Summary

Price At Time Of Writing | £117.00

Our Overall Rating | 65 out of 100

Pros - Handles ok, easy to dry, price

Cons - Small cockpit, slow, poor tracking, thin materials

Overall - Feels more like a pool toy than a kayak

Technical Specifications

Open Size - 274x76cm

Weight - 13kg

Load Capacity - 100kg

Packed Size - 59x41x22cm

Our Analysis & Ratings

The cheapest among the kayaks we tested, this comes off feeling more like a pool toy than a kayak. The Challenger K1 has a few disadvantages - a narrow cockpit, thin materials that make it susceptible to puncture, and its inability to constantly move in a fast and straight line chief among them.

Our takeaway is that you can invest in a better quality kayak then we really recommend you do - but if your budget is limited, this is still a good pick around this price range.

Performance - The kayak definitely has some tracking issues. We struggled to keep it in a straight line on the calmest of water, and it’s not suitable for rough conditions as it takes a lot of effort to paddle when there are waves pushing against you. Manoeuvring around corners wasn’t too bad, but it just doesn’t stay in constant forward movement and its lack of a hard surface on the bottom means it doesn’t go particularly fast either.

Construction - The Intex Challenger K1 uses vinyl material that is susceptible to puncture when snagged or rubbed against rocks. Generally, it isn’t built with solid materials.

Setup/Pack down - We suggest that you BYO pump since it is hard to work with the supplied pump, but it is fairly easy to inflate once attached. A plus to the pack down process is it’s easy to dry just like the Excursion Pro.

Portability - Though this weighs only 13kg, we marked down portability since the thin, light materials that make it a good compact easy-carry also compromise on its quality and increase risk of puncture.

Comfort - The inflatable seats do not make a good surface to sit comfortably in when paddling. Coupled with its tiny cockpit space, the comfort for this kayak scores low for us - like paddling along in a marshmallow.

Overall - Manageable when handling and has an average stability, but poor in construction and goes slowly in the water.