Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Inflatable Kayak with Bag and Pump

I have always enjoyed kayaking and have been paddling for over 5-6 years now. Every time there was weekend plan for a beach or a river or any water body, I'd spend a lot of time looking up places where you could rent a kayak without having to go through the trouble of lugging it on top of my car. I also hated the fact that most of nice little remote, but beautiful spots for kayaking had no kayak rentals for miles! Hence, the search of a kayak of my own began a few weeks back and because of all the obvious reasons (portability, performance vis-a-vis other inflatables, the whole hybrid factor, space constraint to store a hard-shell and of course, affordability) - I zeroed in on the AE AdvancedFrame Inflatable Kayak.I got a good deal on Amazon.com - the whole package, 96" paddles, kayaking friendly PFD (life vest), AE dual-action hand pump along with the kayak so it made sense. No backbone.Sure enough, the entire stuff reached within 3 days of my ordering it. I was tracking it online so I made sure I left work a tad earlier so I could take it out for a quick test-run in river close by. Reading from reviews online, it made sense to set up the whole thing within the apartment once - so I don't spend time figuring things out in the open. Definitely a good idea and I familiarized myself with the whole process in about 15-20 minutes. Instructions are pretty comprehensive and it comes all assembled, just lay it out and inflate! After this I deflated the kayak and hauled it to the river nearby and in set it up again in under 10 minutes. I chose a spot with at least a 1 ft depth to launch my kayak so I can take the whole rocks/tree branches thing out of the equation.This thing is really stable, sturdy and the paddling experience - at least in a mild river, was pretty close to a hard-shell. The seat (without any additional cushion) is comfortable (max. I tried till now is 2 hrs or so). The ease of maneuverability and tracking is quite decent. Once I got in to a rhythm, the kayak moved very effortlessly. Overall experience on the first time on water - extremely positive!After waiting it out due to really windy conditions, I decided to take the kayak out on the same river but on a different stretch of water slightly down stream. The first thing I noticed was the choppy waters due to the wind and the rocky bottom at the launch site. The last thing I wanted was to damage the kayak or the tracking fin because of the rocks but then I decided to wade a couple of meters towards slightly deeper water before getting in to the kayak. Again, the AE AdfancedFrame kayak performed well in very strong winds and choppy waters. Of course, had I been in a hard-shell, am sure paddling against the wind would have been relatively easier but honestly, I don't think that's a fair comparison. Still, I guess the loss of performance could not be more than 15-20% at the most. Considering that it is NOT a hard-shell, that is perfectly acceptable to me. Now as I was nearing the shore to exit the kayak, I ran over some very nasty rocks that I could literally feel them underneath. Expecting the worst, when I turned the kayak over - there was absolutely no damage barring a few tiny surface scratches - which even a hard-shell would have suffered had it run over those rocks. Nothing at all in terms of any damage, which speaks volumes of the quality of the construction I believe. I had loads of fun once again.Observations,1) Make sure you get long-ish length paddles (96" / 230 cms or more)2) Get a pump with a gauge to make sure you don't over inflate the kayak chambers3) While this kayak is pretty sturdy, why launch it in a place with sharp rocks etc?4) The area behind the seat is decent to store stuff but I can see the utility of a deck-bag5) The life vest (PFD) should allow good arm movement - greatly affects overall experienceThis seems like a very good buy based on the first 2 runs and I am now really looking forward to the summer :)

Now that the dura-floor insert is available, this yak is great! No, it cannot be all things to all people (nothing can), yet if you like easy portage, light weight, no storage probem, stability, good tracking, durability and versatility then this is it.It took me some outings to realize how important it is to keep the rear fin aimed down vertically, it makes a difference. I also tried turning it over in the water and it is near impossible. It does look like a hard shell until you hit arock and bounce back...grear perk!Just as for my hunting boots, spraying the top (orange cloth) with waterproofing spray speeds the drying to no time.What l like about this yak most of all are the options it gives you, such as, to store in its bag or to keep inflated as a hard shell ready for next day or next week.Most of what you need and reach for on any trek can be in front of you held by the web, nice.Yes, the inflation is an important factor to keep in mind although not at all a worry. At first l pumped by the book going by the two way hand pump gauge, but then you get the feel for the right firmness, never a problem.As to "what about the pump being too large to take with you" well with seven chambers and one very large one and a triple layered floor, the problem never came up. Leave the pump behind already.The best flexiblity in this yak is in price and features. It looks great ( people want to know where l got it ), it is light and stable, sets up in less than ten minutes after a couple of "warm ups", store anywhere, fits in a small trunk and it is quite durable...my former hard shell at twice the price would not have survived...so, for the price, can you get better? Doubt it but then, this yak is great and l would have faulted it in a NY minute IF it had given me the slightest reason to.ONE YEAR LATER:Several river trips with white water and rocks...no problem at all.There has to be those who just don't get how to care for this yak. The Durafloor alone makes it very stiff and steady. The back bone was a pain. It has taken beatings with kids, rocks, and "heavy" guests + it has been deflated and put away many times.I read when some call it junk probably bc it takes just a little time and work but, it all works well and it just will not capsize no matter. Try getting out and back in with a hard shell in a shallow swift running river..l saw what happens.

Really happy with it!For the price point, this is a very good kayak!When it is inflated it is very rigid, it is easy to handle, and very maneuverable.We are casual kayakers, usually traveling in an RV. The kayak fits in its own reasonably sized bag and stows easily. It weighs less than 30lbs.I like the highly visible color!It’s big enough to fit our medium sized dog in it too.Ample storage space for tackle, camera equipment, cooler, etc.So far, it’s been very durable too.We like it so much we bought a second one so we can go out together!