11 best inflatable kayaks for exploring rivers, lakes and the sea

This is a heavy kayak with a bag that’s maybe not quite as ergonomic as we’d like, but if you don’t have far to go to get to the water this backpack ‘yak is quite an eye-opener because its handling is so similar to a rigid, you probably wouldn’t know the difference. This has certainly got a lot to do with a keel that’s reinforced with aluminium, creating a V-shape and although this metal stiffening is guilty of adding to the craft’s weight, it also ensures that it cuts through water like a knife.

The seven air chambers add to the feeling of security on the water and they are comprised of both inner and outer chambers, so you’ll always be able to limp back to shore, if one of the chambers is breached, although the boat will have to take quite a hit as the kayak scored very high on durability. The seat and paddling position was comfortable and although the Advance Frame isn’t quick to drain because it lacks a scupper hole, rolling it up and fitting it back into the bag was no problem.

It took us ten minutes to inflate the two-person challenger with the provided hand pump, and the seats are easy to attach with Velcro fixings at the floor making them stable and comfortable when the boat is out on the water. Construction was good but the heavy-duty vinyl is probably better suited to lakes and rivers rather than the changeable conditions that are inevitable when heading out to sea.

A large front-facing cargo net provides good storage, and you could easily fit a couple of backpacking tents in there if you were feeling particularly adventurous, or just a day pack and some hikers if you weren’t straying too far. Easily carried to the water, the boat was fast but needed some concentrated paddling to track true in the line that we wanted, so a more experienced pair of hands on the paddle in the back seat might be required.

As soon as we set off from the beach we knew the explorer would live up to its name as it tracked superbly, thanks to good hull shaping and some effective fins. The seat was comfortable and made for easy paddling and the core’s construction gave us plenty of confidence that colliding with the island’s jagged exterior wouldn’t result in us swimming home. This rugged build quality is backed up by the manufacturer’s UV resistant coating which means that the sun’s effects on the kayak’s rubber won’t be compromised over time.

The only downside to the explorer is the fact that there aren’t any drainage points, which is why it lost a star. However, even when we headed for choppier waters the high cockpit meant we kept the sea where it’s meant to be – on the outside of the boat.

This tandem has plenty of stability in the water and high sides, so it’s great for one adult and a child, or even two adults and a baby, if you’re just messing around in calm waters, like inlets and ponds. Easy to control and paddle, the two seats can be moved throughout the kayak, making it possible to customise the seating positions according to who’s in the boat.

A good quality carry bag with a shoulder strap gives some limited portability because it’s not particularly comfortable to carry for long. However, there’s enough durability in the manufacturer’s materials to ensure it will survive any close shaves with submerged rocks and wood. Drainage was also efficient through a well-positioned scupper hole.

Looking to share your kayaking adventures with someone? One of the most important factors when buying a tandem is how you’re positioned in relation to the other paddler and the navigator plus gets it spot on, leaving enough room for you both to power the boat forwards without continually clashing paddles. Seats can be secured via the Velcro strip, so you can really tailor where you both sit in the boat and they were comfortable enough if you wanted to put the hours in, as well as having zip pockets on the back for easy access to your dry bag.

Tracking (even in strong wind) was true and the drainage system, although confined to one drainage point, worked well, so we were never in danger of having to manually bail. The backpack was comfortable to carry too, making the whole package easy to transport.

Okay, this isn’t strictly an inflatable but its origami origins mean it is packable or stowable, like it’s purely inflatable cousins, so please keep the outraged emails to a minimum. The Beach LT’s length makes for superb tracking and it occupies a very useful sweet spot and is wide enough to offer good stability, while retaining a sleek enough profile to make for an easy paddler.

It’s not massively comfortable for extended paddling, but we had no reason to doubt the boat’s build quality and it instils plenty of confidence in the kayaker, especially if you plan to take it near reefs, off the shore. According to the manufacturer, it’s rip-proof and guaranteed for 20,000 folds and we have no reason not to believe them.

After some stability issues with the first iteration of the X500, Decathlon have made some design tweaks and come up with a much more stable single-person tourer. Once it’s up, you’d struggle to tell the difference between the X500 and a rigid unless you give the hull the tap test with a paddle.

The four inflation chambers are a good safety feature because it means if one chamber is compromised you can still paddle for dry ground, however this was one of the toughest kayaks on test and would be difficult to damage. The fact that it’s made using drop stitch, means that it’s stiffer and so the paddling characteristics of the kayak were excellent and it tracked really well.

At the end of the day, the X500 packs down easily into the backpack, which is comfortable to carry and distributes the 18kg of weight effectively.

A two-person kayak with two comfortable seats that can be adjusted according to the height of the kayaker. If it’s just one of you in the boat there are handy floor markers to tell you where to position the seat. On the water, the boat performs really well and glides over calm waters and if you’re paddling with a smaller child the fact that the Madison’s sides inflate high means that they will sit nice and deep in the boat, so there’s no chance of them getting an unexpected dunking.

The fabric exterior gives the kayak plenty of protection against sharp objects and the Madison got a particularly brutal bashing on the day we took it out, but took all the punishment well.The tarpaulin bottom of the boat only added to its rugged profile.

At first glance, this may resemble one of those boats that get pulled behind a speedboat in the Balearics, but as the name suggests, this is a two-person craft that’s built for something a little more adventurous. The K2 reacted well to paddling, but we found that it is more manoeuvrable when there’s just one person in the boat, rather than two.

The two inflatable spray decks at the front and rear (or stern and bow, if you prefer) were fit for purpose and did a good job of stopping the kayak taking on water. The K2 packed down nice and small into the transport bag, making it ideal for a larger litre rucksack if you’re adventuring.

Another well-constructed, easily inflated kayak from Aqua Marina, which replicated the rigidity of hard-shell kayaks, especially when it comes to the floor so that we didn’t feel like the boat was going to curl up around us as soon as we stepped on board. The construction of the kayak also meant that it was easy to handle and very quick in a straight line so you can cover distance with very little effort making it a good kayak for exploring inland waters. The kayak dried out in about ten minutes, which was one of the quickest times on test.

This three-person kayak’s broad profile made it feel ultra-stable, even in quite choppy sea conditions, making it a really good confidence building boat for anyone who’s new to kayaking inflatables. There was minimal flooding or air loss, even after hours of paddling and the kayak was very comfortable offering up good back support from the seats if you’ve got a few hours of paddling ahead of you.

The heavy-duty liner used in construction meant that the boat was very durable and coped well with close encounters with unseen rocks and riverbanks and the kayak is easy to portage with front, side and rear handles and ingeniously packs away into itself so you can carry it as a backpack or a holdall.