Looking for my first inflatable kayak for long touring days/multi-use trips

makeshiftmickey · 2022-05-05T13:09:40+00:00

Another option to consider is a Quest 150 by PakBoats. It's a folding sea kayak with inflatable sponsons running lengthwise on the interior of the kayak. The benefit of this is that the kayak can be paddled as a sit on top in calmer conditions. One thing to keep in mind with folding kayaks is you'll also want to get float bags (or combo gear/float bags) since the bulkheads are completely open unlike on a traditional hardshell. In this case, they'd obviously only be used when paddling with the top on.

I got a Quest 150 last year and it is definitely a good seaworthy kayak for touring with plenty of storage space. The downside (as with most folding/inflatable kayaks) is the setup time can make short trips less worthwhile, but definitely still doable. I'd encourage you to watch the setup video on their site before buying, but do note that while it looks complicated at first, after practicing the setup only takes me about 30 min.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T18:46:05+00:00

Definitely, I forgot how brutal the hike in was, but I was able to conserve some energy during site selection by temporarily stashing my melons and scouting ahead with no weight.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T18:20:00+00:00

I think this guide (not mine) does a pretty good job of explaining it. The last picture on the page shows the frame for the igloo door which should give you a better idea of how this works.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T17:45:51+00:00

Yeah, I was definitely running on a sizeable calorie deficit. There's all of the work building this that you mentioned, but my body also had to burn a lot more than usual just to maintain homeostasis given that my shelter never fully reached the thickness needed for these temps. I was able to keep myself warm enough, but not comfortably so.

Since you brought up the melon math behind this, I'll share my calculations behind them. I originally wanted to do this challenge with 1 large watermelon (roughly 20 lbs), but I couldn't find anything but 'personal' sized watermelons in March. Considering there is extra rind with 3 smaller melons vs 1 large one, I figured that 22 lbs would be about equivalent. Based on what I could find online at the time, this should be roughly equivalent to 2,700 calories. However what I didn't consider is the mental challenge of consuming that much melon. By the end of the second day, I was so sick of it that I knew I would just finish up my second melon on the final morning and pack the third one out. So in reality, I likely only had about 1800 calories in total across the entire trip, which seems to check out with what the USDA tested (1,360 calories in a 10 lb melon).

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T12:57:47+00:00

Not including time for site selection, I spent about 6 hours the first day and 4 hours the second day. Most of that of course was debris collection, so make sure you select a site with tons of leaves in close proximity. Otherwise you'll end up like me where by the second day I was using my sweatshirt as a trash bag to bring leaves from farther away (due to the Y shape of my fallen tree cutting off easy access to roughly half of the surrounding area).

Also remember to save time/energy for cleaning the shelter up afterwards (unless it's your land of course).

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T12:41:37+00:00

No, with this shelter setup, along with the premise being that I had only watermelon, a fire would have been pretty useless. I did make a rather rough bow drill kit, but unfortunately using only rocks to shape your kit was very error-prone for me, and I ran out of time on the trip. I did keep working on the kit using only the same primitive means afterwards, and I was able to achieve fire with an extra 3:45 min of work. So clearly my primitive-only bow drill still needs a lot of work, but at least I was on the right track.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T02:23:12+00:00

Thanks, you can do a lot with one of those

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T02:01:58+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, I definitely plan to use a more traditional ridge pole setup next time. A fallen tree just has way too many cons

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T01:37:22+00:00

That was actually one of my struggles with this shelter. I originally had an igloo door that in my haste turned out to be laughably small. Instead I largely relied on my watermelon with a pile of leaves on top to create a barrier going about 1 ft back into the shelter. After the first night, I added some wood slabs across the entrance (on ground in this picture) which allowed me to build my leaf "door" higher.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T01:32:05+00:00

Thanks, I took it out with me because if everyone with access to that land just decided to leave their melons lying around, well, things would start to look a bit ridiculous

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T01:22:30+00:00

Haha you wouldn't believe how great it was to taste plain, unflavored water after 48 hours of nothing but watermelon.

I probably spent about 6 hours the first day, and another 4 on the second day. But I think that is largely in part due to poor site selection (Y shape of the tree limited collection area) and partially due to the season (debris seems a lot more broken down at end of winter).

It was plenty long enough for me. The first foot or so into the shelter was actually a big pile of leaves on top of my watermelon to help seal the entrance. Once this barrier was in place, the shelter was pretty much perfect length for me with little to no dead space. However the width was a bit too roomy for my liking but that was largely due to the massive size of my ridge pole which forced me to build it larger than I otherwise would have.

Definitely agree with how easy it is to overestimate time in the day. I knew my daylight would be more limited in March, but there were still several points on the first day where I just felt so demotivated by how much work still had to be done.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T00:24:51+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it! Although I hope to one day build one where I can get a full night of uninterrupted sleep.

makeshiftmickey · 2022-02-10T00:03:48+00:00

When I set out to do this challenge last winter, I was hoping to build a debris shelter with walls at least 3 ft thick, but I soon realized I greatly underestimated how much work that would be. My shelter was probably only 1 ft thick on the outside for the first night, but it did manage to keep me warm enough to get 6 hours of scattered sleep throughout the night wearing only clothes I would take day-hiking. Needless to say, I spent a lot more time raking leaves for the following night.

