Best Kayaks for Camping: Top 6 Solo or Tandem Kayaks
Fancy a camping trip with a twist? One where you can truly explore nature in all its forms, from land to water? Well, unless you plan on swimming with all your camping gear on your back, then you're going to need a kayak that's suitable for a camping trip to remember! Luckily we've put together this buying guide so that you can find the best kayaks for camping from the comfort of your own home... or tent.
However, first, we need to make sure you know what you're looking for and find out which kayak is the best kayak for camping for you and wherever your camping adventures take you. So, let's get started!
How to Choose a Kayak for Camping
1. Where Will You Be Camping?
When you're embarking on a kayaking journey, it's best to consider the kind of conditions your boat will be facing, such as rivers, lakes, or sea.
Rivers
Usually, when tackling a river paddle (provided the river isn't a wide flatwater river), the best canoe for camping would be a shorter and wider kayak as they are easier to maneuver in fast water. The wider the boat, the more surface area touches the water and the more stable it is. This makes wide boats the best kayaks for fast-moving water and white water rapids.
Lakes
On a lake, you have the option to choose a wide range of kayaks that would suit the conditions. Wide kayaks are best for beginners and paddlers just getting used to kayaking, whereas long skinny boats can be great for a more experienced paddler to go on a journey that requires speed.
Sea
Heading to the coast? We recommend a long skinny boat. This is because the skinny hull, although more unstable than a wide kayak, will carve through waves like butter. This makes the boat a speedy option for long journeys.
2. Which Type of Kayak Suits You
There are lots of different kayaks designed for different uses, so it's best to get familiar with each type so you can determine which kayak suits your needs.
Sit-in
A sit-in kayak is one where you are seated inside the kayak surrounded by the walls of the cockpit. The best sit-in kayak will be one that fits an array of spray skirts to keep you dry and hosts plenty of storage for long journeys.
The advantages of the sit-inside kayaks are having a lower center of gravity than a sit-on-top, giving them a better degree of stability and more efficient turning ability. The lower design also makes you less affected by wind and bad weather. The enclosed cockpit also allows the paddler to rest their knees underneath either side of the boat, which increases your control.
Sit on top
Sit on top kayaks have an open cockpit positioning the kayaker on top of the kayak above the water surface. This allows you to have a better view of the water and access to any stored gear. This makes the sit-on-top very popular with keen anglers as you can easily switch sides to fish out of and access your fishing gear with ease. Other advantages provided by the sit on top included easy re-entry should you find yourself accidentally capsizing. Due to the completely enclosed design of a sit-on-top kayaks hull, they are pretty much unsinkable, and the open tank well enables you to bring bulky equipment like extra tackle boxes or a cooler.
Canoe vs Kayak: Which is the Best Canoe or Kayak for Camping?
So first, we need to determine what the difference is between a kayak and a canoe.
Canoe
Canoes are open boats with sides that come up way past the water surface. The canoe is totally open, a little like a rowing boat. Canoes usually have a seat that resembles a bench. Most canoes contain two seats and sometimes stretch to three. Canoes are also paddled using a single paddle instead of the kayaks double paddle, which has a paddle blade at both ends.
Canoes are useful for camping due to their open design enabling an easy load with plenty of space for lots of kit.
Kayak
A kayak has a cockpit where the kayaker sits on a single seat and paddle with its double-bladed paddle. The best camping kayaks will include storage hatches to keep all your kayak camping kit dry.
How to Choose the Best Camping Kayak
Before purchasing the best kayak for camping, you have to consider many features involved in buying a camping kayak in order to find the top kayak for you.
1. Kayak Camping Destination
The destination of your camping trip is important when buying a kayak. Are you most likely to hit the waves and venture out to sea? Are you more of a lake angler? Or do you intend on taking on a river excursion? These are just a few questions you'll want to ask yourself.
If your destination is multiple days away, then you'll need to look at kayaks with a good weight capacity so you can take lobs of extra sit and with dry storage hatches encase of any bad weather along the way. Nobody wants wet socks!
2. Size and Length
The size of the kayak is important, especially when looking at the width of a kayak. A wider kayak is usually suggested for beginner kayakers as it is more stable due to the amount of surface area touching the water. This also means that the boat is incredibly easy to maneuver and turn, which is useful for whitewater kayaking.
A thinner kayak, although not as stable as a wide kayak, has its benefits too. The long thin kayaks tend to be for those looking for an upgrade from a beginner kayak, having the experience to keep the boat stable in the water. The thin kayaks cut through waves like butter and, therefore, move quickly through the water and aids the boats' tracking ability.
