Traveling always means choosing between what you take and what you leave behind. If you are active, bringing your own can save you rental costs. Smaller means better.
Are inflatable kayaks and paddle boards any good? You can put three in the trunk of a car and still have room for a carry-on bag or two. We bought two Intex Challenger K1's at Marshall's for $70 each. That's half the price of an inexpensive rigid kayak. They came with paddles and pumps. We already had a $30 power-inflator from Target.
We found the kayaks straight forward to inflate and worked fairly well. As long as we stuck to reasonably calm water, we were happy.
It carried my 185 lbs without any trouble. I sat a little high, making me worry that I could lose my balance if I hit rough water. I rectified this by flipping the seat bottom to point backwards. I was then sitting on the floor of the kayak. My 5'10" height is a hair too long. I stopped installing the small airbag in the front of the kayak, giving me a little more leg space. If I put too much cargo on the top of the kayak, my center of gravity became to high. Not a problem. We have a little floating cooler that I can pull behind if need to carry a lot of food and drinks.
My wife who is several inches shorter had none of these concerns.
We also tried out a Na Pali inflatable paddle board. It was surprisingly rigid and convenient. We have only used it on calm water and found nothing to complain about. $750 new seems a little steep. Ours was a returned item with a couple of pieces missing for $90. $50 at a sporting goods store made the paddle board complete.
Are inflatable kayaks and paddle boards any good? You can put three in the trunk of a car and still have room for a carry-on bag or two. We bought two Intex Challenger K1's at Marshall's for $70 each. That's half the price of an inexpensive rigid kayak. They came with paddles and pumps. We already had a $30 power-inflator from Target.
Click above for the video
We found the kayaks straight forward to inflate and worked fairly well. As long as we stuck to reasonably calm water, we were happy.
It carried my 185 lbs without any trouble. I sat a little high, making me worry that I could lose my balance if I hit rough water. I rectified this by flipping the seat bottom to point backwards. I was then sitting on the floor of the kayak. My 5'10" height is a hair too long. I stopped installing the small airbag in the front of the kayak, giving me a little more leg space. If I put too much cargo on the top of the kayak, my center of gravity became to high. Not a problem. We have a little floating cooler that I can pull behind if need to carry a lot of food and drinks.
My wife who is several inches shorter had none of these concerns.
Click above for the video
We also tried out a Na Pali inflatable paddle board. It was surprisingly rigid and convenient. We have only used it on calm water and found nothing to complain about. $750 new seems a little steep. Ours was a returned item with a couple of pieces missing for $90. $50 at a sporting goods store made the paddle board complete.
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