Oru Kayak Coast XT Folding Kayak

After paddling a friend's Bay Kayak I was convinced I wanted an Oru, but had to decide which one. After doing some more research I selected the Coast, opting for a boat that could carry more gear and travel faster on the water. I am happy I did.

This kayak is absolutely amazing to paddle, punching through waves, even loaded with many days worth of gear, food, and water. I paddle mostly in the San Juan Islands, and I truly think this boat could change the game–helping get many more people out to beautiful places like this.

3 months. 8 trips. 25 full days. 10 sunrises. 3 whales. Priceless adventures.

After paddling almost exclusively ocean in and around Seattle I can confidently say this boat can stand up the harshest and most varied conditions. It's been great in big surf, longer 5-day trips loaded with gear, and for many of my friends to paddle on weekdays. I plan to leave this boat in my trunk and take it wherever I go. I truly has changed my paddling routine.

One for the record books!

Love getting way out there, but a job is holding you captive to the city and your tiny apartment is already bursting at the seams with adventure gear? Dying to add a kayak to the arsenal, but have no place to fit it amongst the skis, bicycles, and trad rack? Fear not - the Coast is here to help you answer the Siren's call at sea. How portable is it? My buddy and I fit both ours inside of a Hyundai Elantra for an Uber ride to the beach to launch.

From our 20-mile open-water paddle: The Coast is definitely not designed or intended for open-water use, but it performed brilliantly. It was fast; it tracked well too. What was most impressive was its ability to handle overhead swells. There was no buckling. It was stable. This likely had to do with our even weight distribution for the stern and bow. On a second 14-mile round-trip, overnight coastal paddle, I had a hard time with tracking - keeping the boat on-course - during some rough water and afternoon wind. It was fully loaded down with gear; this was likely a cause of the problem. While less-loaded, I had a much easier time with tracking on the open, rougher water. Something else to keep in mind if you plan on paddling with a lot of gear.

There is definitely an assembly learning curve; my first took nearly an hour. The second was 15 minutes. Keep that in mind the first few times that you take it out and plan accordingly.

If paddling rough waters, get the ballasts, spray skirt, and a $20 bilge hand pump off Amazon

While I've only paddle the Coast for one, 3-day trip, I can pretty confidently say that it meets–if not exceeds–all of my expectations for a folding kayak at this price point.

After some practice the Coast now takes me about 15 minutes to assemble, including the time to fit dry bags, camera gear, fishing equipment, spare paddle, and such inside and on the deck. This is much faster than it usually takes me to pull out, transport, load, and unload either of my two other kayaks.

Maybe more importantly, the boat is a true joy to paddle. It's fast, stiff, and completely sealed, making it great for multi-day trips like the one recently completed in the San Juan Islands.

Couldn't recommend this boat any more highly!