Inflatable Kayaks

Reviewed by Paula Johanson

This inflatable folding kayak is portable on buses and inside SmartCars and by small people. A very dependable recreational kayak, well-made with a terrific warranty. Available from the manufacturer, some stores, and West Marine stores and website.

The Lagoon is my favourite kayak of the several different boats I own. I've used an older version of the Lagoon for eight years without it failing. It's still a reliable, convenient recreational kayak. Here's a photo of me using it for the first time, in 2006. This 9'6" kayak is very stable, very confidence-building, very responsive to the paddler's moves. Hundreds of times it's been inflated and used, then deflated and put away. I've banged it into docks, run it up onto rocky beaches, and waves shuffled me across barnacled rocks without any damage beyond a few light scratches on the outside of the outer hull.

Read more: Advanced Elements Lagoon1 review (1)

Reviewed by AlexT.

Extremely versatile, portable, easy to use "water SUV" that is perfect for any type of adventure one could imagine.

This review is for the Sea Eagle Explorer 380X Pro package. The major difference between Pro and Deluxe is the seats: I like Pro seats much better but for more information look it up at the manufacturer website. I've been using this kayak for three seasons now and the fourth season is approaching. The quality of the kayak itself is fairly good: the body/hull is intact and holds up well but some accessories that came with the kayak had been replaced during the warranty period. Specifically, paddles and the foot pump are the weakest links.

Read more: Sea Eagle Explorer 380x Pro Package review (1)

Featured review by Ray Mooney

Very good for flat water, but challenging for fishing.

UPDATE 8/28/16: Took the SE370 down Bear River in Colfax, Calif., for some low key white water. She stood up just fine, bounced off rocks and made the requisite hard turns to avoid bad spills. Came to a screeching halt at one point when we didn't clear a big rock. The kayak stopped dead, I went flying forward, and the seat pulled loose (but didn't leave the boat). I got settled back down, bounced the boat free and I was off again. No damage to the kayak at all. Overall, an excellent experience on my first experience with any kind of white water.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I bought this kayak for fishing at my local reservoir.

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Featured review by Schifferj

This kayak is bomb proof!

My Fire Department Swift Water Rescue Team is equipped with four of these inflatable kayaks. We keep two of them inflated and ready to go at a moment's notice and the other two are stored in bags on the second water rescue truck. They are used, abused but they keep right on keeping on. We take them out at least once a week 52 weeks of the year and have had them in service for over two years now with only one minor puncture wound — and that came as a result of us participating in an REI river cleanup hauling all sorts of glass and other detritus out of the river.

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Reviewed by Amanda Desiree Wilson

This kayak holds two people and or 485 pounds. It deflates into its own backpack.

I bought this kayak from Costco last year to go fishing on the lakes. It came all folded up in a backpack. It took me a few tries to get it set up right, but once it was set up, it was great. I am 340 pounds and this kayak will carry me, my fishing equipment, and camping gear. What I like about it is that when I am done with it, I just deflate it and store it away. I don't need a kayak carrier on my truck. This kayak has special valves that you turn your pump nozzle into and it is sealed.

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Featured review by Stanley Zohner

Overall a good inflatable kayak and fun to use.

I like the length of this kayak—plenty of leg space for both people. I don't like the valve covers very well. I prefer the kind on the NRS Outlaw II.  I also prefer the seat valves on the Outlaw II over the ones on the Tomcat. This is a fun kayak and is good in both calm and white water. I don't like how water catches in the front and the back of the self bailer when you are done and want to dry it out. When I get home I have to unroll it and let it dry out completely because you can not dry out the self bailing sections with a towel. The Outlaw II is much easier to dry and and put away.   I do like that the Tomcat is deeper and longer than the Outlaw II. I like the seats better on the Outlaw II because they are more comfortable.

Read more: Tributary Tomcat Tandem reviews (2)

Reviewed by Patrick Myers

Bought it after a friend let me use his Duckie, but it was a totally different type of boat. The Bandit is small and maneuverable and a lot of fun.

I purchased this inflatable used from an outfitter. Got it at about half the price of a new one. I then had thigh straps and foot braces installed. Ran the Upper Pigeon from the powerhouse input down to the SMO takeout about 200 times at levels from low water to about 4,000 FPS. I ended up swimming a couple of times. The first time I did it I sat for about 30 minutes above Accelerator, which from my vantage point looked like a waterfall before I hit it right down the middle, a section we called The Elevator Shaft. The boat never let me down. Every time I swam it was my fault. If you get a chance to get one jump on it. I use mine for fishing nowadays. Works good for that too.  

Read more: NRS Bandit I review (1)