Best Inflatable Kayak 2024
We’ve carefully curated a list of the US’ best inflatable kayaks with comprehensive reviews of each to help you find the right model. Explore each review complete with pros and cons, price and technical specifications. We also take you through answers to common questions like are they durable, how quick is setup and talk about what you should look out for. Access full reviews of each product via the ‘Read Full Review’ buttons below, or if you’re looking for 2-person inflatable kayaks, visit our best 2-person inflatable kayak reviews.
Updated July 16, 2024
Inflatable Kayak Reviews
Advanced Elements Expedition Elite
Price At Time Of Writing | $1049.95
Overall Rating | 92
Performance | 10
Construction | 10
Setup/Pack Down | 5
Portability | 7
Comfort | 10
Open Size - 13’ x 2’ 8”
Weight - 42 lbs
Load Capacity - 450 lbs
Packed Size - 31” x 16” x 10”
Pros - Performs really well in the water, good storage
Cons - Tedious setup, long drying time, very heavy
Overall - Great kayak. Just takes a bit of time to dry it out
Aquaglide Blackfoot Angler 130
Price At Time Of Writing | $1199.99
Overall Rating | 89
Performance | 6
Construction | 8
Setup/Pack Down | 8
Portability | 8
Comfort | 9
Open Size - 13’ x 3’ 2”
Weight - 41 lbs
Load Capacity - 650 lbs
Packed Size - 39” x 18” x 13”
Pros - Versatile, stable, high capacity, good tracking
Cons - Very heavy, expensive
Overall - Excellent for fishing, easy to paddle and extremely stable
Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame
Price At Time Of Writing | $699.00
Overall Rating | 86
Performance | 8
Construction | 8
Setup/Pack Down | 5
Portability | 7
Comfort | 8
Open Size - 10’ 5” x 2’ 8”
Weight - 36 lbs
Load Capacity - 300 lbs
Packed Size - 30” x 17” x 10”
Pros - Comfortable, performs well in the water
Cons - Tedious setup, long drying time, not drop stitch, heavy
Overall - Stable and handles well. Just time consuming to dry it out
Oru Lake
Price At Time Of Writing | $499.00
Overall Rating | 85
Performance | 5
Construction | 6
Setup/Pack Down | 9
Portability | 9
Comfort | 6
Open Size - 9’ x 2’ 8”
Weight - 17 lbs
Load Capacity - 250 lbs
Packed Size - 42” x 10” x 18”
Pros - Extremely light and portable
Cons - Tracks poorly, uncomfortable
Overall - Portability at the cost of performance
Advanced Elements Straitedge
Price At Time Of Writing | $899.99
Overall Rating | 79
Performance | 5
Construction | 6
Setup/Pack Down | 6
Portability | 7
Comfort | 5
Open Size - 9’ 8” x 2’ 11”
Weight - 34 lbs
Load Capacity - 300 lbs
Packed Size - 30” x 17” x 10”
Pros - Stable, spacious and strong
Cons - Uncomfortable, doesn't track well, slow, lots of inflation points
Overall - Ok for fishing or whitewater, awkward to paddle long distances
Decathlon Itiwit Strenfit X500
Price At Time Of Writing | $1299.00
Overall Rating | 78
Performance | 8
Construction | 5
Setup/Pack Down | 6
Portability | 6
Comfort | 3
Open Size - 12’ 6” x 2’ 1”
Weight - 39 lbs
Load Capacity - 275 lbs
Packed Size - 37” x 20” x 11”
Pros - Fast & tracks well
Cons - Heavy, uncomfortable, unstable
Overall - Great speed in the water, just unstable and uncomfortable
Aquaglide Navarro 110
Price At Time Of Writing | $499.99
Overall Rating | 75
Performance | 4
Construction | 5
Setup/Pack Down | 4
Portability | 6
Comfort | 6
Open Size - 11’ x 3’
Weight - 28 lbs
Load Capacity - 250 lbs
Packed Size - 25” x 23” x 11”
Pros - Stable, comfortable
Cons - Wider so harder to paddle, slow drying, poor tracking
Overall - Beginner friendly and comfortable, just hard to dry
Intex K1 Excursion Pro
Price At Time Of Writing | $179.99
Overall Rating | 69
Performance | 4
Construction | 2
Setup/Pack Down | 5
Portability | 4
Comfort | 4
Open Size - 10’ x 3’
Weight - 37 lbs
Load Capacity - 220 lbs
Packed Size - 23” x 20” x 13”
Pros - Fairly stable, easy to dry
Cons - Slow, less durable
Overall - Stable, ok handling but slow & made with thin materials
Decathlon Itiwit Recreational Touring Kayak
Price At Time Of Writing | $299.00
Overall Rating | 67
Performance | 3
Construction | 2
Setup/Pack Down | 4
