Intex Excursion Pro Inflatable Kayak with Paddles

So, I bought this feeling a little uncertain about it due to the lack of reviews, especially compared to the cheaper Intex Explorer (which is well reviewed and well known). After using it today (as well as seeing ColoradoWoodsman’s excellent comparison), I know I made the right purchase.

First off, aside from life vest, the package includes EVERYTHING you need to enjoy your day on the water. This is an excellent starting kit for someone looking to get into the hobby, and will easily allow owners to upgrade as they go (more on that in a bit).

Out of the box, setup took me about 15 minutes all told (reading the book, inflation and check out). Everything was solid, and no problems. Deflation took only a few minutes, and everything (aside from the paddles) fits into the provided bag. It is portable, but I wouldn’t want to hike for any length of time with the kit by myself (and being a single father…).

Taking it to the ocean today (specifically a mangrove protected area, so not open waves), the boat performed amazingly. For those curious, I had:
Myself @ 230lb
My daughter @ 50lb
2 Camelback bags @ 4l capacity
Due to the shallow water I used the short skeg. The boat was very stable, and felt as solid (if not more) as a plastic hulled boat. The body was very rigid (inflated to spec and verified with the included gauge), and showed no flex even when being rocked by good wake. The boat also tracked very well, but turned very quick when needed (I suspect the short skeg helped that). With a strong paddle, I could basically turn in place, and never ran into something uncontrollably. I also didn’t feel like I had to put a ton of extra energy into paddling; the boat didn’t putter to a stop if I took a break, though I am sure it didn’t cruise as long as a solid hull might have. That said, I wasn’t feeling like I was fighting the vessel, and it made the experience great.

As noted, my daughter and I brought ourselves and some backpacks, and we still had room for more cargo. There is a solid area behind the rear seat, as well as in the front, and y pi u can easily fit a dry bag in both areas. I ran with my backpack between my legs, and still had plenty of room. The foot rests were also very useful, and provided genuine support for strong paddling. The inflatable seat look a little cheaper compared to expensive models, but they did the job just fine, and had no problem paddling for around 3 hours without discomfort.

So, with all the raving, nothing is ever perfect, so I will point out some honest critiques for buyers to consider:

-I expect the included carry bag to last about 3 more trips. It is easily the weakest part of the package, and should be changed first. It holds EVERYTHING, but just doesn’t feel sturdy.

– The paddles are usable, and while I don’t expect them to snap on me, there is no way to adjust for different size arms. I am 5’6″, and had no problem getting good strokes, but bigger/smaller users may want to make sure they are a good length for them.

– Seats also tend to be a personal choice, so i will note that the seats are not a proprietary system, and you can easily upgrade them if you need. They follow the common yak system of the back supported by forward hooks, and i see no reason you couldn’t upgrade the seats. Again, i was happy with them, but they are inflatable to only one size, so different users may want to consider something down the line.

– The bow and stern could really use some sort of webbing or extra tie down for gear. There a metal d rings all around that can be used for anchors or ties, but nothing on top to hold anything (like an anchor you might attach to the d rings). This leaves only the foot space and aft space as the only secure storage; I am sure you can add something, but it’s not there out of the box.

At the end of the day, it only took about 20 minutes to tear down, and that included a fresh water rinse. It’s easy to pack down, and has no problem going back in the bag (just make sure you deflate it as much as possible to get the space). I know my daughter and I will have many more adventures thanks to this boat, and I really think it is an amazing value at its price. I compared it to a sea eagle 380x I was able to examine, and aside from weight rating, I didn’t feel like I was making a sacrifice in quality for what I wanted (sure, I won’t take class 4 Rapids like the eagle, but…. that’s not a problem for me.. heh). This boat swings above its weight, and I think, if given a chance, will really get a good following like it’s cheaper cousins. If this is in your price range, spring for the extra.. it’s worth it!

This is gonna be a long one so buckle up.

I grew up on the water in Maine. I guided paddle trips for a prominent youth organization. I have been Certified to teach paddle sports by every organization that does so. I have thousands of hours and even more miles on the water in small craft.

I love this thing.

So my family has been off the water for a while do to no storage for boats where we live. I have been looking at inflatables for a bit, prime day came around, and I went for it.