3. Weight and Weight Capacity
The weight of a kayak becomes essential when thinking about transporting the camping kayak. If you intend on solo kayak camping, then you will have to look for a boat that you can transport and get on and off your vehicle if need be on your own. If transport is a problem for you, then the best kayak for camping might be an inflatable one because you can throw it into the back of a car or pack it up into a backpack-sized bag.
Another thing to consider is the weight capacity. If you are kayaking and camping, you will undoubtedly bring a lot of gear, such as tents, clothes, food, etc. This will be a lot of extra weight in the kayak that you will have to make sure the kayak can take on before slowly sinking into the lake.
An average adult male weighs around 300 lbs, so if your boat has a weight capacity of 500 lbs, then you will have 200 lbs of extra equipment to play with. If you intend on bringing an excessive amount of gear while kayak camping, it might be best to step on the scales and weigh your kit before purchasing one that can't take it!
4. Comfort
If you see yourself going on long camping trips or multiple day camping trips, then perhaps you will want to splash out on some extra comfort for your journeys. Many boats are designed for comfort, offering adjustable seats and footrests, seats with lumbar support to avoid sore backs, or padded seating to avoid a numb bum. There are plenty of comfort options to make your camping trip more enjoyable.
5. Stability
Before considering stability, think about how experienced a kayaker you are. If you are a beginner, you will want to get a stable wide kayak to take to the water. If you are a more experienced kayaker and this trip is all about getting where you need to go quickly, think about a thinner kayak that will easily cut through the water.
6. Materials and Durability
The materials of a kayak are something to consider when perusing the best kayaks for camping. The most common for hard shell kayaks is a polyethylene material that is more than durable enough to suit any kayaking adventure. Still, the more expensive kayaks are more likely going to be made with fiberglass. Fiberglass is both extremely durable and extremely lightweight, which is why it's not kind to your wallet!
However, perhaps you need a kayak you can throw into the back of the car or pack up into a backpack or bag size. It would make a camping trip much less cumbersome! If only there were some fold-away alternative. Well, good news, there is. Should you decide that transport is your priority, then a foldable kayak or inflatable kayak is the way to go.
Foldable kayaks can be made using durable polyethylene, which can withstand up to 20,000 folds on some folding kayaks! They are also lightweight to carry and easy to assemble.
Inflatable kayaks tend to be made using PVS, which is a durable and flexible fabric. Other inflatables can have reinforced bases using a fabric like tarpaulin.
7. Storage
The storage is a camping kayak is super important as you'll be expecting to bring all your overnight camping gear with you on your trip. You have to find a kayak for camping that will have enough storage space to enable you to bring your clothes, food, tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment, and of course, an unlimited supply of smores! The kayak for camping will include lots of storage space in the form of storage hatches or deck storage space.
8. Speed and Performance
If a kayak's speed and performance matter to your kayak camping trips, then you might want to invest in a lightweight, durable and thin kayak. This will provide the best performance possible on the water and cut through waves with speed and elegance.
The 6 Best Kayaks for Camping
Now you've decided what kind of kayak camping you intend on experiencing and what you're looking for from a kayak for camping, let's find the best kayak for camping on the market.
1. Wilderness Systems Aspire 105
The Wilderness Systems Aspire 105 is the perfect hardshell camping kayak to take on a journey! The boat's size is ideal for any medium to larger-sized campers in need of a compact boat with plenty of storage space to house all your extra camping gear. There is a storage hatch at the back of the kayak for the equipment you'd prefer not to get wet and bungee storage at the front of the kayak, as well as a water bottle bungee storage space.
Comfort is not a worry for the Wilderness Systems Aspire as it comes with the fully adjustable air pro seat with a breathable mesh cover over ergonomic 3D foam designed to remain breathable and let the air flow through on multi-day trips while supporting your lower back.
Speaking of comfort, this boat also includes padded adjustable footrests to ensure comfort and to accommodate any length of paddler's leg. As well as thigh and knee padding to aid comfortable boat control.
The boat has excellent stability and maneuverability and includes a retractable skeg to aid its tracking on the water.
An excellent option for kayak camping!
The Oru Kayak Beach LT is an innovative foldable kayak and probably the best foldable kayak on the market today!
Oru's design is compact, durable, lightweight, and functional, not to mention perfect for those who have little room to store a whole kayak. This design makes it quick and easy to get to and on the water pronto! It's designed to tackle casual kayaking on lakes, calm rivers, and bays, making it perfect for beginners and experts.
The origami-inspired boat is 12 foot long and can be constructed lakeside in under 5 minutes. You may be concerned about the durability of this boat. Still, Oru puts their kayaks through extensive tests and training and claims the boat can withstand a whopping 20,000 folds, which is pretty incredible. It's made using a durable polyethylene material that comes with a ten-year UV treatment.