Portability | 4
Comfort | 4
Open Size - 9’ 10” x 3’ 1”
Weight - 24 lbs
Load Capacity - 220 lb
Packed Size - 24” x 17” x 11”
Pros - More durable than other budget models
Cons - Hard to keep in a straight line, slow, hard to dry
Overall - Paddles poorly, feels like a dingy in the water
Intex Challenger K1
Price At Time Of Writing | $128.99
Overall Rating | 65
Performance | 3
Construction | 2
Setup/Pack Down | 5
Portability | 3
Comfort | 2
Open Size - 9’ x 2’ 6”
Weight - 27 lbs
Load Capacity - 220 lbs
Packed Size - 23” x 16” x 9”
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
Advice We’d Give to A Friend
The Basics
How do inflatable kayaks perform? - Initially, we thought inflatable kayaks wouldn’t perform as well as conventional hard shell kayaks, but some surprisingly perform just as well. That is only applicable to the best inflatable kayaks though. Some low-end models tend to move slower on the water, which may come as no surprise.
Will they puncture or fall apart? - No. The best inflatable kayaks are incredibly durable, some using 1,000 denier (density) plus material, similar materials to those used in rescue boats. Cheaper models though can be made of pool toy like materials (for instance, thinner vinyl), so we’d personally prefer to avoid those.
How onerous is the setup? - Typically, it doesn’t take long to set up and pack down, depending on the kayak. Some do take a bit longer due to multiple inflation points. For instance, the AdvancedElements Expedition Elite has 7+ inflation points, which takes a while to prepare. We prefer around 3 inflation points or foldable kayaks for this reason.
Should I get an inflatable kayak? - Yes. While the obvious storage benefits are a good enough reason, they open up new doors to explore the wilderness. Their portability and ease of use on the water make them a great option to add to your outdoor kit.
How long do inflatable kayaks last? - The best kayaks should last years. Cheaper models have less life expectancy, but as always, proper care should improve longevity. This includes ensuring kayaks are completely dry before storing them, and loosely rolling them rather than tightly folding them.
Budget
Price makes a huge difference in choosing the best inflatable kayak to buy. We can break the market into three categories:
Over $800 - You should get an excellent, well-crafted kayak at this price point.
$400 to $800 - Though kayaks in this price range are still of good quality, they may compromise a bit on performance as they can be a bit slower and tend to be bulkier in the water compared to high-end models. However, there are some exceptions here and if you know what you’re looking for you can get a great kayak for a great price.
Under $400 - This category has some poorly crafted kayaks that are slow in the water, hard to paddle and are made with less-durable materials. We suggest spending a bit more for a good kayak that performs well.
Purpose of Use
If your primary use of the kayak is for regular exercise or touring on multiple-day trips, go for the $800+ range. If you’re looking to buy one for recreational purposes or occasional use, a mid-range kayak should do nicely — we’d still suggest buying in the mid-range if you can afford it as you’ll get a much longer-lasting kayak at this price point.
Inflatable vs. Foldable Kayaks
The difference between inflatable kayaks and foldable kayaks is a matter of preference. The former is more stable and versatile, while the latter is smoother in the water and doesn’t require pumping. It really comes down to personal preference.
Ratings By Category
Method
We follow a structured process that allows us to identify and examine each product’s qualities. After reviewing the market, we pick what we think will be the best inflatable kayak in each category from a variety of retailers. Each product selected gets 50 points automatically for being selected. We then perform field tests and in-person assessments to rank them out of 10 in the following categories: Performance, Construction, Setup/Pack Down, Portability and Comfort.
