Sevylor QuickPak K1 1-Person Inflatable Kayak, Kayak Folds into Backpack with 5-Minute Setup, 21-Gauge PVC Construction; Hand Pump & Paddle Included

As soon as I saw that the manufacturer was Sevylor, I paid attention and purchased one because I have had one of their inflatable dinghys for more than 25 years as my ship-to-shore and anchor placement transport with never a problem of any kind. My first test of the K1 kayak just occurred this morning and Sevylor totally lived up to my expectations…and here is why you may wish to listen to me.I’m just turning 79 and for 75 of those years (yes, since the age of 4) I have been a serious sailer and power boater all over the U.S. and Europe as well as a canoeist and kayaker on both flat and white water from New England to the Rockies to the West Coast.For more than 20 years I have used a Perception for white water and a Hobie for flat water on the West Coast, the East Coast, and many places betwixt and between and dearly love them and the fact that the Hobie paddles, pedals, and sails…truly wonderful thing. However, I am now old, puny, and needed another kayak that can fit anywhere including a car trunk and can be easily transported on my back to bodies of water more challenging to access such as remote mountain lakes.The K1 seemed like a possible answer but I was concerned with how well it would perform as well as inflate, breakdown, and fit once more in the back pack. What I found was that the inflation process took me 15 minutes the first time and 6 minutes the second time. Each fold down process took me about that same amount of time as well and it actually did fit easily into the back pack. I also noted in a review I read that someone found it challenging to thoroughly dry and clean it before folding it up but the simple solution for me was to give the top surfaces a quick wipe down fresh out of the water with a little bar rag carried in a pocket before deflating it and then wipe down the bottom surface after I deflated it as I folded it up. No problem as you can see in the attached photo allowing me to return home with no further clean-up required.In terms of performance, my first concern based on reviews I read was how squirrelly the K1 would be but I found that it tracks very well (what I couldn’t see in the Amazon.com photos were the two skegs fore and aft on the bottom which are a great help) and is also very stable because it is beamy. At the same time it maneuvers quickly and well. My second concern regarding performance arose from reading several reviews that mention the apparent inadequacy of the paddle but here again I found it to be perfectly acceptable and therefore did not feel any need to use another one of my paddles.There are three negatives I need to mention: First, the back pack turned into seat is uncomfortable in my opinion. It hits me awkwardly in mid-back and there is no means by which to tie the top edge in place. The life vest helps overcome this. Second, the straps and flaps that retain the folded up kayak in the back pack could in my opinion be better designed. Placing the kayak carefully partially alleviates this. Three, the three plastic hooks at the corners of the triangular net are very difficult to take out of their slots once installed. They will probably loosen up with use.In conclusion, I appreciate the compactness, light weight, and quality of the K1 plus believe based on my experience that Sevylor does a very fine job of designing and manufacturing inflatables that are seriously excellent…and no, I don’t have anything to do with the company.

I bought 2 of these. One for me, and one for my kayak buddy - my husband. I had some worries that it would be just some beach float pretending to be a kayak. This is not a float. This is a kayak!Easy to follow - instructions just do the set-up and take down one step at a time. The blow up process is fast. I didn't time it, but the pump blows air in on the push down and pull up.We inflated them, then took a 10 minute break to let the let the air bladders relax so we could fully inflate the kayak. So, blow up, break, finish blowing up is the secret there.Follow the directions to convert the backpack into a seat. Easy!A lot of reviews say the paddles are crap, and that's because they are! 😜 It's a byop (buy your own paddle) situation. There are really nice paddle cleats on one side of the kayak.Inflated it feels light as a beach float, so you just carry it to the water. Deflated, it feels WAY lighted then my hard shell kayaks, but oddly heavier then when it was inflated.SO, the launch! Carried it to the water, plopped it in the water, wasn't sure exactly how to get on an inflatable kayak. I just sat on it as close to the seat as I could get, brought my legs up and go comfortable in the seat. My husband is taller and heavier than I am, but he also had no problem getting in the floating inflatable.The ride is nice, but you do have to use really smooth strokes because it wants to tac left and right a bit. It just takes a few minutes to adjust your paddle method to correct this.It's really stable! I tried to get it to pitch me in the water. It didn't. I wiggled, wobbled, suddenly changed body positions - it didn't even come close to tipping. My husband tried too, but same results for both of us.The dismount was super easy! Just get in shallow water, and swing your legs off one side. Stand-up, put your paddle in the cleats, pick-up the kayak, and walk out of the water. So easy!!The backpack seat is really comfortable. The whole kayak is really comfortable.The deflation process is so easy! They plump has an inflate side, and a deflate side. It goes super flat super fast! Folding it was easy. I did have a problem getting the cargo nets off, so I just left them on. Because I did that, I had to use a couple of bungee cords to make it stay in the backpack. No big deal at all.A little about us.I'm 55, and a 30 year kayaker. I have done white water and still water kayaking. I have a bad left leg. I've had 16 surgeries, 2 ankle replacements, from a catastrophic injury. This is the best kayak I've ever ridden.My husband is 71, and a kayaker for 10 years. He has a lower spine fusion (football stuff, y'all). He loves his inflatable kayak. I'm his hard shell kayak, his butt would go numb, he'd wiggle around and end up swimming. I build out riggers on it, but the numb butt thing made kayaking not so fun even without being tossed into the drink! His butt doesn't go numb with this kayak. I believe it's because he has better circulation because your blood can circulate better on a soft seat. He also had no problem getting comfortable in the seat. The back seems to have better structure then those little backed seats on our hard shells.This kayak is great. I'd never take it in white water, but I can take it out all day on calm water.