Some people have the roof space on their vehicle to attach a rack to carry kayaks. Aside from our roof being over 10-feet tall, we also intend to mount solar panels on the roof. So, if we want to travel with our own equipment to explore the water, we need something small enough to fit inside our rig.
Fortunately, there are inflatable kayaks. Even better, there are a wide range of manufacturers that make them. Higher end pack rafts can fold down for small compartments and have the durability to tackle rapids. But they are also expensive. And, while one day we may be able to justify that price point, while we are still busy investing in our tiny home on wheels and treating everything like an experiment, we opted to begin our nautical adventures on the other end of the price scale with the Intex Challenger K1 Kayak. At $59.99 a kayak, each of us can have our own kayak for under $150.
Our trip to Colorado serves as the perfect opportunity to test out the new kayaks. While there is some assembly required, and a few individual chambers to fill with the hand pump provided with the kayaks, it takes us about 15 minutes from unboxing to water. When fully inflated, the kayaks are a little unwieldy to carry at 27 pounds. But that’s still much lighter than your average plastic kayak.
We paddled the length of Trout Lake. By the end, I had a massive blister from rowing but some amazing pictures. The most troublesome part of the kayaks came when it was time to store them. They air down quickly but, like any thing that needs folding up, it’s quite a magic trick to make them fit into the bags that came with the kayaks. Even so, I can’t wait to take these out on the water again, soon.
Intex Challenger K1 Kayak
1-person inflatable kayak set with aluminum oars and high output air pump
Do you have any recommendations for kayaking destinations? Share them in the comments!
