Oru Lake Kayak
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | $499.00
Our Overall Rating | 85 out of 100
Pros - Extremely light and portable
Cons - Tracks poorly, uncomfortable
Overall - Portability at a price
Technical Specifications
Open Size - 108x32in
Weight - 17lbs
Load Capacity - 250lbs
Packed Size - 42x10x18in
Our Analysis & Ratings
The Oru Lake is a great example of thinking outside the box in terms of creating the simplest portable kayak possible. It’s extremely light and very easy to set up, so if portability is your main concern, this is a great option. Its downsides are that it doesn’t perform particularly well in the water, as well as the issue with all folding kayaks of wear in the folds over time.
Performance - There’s a thin layer between you and the water, and it certainly feels it. Though it’s wide enough to maintain primary stability, we found secondary stability while in motion wasn’t great, so it’s best for use on calm water. We also found that because of its smooth underside combined with the short, wide design, it was highly maneuverable but didn’t track well in a straight line.
Construction - In the world of folding kayaks, Oru is certainly as high-quality as possible. Materials and buckles are strong, and there’s great thought put into the design of the kayak to ensure it’s both simple and functional. However, the nature of foldable kayaks means that the folds do loosen up over time, which doesn’t necessarily impact its durability but can impact the paddling experience, particularly in kayaks like this one without an internal aluminum structure.
Setup/Pack Down - This is certainly one of the simplest kayaks to set up and pack down out of all those we tested. It unfolds and buckles easily and took us about three minutes to assemble. Packing away was similarly easy, and the materials wipe or drip dry very easily, meaning you shouldn’t have a problem with mold.
Portability - Here’s another area in which the Oru Lake shines — at 17lbs, it’s the lightest kayak we tested, and it folds into a convenient ‘briefcase’-style package that’s easy to carry one-handed. It was among the kayaks that received our highest score for portability.
Comfort - Though the capacity rating goes to 250lbs, we really wouldn’t recommend this for anyone over 100kg or of any serious height. The absence of a footrest isn’t ideal, nor are the side panels that impinge upon paddle strokes on the seat back. And while we generally enjoy a firmer surface to sit on, this one is a little hard for us (although Oru does offer a gel cushion version of their seat for purchase).
Overall - An excellent option in terms of portability, but it sacrifices in paddling experience and comfort.