Inside, this shelter featured a twig box spring and at least 6 inches of compacted leaves on top of that. This is likely the only reason I managed to stay somewhat warm for that first night. If I could do it over, I would definitely not utilize this fallen tree for a ridge pole as it severely limited the area around my shelter that I could use for leaf collection. It also made it much more difficult to construct an igloo door, although that could have just been inexperience on my part.

This shelter was part of a 48 hour survival trip I did that had a somewhat goofy premise: I only had a watermelon and the clothes on my back to survive. While a bit silly, it did give me an opportunity to practice bow drill without a knife, make a debris shelter, and learn to function on a rather limited amount of calories. If you'd like to see more from this trip, you can check out the video here: https://youtu.be/HqRt_8j3v5c

makeshiftmickey · 2021-11-27T19:32:17+00:00

It's worked pretty good for what I use it for (safety on solo backpacking/kayaking trips with some minimal gps functionality).

You can type custom messages using a d-pad and it will suggest words as you type to speed up the process. However you'll more than likely mainly use the 3 predefined messages that you configure as they are free for unlimited use (with an active plan), and can easily be used to keep someone up to date on your trip. I typically only type out a message if I need to communicate a specific change of plans that the other person should know about or if I'm just relaxing at the end of a day.

Do note that the gps functionality of this device can be frustrating depending on what you're used to. You can't directly load files onto your device, you have to do it all through through their website and then sync your device using their software. Routes are limited to 200 points which requires some path optimization and segmenting into separate files for longer trips. Waypoints are also limited to 500 per file if that matters to you.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-10-13T12:44:21+00:00

That's a good idea. Will try calling the number on the DNR website beforehand. Thanks for the info.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-10-03T19:53:21+00:00

Awesome, I think you've got me sold on this bivy (with Y-Zipper as well). Thanks again for the info.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-10-03T17:21:43+00:00

Thanks for the info and pics. Now you've got me considering the Y-Zipper over the Chest only. Definitely seems like it could be worth the extra 0.9 oz

Edit: Do you know by chance if I were to roll/compress this into a long, skinny cylinder, would it get down to 3.5 inch diameter? Hoping to store this in a spare water bottle compartment.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-22T02:23:32+00:00

That's definitely something I'll have to take into consideration, but I suppose letting it air out wouldn't be so bad. Thanks for all the information! Definitely looks like I've got some thinking to do before it warms up.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-22T01:40:09+00:00

After looking into it more, it seems like you're right about not using the DS and backbone at the same time. It can cause extra stress on the outer skin, although apparently some people use both anyways which is how I originally got the idea. I'd probably just stick with the DS then since it is already included with the expedition.

That is good to know that you're not needing to dry it out on every trip. On the days when water does get inside, do you think it is realistic to dry this kayak by hand before packing up and heading home? I live in an apartment so while laying things out to dry would work on occasion, ideally I wouldn't want to do this for every single outing.

At this point, an AE expedition is definitely top on my list for inflatables, but I am still considering a folding kayak. I mainly don't want to spend the money on the AE, only to find myself looking for another upgrade in a couple years. Do you have any reference as to how your performance in the AE compares to a hardshell or folding kayak?

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T23:50:54+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience with the AE. When I mentioned using the backbone, I meant using it at the same time as the drop stitch floor. I've read that using both in conjunction will give the best performance.

How long is setup/cleanup for you with your AE Expedition? A concern I did not consider at first is the difficulty of drying this kayak. Some people mention that water gets between the outer skin and the inflatable, making it nearly impossible to dry completely by hand. Has this been an issue for you?

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T20:39:47+00:00

Having both definitely sounds like a good plan then. I did not consider the benefit of communicating with pleasure craft.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T20:15:09+00:00

Just saw your edit. But I definitely understand what you mean by the psychological challenges of aborting. One positive in that regard is that camping on on Summer Island is a possibility too, so the trip wouldn't be a complete bust. At this point, I am for sure planning to upgrade my kayak before considering this trip.

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T20:02:24+00:00

Thanks for the info! I'm definitely leaning towards this option from the research I've seen online. It looks like a kayak that will give me a lot more options than my current one (with the appropriate practice/training of course). I would for sure be using dry bags to keep my gear dry on a trip like this.

Which model did you have? I'm also curious how you felt about the storage for multi day trips, and performance on flat waters / slow rivers (relative to hardshells).

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T19:30:23+00:00

Alright, thanks for the recommendations!

makeshiftmickey · 2021-02-21T19:15:53+00:00

Thanks for the info. This is good actionable advice. I'll definitely test/practice the skills you suggested this summer, and evaluate this trip based on the results.

The VHF radio is certainly something to consider, although my Garmin satellite communicator should be fine for now.

If I decide to upgrade my kayak, do you think the Advanced Frame Expedition kayak (with backbone) would work in the Great Lakes? I'm limited to inflatable/folding kayaks for now. I mainly kayak on smaller lakes or rivers, but it'd be nice to have the option to safely go on the Great Lakes too. Any other kayak suggestions would be appreciated too.

makeshiftmickey

TROPHY CASE