Interested to hear what rail tape everyone uses and pros/cons.
I've used a few over the years, so here's my experience...
I have found both Ion and RS Pro rail tape excellent. They both formed well to the compound curves of a board and adhered very well and never bubbled. They both handle a beating and didn't get cut/damaged from paddle strike.
I have used that clear smooth and quite thick stuff that some shops apply (I think this might be 3M). This does not cope well with paddle strike (cuts) and doesn't look that great due to being thick (one board I have that the a shop applied this too needed to make cuts in it to cope with a modest rail curve. The positive is it's crystal clear but I'm not a fan of the high gloss finish. Personally I'll be avoiding this in the future.
The worst is the Ocean & Earth. I have used this twice and both times had the same experience. It does not like the compound curve of a rail - or rather it's adhesive is too weak to cope. It chips fairly easily from paddle strike so defeats the purpose of using it in the first place. May as well use a couple layers of duct tape. The only plus is that its more readily available.. so its an ok temporary solution while you're waiting for your online order of Ion or RS Pro to arrive.
I have been using RS Pro and as you said it is a very nice piece of engineering.
However, I thought it had two drawbacks: Its textured skin eats into a paddle guard (I use 3M helicopter tape on my blade to protect it and my toes), and at the time it was opaque so you could not see if there was damage underneath.
I thus then used 3M Helicopter tape (8671 HS) instead. Clear and more supple. I use it both on the board and paddle blade.
But now I use Gong rail tape. It is even more efficient than 3M helicopter tape, as it is a bit more rigid (and a bit thicker) and thus spreads better the energy of a hit. It was meh before 2022, but now quite impressive. As it is kind of a generic product, I guess most brands would also have this quality now. I still use 3M helicopter tape for the paddle blade, more supple.
Disclaimer: I only hit hard of the first meter (3') of the rail from the nose, so I only use rail saver there. This way my hands do not fall on it when handling the board, as I don't like the feeling.
I have used Rail Saver Pro and it is very good but expensive. I only used this on the sides
where the curves/circumferences are fairly large on may longboard SUP.
More recently, I've used SBS Stand Up Paddle Board Rail Savers (Jumbo 83" x 3.5") by SANTA BARBARA SURFING.
It is smooth and thick. I got clear. It works well for areas where the curve/circumferences are not too tight,
which are usually, the areas where most other paddle hits would take place. But, it doesn't hold well enough in areas where
the curves are tighter, like the front of the board where it is more foiled and curving towards the nose, but,
most people probably wouldn't put it there. I've only had it on for a few months.