Rankings are adjusted or weighted based on importance and how much they vary e.g. some categories will be categorised from 1 to 10 whereas others 4 to 9 etc. but there are sometimes outliers as well. We have tried our best to paint an accurate picture of how we rate each kayak overall and why.
If you are looking for the best inflatable kayak in the US this is where we hope to provide you with all the information you need.
Performance
There are four main elements we consider in the performance category: How fast it can be paddled through water, how manoeuvrable it is, how well it paddles in a straight line and how stable it is.
There was a big difference in some models from the lower end of the market — the Itiwit Cruising kayak and Intex Challenger take significant effort to paddle in a straight line and they tend to move side to side as you paddle. The high-end Aquaglide models and Advanced Elements Expedition Elite were a lot more stable and managed to stay in a straight line. The ease of going faster without having to fight against the water determines the level of performance the kayak offers.
Intex Challenger K1 Side to Side Paddling
Foldable kayaks often glide more smoothly through the water due to their hard shell
Construction
Construction has four main elements: durability, design, quality of materials and craftsmanship.
There is a fairly clear line here between the cheaper and more expensive brands. The Intex Challenger, for instance, is made from vinyl similar to that found in a pool toy, which makes it more susceptible to puncture. The high-end brands like Advanced Elements use much stronger puncture-resistant materials. The Oru Lake is cleverly designed and well crafted, while the Itiwit Cruising Kayak leans towards basic, beginner-level design rather than prioritising high performance.
Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame Solid Materials
Intex Challenger K1 Flimsy Vynal
Setup/Pack Down
How quickly and easily can the kayak be set up and packed down?
This is an important category to consider when buying any inflatable kayak — some are easier to manage than others. For instance, Advanced Elements have many inflation points and mismatched valves that need a pump piece change to inflate different compartments. Some materials soak up water, so you might consider the waiting time for them to dry before packing up. We find that the Intex models are fairly easy to set up and have easy-to-dry materials. The Oru Lake is also a quick one, with a foldable clip-and-unclip mechanism for quick assembly.
Advanced Elements Expedition Elite 10 inflation points
Fewer, matching valves close together will make a big difference to the speed of setup
Portability
Portability focuses on weight, size and handiness.
Cheaper models are technically lighter and more compact, but they often achieve this by using thin materials that compromise on quality. Where this is the case, we have marked them down for the purpose of the reviews. Smaller and lighter doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Transportable kayaks do come in all shapes and sizes — the Oru Lake, for instance, is only 7.7kg and has a briefcase-style bag. The Expedition Elite is 19.1kg, so it’s heavy but does come with a double-strap backpack. This is an important element and can make a difference depending on how you want to use the kayak. The bag itself matters as you can see from the below images.
We struggled to get the AdvancedElements Expedition Elite back in its bag
Oversized bags are sometimes helpful to fit both the kayak and additional gear in easily
Comfort
Comfort comes in the following forms: cockpit space, seat materials, backrest design, legroom and paddle use.
The AdvancedElements models have a comfortable seat and surface to sit on while the Oru Lake’s seat is a bit too hard and has no footrests. The Intex models are difficult to get into and the cockpit seems cramped. The Decathlon models were either unstable or have side tubes so bulky that it is hard to get the paddle comfortably in the water which let them down.
Intex Excursion Pro Inflatable Seat
Intex Challenger cramped cockpit
About Our Testing Process
Here at The Equipment Guide, we write reviews for the US with the goal of providing genuine personal assessments of the best products on the market. We do detailed research, including field tests to make an informed judgment and help you get a better understanding of what is out there.
All products are reviewed and ranked in a methodical and careful manner and we assess them on relevant key features. We do not accept free products from manufacturers.
Our mission is simple: To create the US’ best outdoor gear reviews.
Afterword
We take pleasure in providing comprehensive reviews of the best inflatable kayaks in the US!
Whether you are looking for the best kayak reviews or individual model reviews, we hope we’ve been able to help. If you have any feedback or would like us to review a product, we’d love to hear from you. Feel free to drop us a note.
If we helped you pick and buy an inflatable kayak, please share your photos with us — we’d love to see you in action!