Driftsun Voyager 2-Person Inflatable Tandem Kayak for Adults - Foldable & Portable with 2 Aluminum Paddles, 2 Padded Seats, Double Action Pump & Travel Backpack - Perfect for Lakes, Rivers & Ocean Adventures

Before buying this we had an Intex K2 Explorer that we liked well enough, but were just not entirely happy with. The K2 had these tall seams along the length that would literally slice our hands while paddling - yikes! Also, being made of stretchy PVC (or vinyl or ??), the bottom would sag under our weight, and when pumped to proper pressure on land, it would lose significant pressure when placed in the cooler water, making the sagging issue even worse. And no, we are not heavy people and well within the weight capacity of the K2. The inflatable seats were comically bad, offering little support and suffering the same squishiness issues as the rest of the craft. Alas, it developed a fatal tear at one of the seams. Several attempts at patching failed and the whole thing finally blew moments after putting in a lake. Enough.Weeks of research led us to Driftsun. After our experience with the K2 we knew we wanted a kayak with a sturdy floor and better paddling performance. This kayak has a fabric shell with the inflatable portions contained within. The Boston valves are traditional for inflatables, and fit our various old pumps - other kayaks we considered use the SUP-style inflators, which I find less usable and more fiddly than the Boston style. Rather than inflatable seats, this has sturdier woven and padded fabric material that has a lot more support than the K2 seats. The floor has several lengths of velcro that allow for varied positioning of both seats.Pumping It Up: Inflation takes literally 4 minutes total. No idea why some folks say it takes 9 minutes or more. My wife and I both have timed ourselves, and it comes together surprisingly fast without going hypoxic in the process.The Floor: The floor is the best part. It becomes quite rigid - not quite like an inflatable SUP, but pretty close, and waaaay stiffer than the K2. This makes getting in and out of the craft so much easier, and paddling is a lot more efficient as a result.The Seats: The seats are made of some sort of woven nylon/canvas/poly fabric that is pretty sturdy and supportive. After a few hours lounging in the sun you will develop waffle marks on your skin, and to help with the comfort, we toss towels over the backs. Overall the seats are way better than the K2, but I suspect better options are available. Also, the seats have latches to secure them both fore and aft - no idea why you'd need to tether the seat behind you, so we removed those straps.Length: This kayak is 11 feet long! Even the box says it's 11 feet long, and my own measurement confirms this. No idea why the description on Amazon says it's 10 feet. It is ELEVEN feet long.Paddling: What a joy! I can't believe we toiled with the K2 when such superior kayaks were available for not much more money. Where the K2 felt like pushing a brick through the water, this is eager to go. I can paddle us by myself much faster than both of us together could go in the K2-so can my wife! Credit the V-shaped bottom and that sturdy floor! The bottom also has a bit of a built in skeg along the front third that helps it track straight. This is just a pleasure to paddle, and our fingers don't get sliced by offensive vinyl seams. On a recent trip to the wild and scenic Rogue River in southern Oregon, we saw several other Driftsun Voyagers paddling the rapids of Hellgate Canyon, so call that confirmation that this is not a lake only boat!Skeg: The removable fin/skeg is so easy to attach and remove, I wish all our water craft used this design. The fin uses an easily manipulated pin rather than wedge/clip systems so many other use. See the photo.Paddles: Three piece paddles, aluminum handles with plastic blades, work surprisingly well. Purists will laugh and use their expensive one-piece paddles. These paddles work well enough, and are much sturdier than the K2's five-piece paddles.Paddle Straps: It's such an easily overlooked feature, but the velcro straps that secure the oars to the kayak are probably the neatest feature! With the K2 we'd shove the paddles into the nose of the kayak and hope they stayed put while we carried it around - they rarely did. These straps hold the paddles securely and can be released from inside the craft.Transport: Inflated, this is dead simple to carry around; it's rigid and easy to maneuver on land. My wife can carry it to the water by herself. The K2 was so floppy that it took us both, and we cussed the whole way. Also, this kayak fits nicely in the included storage sack. Others have commented they couldn't get the seats, paddles, and pump in the bag, but we've had no problem doing so. Pretty simple task.Looks: Awesome! This is a great looking kayak in the water!A few quibbles:The instructions are pretty firm about inflating to proper pressure, yet the included pressure gauge simply does not work. In sleuthing out the reason why, it appears the way the gauge attaches doesn't create any sort of airtight seal, so when you pump, the needle moves, then immediately returns to zero PSI. As it stands, as final pressure appears imminent, I slow my pace and deliver pressure as smoothly as I can, keeping an eye on the needle while trying to keep it at the desired pressure. It's a WAG for sure. Since I have a couple of this sort of pump, I'm thinking about using adhesive to permanently affix and seal the gauge to the pump.Seats: While a huge improvement over the K2's inflatable seats, I suspect more comfortable options are out there. Please understand, the seats aren't all that bad, I just think they are lacking a teeny bit in comfort.Drying Time: Because the kayak is wrapped in fabric, it takes longer to dry. Not a big deal, just something to be mindful of. DEFINITELY dry it completely before putting it away. If you don't, dank will greet you next time you use it.Overall - BUY THIS! If you've read this far, my apologies for being long-winded. This is a fantastic kayak and a great bargain at this price. We've only had it a few weeks, but have used it on several bodies of water and knew straight away it was a heck of a nice water craft that would give us years of happiness, unlike the K2 that we tolerated but never loved, and which ultimately self destructed after just a few seasons. We have enjoyed paddling this so much, and loved the comfort and light weight, easy paddling, and quality construction - we think you will too!