you.