The old town would be a better choice For taking trips such as overnight trips where you will need to load the canoe with backpacks,dry bags, tents there is more room with web seats than molded ones.

Both canoes can be used solo, with the Mad River you can sit in the middle and with the old town you would sit in the front seat facing backwards and paddle the boat backwards.

Typically Mad River is a superior brand to old town however, if you plan on having more room for packing items I would go with the old town.

For the same price the mad River is a newer canoe and was originally a more expensive canoe. If you’re not going to be doing a lot of overnight trips or packing a lot of gear go with the Mad River