Here’s the good:
super compact. We can fit two in the back of my wife’s small suv with everything we need for a family of 4 to have a great day on and off the water
Very stable. Try as he might, my two year old can barely even rock one of these, even with my 280lbs in the high seating position. The peace of mind with little ones on board is amazing.
Now, the amazing:
Versatility. I have never had a craft of any kind that can be so quickly reconfigured to cover any possible need. We took them to a local park with a group of friends to really give them a workout. Within 90 minutes the went from carrying 1 adult and one child, to two adults, to two 7-10 year olds and one adult, to just one adult fishing. With the way the seats and foot pegs attach to the boat, you can re set for weight distribution or activity in seconds. It’s really kind of mind boggling how well thought out this is.
Ease of paddling. So I’ve read all the reviews about this being slow and unresponsive. I don’t understand what they are talking about. For the sheer size of this thing it is darn near nimble. And. with the correct skeg for the water you are paddling, it is almost thoughtless to control which allows you to pay attention to what you want, rather than wrestling a boat. Wonderful.
Getting setup. My daughter (who is seven) and I can park our car and be on the water in just about 15 minutes. It’s great. We can get in a paddle after work/school with just about the same ease as having hard boats without all the extra weight, transportation issues etc.

A couple of things that maybe aren’t the best, but I really don’t care:
The paddles are terrible. They are plastic and aluminum 5 stage, short paddles. They suck. You can get way better for 30-40 bucks on here. Do that, problem solved.
Long term durability. We’ve had them out a handful of times and I can see scuffs and fold marks already. But you have to remember this is an inflatable boat. They just aren’t going to last forever. These are tougher than most I’ve seen and I if I get a couple of seasons out of them at this price point, I’m happy.

Over all, the only thing I am upset about is that I waffled on this purchase for so long. These watercraft have quickly become an integral part of my family’s summer and we will enjoy them for as long as we can.
Well done Intex, Well done.

This is my second Excursion Pro K1, I bought this one for my daughter. Worked great right out of the box, no issues. I LOVE the valves and how they can be set to not let air out when you remove the hose. I originally bought the Explorer and the bottom valve is just like a beach ball and lets air out until you can jam the cap on, it’s SO annoying. My only gripe with this kayak is the carry bag it comes with, it’s hard to load the kayak into it because it doesn’t stand up at all, so you either need another set of hands to hold it open, or you have to lay it down and try to slide the kayak into it, which is still hard and can be messy because you’re sliding it across whatever mud or dirt is in the area. I actually prefer the bag that came with the Explorer because it’s larger and kind of squat, so it sits open like a duffel bag and I can just drop the kayak into it. It also fits everything including the pump, which the bag that comes with Excursion does not fit the pump. However, the Explorer bag is super cheap and is getting some holes in it, and it’s not a backpack, so I’ll probably buy another bag for mine. I bought a cheap battery operated tiny air pump that I use with the hose that came with the kayak to blow it up most of the way and then finish it off with the pump that came with it.

Es un kayak súper práctico, de muy buena calidad , el precio un poco elevado , es ideal para recreación, aún no lo hemos usado para pescar pero se ve resistente , es muy práctico para transportar inflar y desinflar, nos gustó mucho !!

I had done my research. I picked the Intex Excursion Inflatable kayak. I arrived at camp and pulled out the unopened box- hoping I had made the right decision. It was. But first- No instructions. No problem. The assembly and inflation was easy and intuitive. I had it ready to go in about 15 minutes. The pump does feel cheap, but it works very fast. Once in the water, it was stable and easy to get into. It tracks very straight, takes waves with ease, and is very manoeuvrable. I found it more comfortable to sit low in the kayak- that gave me more back support. Everything just worked very well. The material is heavy duty and there were no problems on gravel or rocks. With two adults and a child, I am sure we were at or over the max weight- but you would never know it. Take down was just as easy. Open the valves, press a bit, then pump out the rest of the air. Fast. And everything fits in the back pack. I wouldn’t want to do a hike with it on, but you can certainly carry it to the water from a parking lot or camp site. My research paid off. It was as advertised- or better. Well worth it.