Can you persude me NOT to buy the Expedition Elite?

[surly95]

Hi all,

I am novice paddler, but an ambitious one. I am looking to buy an IK primarily to:

• Go on adventures in remote places; being self-supported.
  Explore lakes, canals and maybe even protected coastal areas.
  (Someday) go full on sea-kayaking.

The two boats which have caught my eye are the AE Expedition Elite & the Innova/Gumotex Framura.

My biggest concern is that I will not have enough space; currently I go expedition cycling and can easily fit my entire camping setup plus six days of food into 60lt of space excluding water.

I think realistically my trips will require 3 days max of supplies but the ability to do anything upto one week (food plus 6 gallons of water) would be preferable. To put my plans into perspective, my future plans (once I'm experienced) will be kayaking one of India's great rivers, or kayaking the coast of Baja California.

Any reasons I should be looking at another Kayak?

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Many thanks,
Ross

[rlpugh1]

Hi Ross,

Depending on your height, the Expedition Elite would be a great yak for what you have described. We have had someone as tall as 6'6" in an Expedition with room to spare up front. The cargo area behind the seat is very large. The weight capacity should suit you as well at 450 lbs. Of course, 6 gallons of water is a lot of weight, so you would want to do your best to distribute it throughout the boat. Check out this link to a story from AE Ambassador Marco Perez-Page who did a 20 day paddle of the Fraser River in BC in an Expedition:

http://share.advancedelements.com/post/ ... aser-river

If you feel that you would need more space or capacity, you may want to go with the AdvancedFrame Convertible with a Single Deck but it seems like the Expedition will do the trick.

As far as seaworthiness, check out this story from AE Ambassador Lee Johnson (also very active on this forum):

https://www.advancedelements.com/commun ... e-johnson/

[PJohanson]

I agree that the Expedition Elite should be a terrific kayak for your trips. As a kayak user I like the design better than Innova boats.
In addition to the already recommended posts, check out my story on this forum of paddling Red Deer River in Alberta at https://www.advancedelements.com/phpBB2 ... php?t=1497

The Expedition is a good folding inflatable kayak. When you have experience using it you will feel confident. What I particularly liked about mine during my river kayaking trip was that the tough outer hull protects tough covered tubes which are the main support for the kayak. With an extra repair kit on hand, I felt able to patch a hole in the hull or tube or both. No leaks occurred.

Be sure to practise paddling in familiar places before going to remote places. I especially recommend doing safety practise, flipping over your loaded kayak on purpose, in safe conditions with friends at hand. Also, get all the maps and reports possible before you travel, so you won't find yourself trying to paddle a Class III rapid where there is no way to portage around it.