Intex Challenger Inflatable Kayak With Paddles

After an hour out on the lake with 2 of these, I have to say it was a great experience. For the price (2 of these combined are cheaper then a cheap solid kayak), it seems like a no-brainer. They are very light – when still in the bag, I can easily carry one in each hand, and even carry both in the same hand (though that tested my grip strength, I couldn’t do it over a long distance).
They very easily inflated using the included pump. Once out on the water, you don’t feel like you are moving very fast, but then you can look and realize you have covered a rather large distance. I never once felt unstable or likely to tip. There were large boats making occasional waves on the lake while I was out, and those waves can make it more difficult to paddle, but nothing major.
I don’t really have anything negative to say. Deflating is a bit more work than inflating, but the way the valves are designed makes it quite easy – you basically just open the valve and it deflates itself. I probably didn’t do the best job getting 100% of the air out – maybe 95%, but I still managed to cram it into the bag (with help… imagine trying to zip up a dress for someone that might not fit them as well as it used to ;-)). But it still fit, and I’d bet I could do better with a little practice.
Full disclosure is that I’ve never owned any kayak besides this, but I’d bet that the typical process of hauling a kayak to it’s destination & back is just as much work. Would I recommend this if you have waterfront property where you can permanently store a solid kayak? Maybe not, though for the price, I still think you could do worse. But if you want something portable that you can easily transport and have a good time paddling around a lake? I would entirely recommend this based on my initial experience.

Last notes, based on things I had read in previous reviews:
– People mention not being able to detach the skeg. I tested this when I first slid it on, and it detached easily. After using the kayak, I found it was more locked into place – I think the pressure exerted on it just jams the plastic together. All you need to do is take something short & hard (like a piece of wood or a pipe) and give it a good whack in the direction to slide it out. Once that jam releases, you can slide it out easily.
– People also say to not pump up the seat, as it raises you up too high and makes you less stable. Based on this, I chose to not pump the seat bottom at all. It was perfectly comfy this way, but I found that my inner hand wanted to brush against the side of the kayak while paddling. I think I would have preferred being a little more raised up. That said, I am pretty short. Just something to keep in mind – I will definitely try pumping the seat next time.

Muy resistente de muy buena calidad. Y practico

—-I purchased the Intek Challenger K1 to try kayaking and see if I enjoyed it enough to warrant spending $500-$600 on a solid-shell vessel. I spent the first few weeks paddling around a small lake behind my home and had no complaints. The Challenger is easy to inflate, easy to deflate, and fitting it back inside the carrying bag was easy as well. I would recommend purchasing a higher quality paddle because the one that comes with the Challenger is a bit short and not very durable. After approximately three weeks of use my paddle cracked, but since the packaged deal was so cheap I didn’t mind purchasing a new one.
—-After about two months of paddling around in small bodies of water, some friends of mine and I decided to go on an 11 mile trip down a popular local creek that we heard was ideal for inner-tubing and kayaking. In hindsight, that decision turned out to be one of the worst we had ever made. Our trip took place in early May, 2011, and just two weeks prior much of our area was devastated by tornados. The creek was low, so we all drug out kayaks through ankle-deep water for the first half-mile. Once the water deepened a little bit we were kayaking like some pros, but at around the three mile mark we encountered some trees that had fallen across the creek. I was particularly nervous since my kayak was the only inflatable of the bunch, but I threw it on top of the pile of trees, climbed up beside it, threw it down into the water, and began cruising again. Less than 5 minutes after our first climb over trees, we encountered several more fallen trees. Again, I threw my Challenger on top of the pile of trees, climbed up beside it, threw it down into the water, climbed in, and paddled on. We all kept telling ourselves that we had to have gone through the worst of it, but the fallen trees we kept coming up on proved us wrong. The estimated three-hour casual kayaking trip we planned turned into 8 hours of tossing or pulling kayaks on top of tree piles (most of which were 10-12 feet high), dragging kayaks through shallow water, and navigating around all of the household items (lawn mowers, refrigerators, etc.) the tornados had dropped in the creek. About four hours into the trip I was hoping that my Challenger would get a hole in it so that I would have had a good excuse to scale the wall of the creek, walk to the nearest road, and call someone to come pick me up. Unfortunately, none of the abuse my Challenger received that day fazed it….not one single hole!
—-After the “trauma” of that trip I decided kayaking was not for me and I draped my Challenger over a fence in my yard to dry. The kayak remained on top of that fence in blistering heat, rain, and cold for the next 9 months. In early 2012, I finally removed the Challenger from my fence, folded it up, put it in its bag, and stuck it in my shed. Recently I decided to give kayaking another try so I broke out the old Challenger and pumped it up to see if its time on the fence had damaged it. The Challenger pumped up as easy as the day I bought it, and it did not have a single leak.
—-Overall, I would say that the Intek Challenger K1 Kayak is a great product and ideal for beginners or those who have to walk long distances to get to where they are going to be paddling. The kayak, paddle, and pump are relatively lightweight and easy to carry in the included case. As I said before, I would recommend purchasing a separate paddle since the one that comes in the kit is not the best quality. The Challenger does not glide through the water like most high-dollar solid-shell kayaks, but it easy to paddle and steer. If you are like I once was and want to try kayaking without investing a lot of money, the Intel Challenger K1 is what you need.

My 6 foot 7 husband took 2 kids out on the lake. He was a little cramped, but was pleasantly surprised. He stated this was built much better than he was expected.

Expect this to handle somewhere between a kayak and an inflatable raft. If you go out with other kayaks, you may be frustrated by your speed. It feels safe enough, but would stick with lakes or gentle rivers flowing in the direction you want to go. For occasional use, with no need for speed, or just to see if you like kayaking, this will do the trick.

For us, it works. We have a large family and would not be able to bring 3 hard kayaks with us. We can stuff 3 under the RV in a large compartment or the back of the minivan. If you are careful and pay a reasonable price, it is a great value for a kayak with paddles that has almost everything you’ll need to get on the water (minus life vests). I don’t feel this product deserves some of the hate paddlers who haven’t tried it have dished out. For what it is, it does the job at an excellent price point. It isn’t so flimsy that I feel it will easily puncture.

The kayak inflated easily and quickly in under 10 minutes. Don’t overinflate, but otherwise somewhat simple- inflation points are numbered to let you know order. If you are tall, may want to skip inflating bottom part of seat, but otherwise seems to work well. It includes a kayak, two seats, a skeg, two collapsable paddles, a small triangular inflatable thingy to stuff inside the front of the boat, a pump, cheapo patch (of questionable efficacy), instructions with a measuring tape to keep you from overinflating, and a duffle bag style bag roomy enough to get everything back into.

Once inflated, it was fairly easy for an adult and child to get onto the water (although no obvious handles like the k2 excursion). It did the job, and was good enough for an hour and a half paddle on a kayak trail. I doubt this would handle substantial waves, but it isn’t (as my husband feared) a hyped up pool toy. It isn’t professional grade, but for an entry level product to get you onto the water it is great. It is easy to transport and store relative to a traditional option, and I believe even if I upgrade I might keep this for friends to try. If hiking, just light enough to bring along in a large backpack for a day trip on a lake…. Although don’t expect to take it backpacking.

Overall, if I get two more trips out of this thing, I will have saved more than the cost of renting a kayak. Fairly happy as long as I get a few more trips out of it. Kids beg to go back out, so they’re hooked.

If you think this might foot the bill look at the Excursion Pro and buy it if the prices are similar (has foot pegs and a puncture resistant cover)… If not, it will do well enough if you kayak on calm bodies of water and manage your expectations.