The only downside for this boat is the lack of storage hatches. Although there is a significant amount of storage space behind the fore and aft bulkheads, the equipment will most likely need to be put into dry bags.
Do you get lonely on the water or just want to paddle with friends or a canine companion? Well, then a tandem kayak is what you're looking for. Is the Ocean Kayak Zest the best tandem kayak for camping?
The Ocean Kayak Zest is a 16 foot 4 long and 30.5 inch wide sit on top tandem kayak for camping. It has a capacity of 500-600 lbs which means the camping kayak has the capacity to hold a lot of gear. This boat has a surprising amount of storage space, including a central watertight storage hatch and plenty of tankwell storage, which is more than enough to accommodate your camping equipment. This boat weighs 75 lbs which means you'll likely need a helping hand to transport the boat with your tandem teammate or a kayak trolley.
It is a comfortable boat that features adjustable seats and molded-in footwells and side-mounted paddle holders, and molded-in cupholders for your convenience.
Are you looking for a camping kayak fit for multi-day trips with all the storage space you need for all your extra camping gear, complete with rod holders and two watertight storage hatches?
This boat also includes a PAC (portable accessory carrier), which can be removed from its position and towed behind the kayak. This gives you even more room in the shape of an extra tank well. The PAC can also be used as a backpack when you are on land, which is very useful for camping.
The Aruba is a comfortable 12-foot boat with large seating and protective thigh pad cushioning to aid the boat's stability and maneuverability.
If you're looking to go fishing, this kayak allows enough room for your kayak camping gear and fishing gear this boat offers you just that. The Sun Dolphin Aruba is lightweight to transport at 47 lbs, and a capacity of 395 lbs means you'll have plenty of room for fishing gear as well as flush-mounted rod holders to provide a hands-free fishing experience.
The Perception Pescador a 12 foot long 32.5-inch wide kayak coming in at the heavier end of the scale at 64 lbs and a weight capacity of 375 lbs.
If you're looking for a boat that allows you the opportunity to fish on your kayak camping trips, then the Perception Pescador may be for you. It is advertised as a fishing kayak as it has a large tank at the front and the rear as well as two built-in rod holders, which will come in handy if you want to kick back and relax fishing hands-free. The storage space is more than sufficient for all your extra camping gear.
The Pescador is a sit-on-top kayak that makes it comfortable to fish from and easy to get in and out. The seat is removable and can be used on land as a camping chair which is pretty ideal for kayak camping!
For those looking for a kayak that allows you to pack it up and throw it in the back of a car next to all your gear or in a bag, perhaps an inflatable kayak is a good option for you.
The Sea Eagle SE370 is perfect when you're looking for easy, fun recreational kayaks for camping. The Sea Eagles packs down into an over-the-shoulder bag that only weighs 32 lbs, so it is easily carried by one person. It can be set up and inflated in less than 10 minutes, and deflation is just as easy.
This inflatable kayak provides lots of storage space, and with a capacity of 650 lbs, you can bring lots of extra gear in replacement of a paddling buddy. However, if you enjoy paddling with friends or canine companions, there is still enough storage room for extra camping gear.
This boat is best used for day trips from the campsite rather than long kayaking journeys as there are no watertight storage compartments, and when you're bringing your spare clothes, sleeping bag, and pajamas, you'll want some dry storage space to keep your PJs cozy!
Our Best Kayak for Camping!
We've run the numbers, pushed the boats out, and paddled out to sea, and after going through the best kayaks for camping, our top pick would have to be the Wilderness Systems Aspire 105. This boat is really impressive for all types of water, promising plenty of comfort and storage.
The kayak is so comfortable that it would suit both short and long journeys, especially because it features the Phase 3 Air Pro seat and the SlideLock foot brace system to ensure the perfect leg position. Its hull provides the paddler with both stability and speed, and with a retractable skeg, the boat has improved tracking.
All of these things combined make the Aspire 105 an excellent choice of camping kayak for beginners and experts alike!
Common Questions & Answers
1. Should I get a sit-in or sit on top kayak?
A sit-in kayak tends to be a good kayak if you want to embark on long journeys, whereas a sit-on-top kayak is excellent for ease of access getting in and out of the kayak. It is also favored by anglers, and the seating position makes it easier to cast from, but you are likely to get a little bit wet with no protection from the water.
2. How do I pack a kayak for camping?
This is a common question, and if you weren't asking, you should be! It seems obvious, but a kayak needs to be balanced in the water, so if you have a storage hatch at the front and the back but pack all the heavy gear at the front, you'll result in a straight nosedive into the water. It's a good idea to be mindful of the overall weight, including your own. When it comes to packing your kayak, you won't regret it!