![]() The 63-pound boat took me over 25-minutes to set up on the beach due to the intricacies of its internal frame, but once I got out and cranked efficient straight strokes in choppy water, I had a hard time complaining.Īt 16 feet, the Aerius 490 Classic is extremely rigid and tracks like a champ. Hannes Lindemann crossed the Atlantic in a Klepper folding boat in the mid-1950s and, after having a chance to paddle around the shores of northern Washington state in one, I’d be tempted to use the craft to follow. While it will be expensive (more than $3,800), it could likely be one of the best high-performance folding touring kayaks on the market.įolding kayaks are relatively new to mainstream outdoor culture, but legacy manufacturers like Klepper have been making them for decades. ![]() The kayak can be shifted from high-rocker- to low-rocker-mode on the fly, altering the performance characteristics of the vessel. ![]() The Trak 2.0 kayak promises to push the boundaries of what a folding kayak can be, with an incredible rigidity-to-weight ratio that should unlock excellent performance. One option didn't make the cut because it doesn't go on sale until 2024, but we're very intrigued by what it will likely bring to the market. We also read folding kayak reviews from expert sources like and Paddling Magazine, as well as user reviews on popular kayaking forums and retailers. For the few folding kayaks we haven’t tested personally, we interviewed kayak designers, boaters, and retail shop owners to help find options that kayak enthusiasts trust. These recommendations are based primarily on our many years of experience and expertise testing and reviewing folding kayaks. My writing has appeared in outlets like Travel + Leisure, AFAR, Vice, Lonely Planet, and more. I’m also the founder of The Salt Sirens, a website dedicated to ocean sports. My grandparents were once long-distance outrigger canoe racers, and my grandfather still has a penchant for coaching my paddling technique. I’ve circumnavigated small islands in Fiji and French Polynesia by kayak and have paddled through the waters of Hawaii, California, Western Australia, and Tonga. The Expert (Chantae Reden): I have over two decades of kayaking experience. ![]() I got my hands on an early prototype Oru kayak, which I kept in the back of an old Toyota Camry for three summers to hedge my bets against missing out if an impromptu flatwater adventure came my way. In that time, I’ve personally tested over a dozen folding kayaks in conditions ranging from an inadvisable open ocean night paddle off the coast of Washington, to trying to fold one up while surfing in heavy beach break in San Francisco. The Expert (Joe Jackson): I have tested kayaks for a living since 2008 for publications like Paddler Magazine, Canoe & Kayak, and Outside. Best Recreational: Pakboats Puffin Saco.Luckily, that’s why we’re here.įun in The Sun: Best Portable Grills It’s a win-win, so long as you pick the right one. A folding kayak will fit in the trunk of your car, so it’s easy to transport and won’t take up a ton of space at home. A rigid, 16-foot hardshell boat that rips through open water so efficiently that it makes you feel like an aquatic species can put a serious strain on your relationship while it’s filling up a quarter of your garage or half your apartment.įolding kayaks offer a best-of-both-worlds solution for folks who don’t have enough storage space to comfortably stash a boat at home, but love to glide downriver in a high-performance hardshell. Kayaks are fantastic to play with on the water… And just as big a hassle to deal with off of the water.
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