FLATED Roadtrip! From the Florida Coast to Oklahoma City Rapids

Ken Hoeve, co-founder of FLATED®, is back on the road and making his way home to Colorado after spending time adventuring around Florida. But instead of heading straight home, Ken has a few more stops to make—including the Outer Banks, Tulsa, and a weekend on the water in Oklahoma City.

This leg of the roadtrip brings together plenty of highway miles, whitewater action, and another chance to put the FLATED® Air-Topper® to the test in real-world conditions.

Heading North to the Outer Banks

After wrapping up his time in Florida, Ken points the truck north toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The Outer Banks have become a familiar stop on Ken's travels, offering miles of coastline and plenty of opportunities to spend time outdoors before getting back on the highway.

From North Carolina, it's time to start making his way west. Ken crosses several states, makes a stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and eventually arrives at the main destination for this part of the trip: Oklahoma City.

Arriving at RIVERSPORT Rapids

Ken heads to RIVERSPORT Rapids in Oklahoma City to announce the 2026 ICF Canoe Slalom event.

It's an especially exciting location for paddlesports. RIVERSPORT Rapids is scheduled to host the canoe slalom and kayak cross medal events during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, putting Oklahoma City on an international stage for whitewater competition.

For Ken, who has spent so much of his life around kayaking and whitewater, getting to announce an event at the venue makes for a pretty special stop on the roadtrip.

From Announcing to Racing

Ken isn't exactly known for staying on the sidelines.

Between announcing races and watching athletes make their way through the course, Ken and his fellow announcers decide it's time to see who can back up all that commentary.

Naturally, a friendly race is in order.

The group hits the water and challenges each other on the course, adding a little competition of their own to an already busy weekend at RIVERSPORT.

Taking Local Reporters on the Rapids

Ken also gets the opportunity to introduce a few local reporters to the course.

Instead of simply talking about the event from dry land, he takes them out for a run so they can experience the rapids firsthand.

It's a fun way to give people a completely different perspective on the sport—and a much better understanding of just how exciting whitewater can be when you're actually in the middle of it.

Putting the Air-Topper® Through the Oklahoma Heat

While Ken is spending his days around the water, his truck and FLATED setup are dealing with a very different element: the Oklahoma summer heat.

Roadtrips regularly take Ken and the Air-Topper® from one extreme to another. We've seen it handle rainstorms, cold-weather camping, long highway drives, and plenty of dusty campsites. This time, it's high temperatures.

Throughout the stop in Oklahoma City, the Air-Topper® handles the heat and keeps Ken's truck setup ready for whatever comes next.

It's another example of why Ken likes putting FLATED products to use on actual roadtrips. Instead of testing gear in perfect conditions, these trips give the team a chance to see how products perform through changing weather, different environments, and thousands of miles on the road.

Celebrating a Great Weekend

After several days of announcing, racing, and spending time on the rapids, the competition comes to an end.

Ken and the rest of the crew get a chance to celebrate a successful event and enjoy the final moments of the weekend before everyone heads their separate ways.

For Ken, that means it's finally time to point the truck toward home.

Back to Colorado

After traveling from Florida through North Carolina and Oklahoma, Ken packs up the truck for the final stretch back to Colorado.

It's been another roadtrip filled with unexpected stops and plenty of time outside—from the beaches of the Outer Banks to the whitewater rapids of Oklahoma City.

And that's what the FLATED Roadtrip! series is all about. You don't always have to take the fastest route home. Sometimes the best part is seeing what you can fit in along the way.

Watch the full video to follow Ken from Florida to the Outer Banks and Oklahoma City, get behind the scenes at RIVERSPORT Rapids, and see what happens when the announcers decide to challenge each other on the water.