The Equipment Guide UK

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Intex Excursion Pro K1 Kayak

Summary

Price At Time Of Writing | £239.99

Our Overall Rating | 69 out of 100

Pros - Fairly stable, easy to dry

Cons - Slow, less durable

Overall - Stable, ok handling. Just slow & made with thin materials

Technical Specifications

Open Size - 305x91cm

Weight - 17kg

Load Capacity - 100kg

Packed Size - 58x50x32cm

Our Analysis & Ratings

This kayak is fairly stable and easy to handle for its price point. The Intex Excursion Pro K1 is made of thin materials, which could be susceptible to puncture, but is easy to dry. If you’re mostly going to be using the kayak on calm rivers then we’d say this is a decent lower-cost option for recreational paddling.

Performance - Surprisingly, it tracks quite well in a straight line. Given its wide width, we were still able to manoeuvre without much effort and keep it stable. Sometimes, it drags in the water and it took us more effort to get up to speed. We also wouldn’t want to use it in conditions that are too rough - it’s more bouncy than sleek, and would be a lot of effort to battle against the waves.

Construction - With a PVC vinyl laminate and polyester core, this was a little flimsy for our liking. There were instances that worried us while manoeuvring through rocky areas as we felt one scrape too many could puncture the kayak.

Setup/Pack down - Though it is easy to inflate, the valves are a bit hard to work with when pumping. However, drying time wasn’t an issue as PVC dries very quickly.

Portability - One of the heavier kayaks we reviewed at 17kg, however it folds down to quite a small size. We marked it down as it does sacrifice a bit of quality in the materials to increase portability.

Comfort - The features that give this a boost in comfort are its ergonomic backrests and removable footrests, but the inflatable seats unfortunately don't create a good firm surface to paddle against.

Overall - A fairly stable kayak with average handling, but the materials are flimsy. However, if you’re after something at the cheaper end of the scale that will get you on the water, this does the trick.

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