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A few days ago, we brought you some options for camping in cold weather. Well, what about for when things warm up (or you live in a warmer climate)? Then you might be thinking about hitting the water. Usually, that means you need a bit of storage space for a boat, even a small kayak. With something like the Oru Origami Kayak line, however, storage space becomes much less of a concern.
How does the Oru Origami Kayak do it? By use of a polypropylene panel that is able to fold up into the size of a box, and then can be assembled into a kayak using some straps, buckles, and velcro, as shown here:
Now, for anything like this, you’ve got to be thinking durability. I mean, fold and unfold any piece of plastic enough – even one meant to do it – and those joints are going to become weak and cracked. Not good for a boat, right? Well, Oru claims that they’re validated for up to 20,000 folds, which sounds like it will be plenty long enough. And even though the panel looks thin, it’s should handle being able to slide over rocks in lower water (something I’ve tended to do when canoeing in the past) and the like, so you’re good to go.
For the Oru Origami Kayak lineup, there are actually five different models. The Inlet is their newest (and most inexpensive at $899) for a single seat ride, and the line tops out at the Coast XT ($2,199) for serious waters. On the other hand, if you want some tandem paddling, they’ve got the Haven at $1,999.
Now, I’ve done kayaking (once) and some canoeing, but I can’t tell you how these would stack up to a traditional kayak, in terms of the overall experience. What I can see, pretty clearly, is that the Oru Origami Kayak is a way to get you into the water that isn’t going to eat up space in your garage, or require a special roof rack to get to the water. In fact, the Oru Origami Kayak Inlet folds down to a 20lb package, something that would easily fit into a trunk.
While the Oru Origami Kayak may not win any style points, it sure does make up for it in the flexibility of how you store and transport it, for sure. If this sounds interesting, just head on over to their site and check out the lineup. And, if you’re interested in us testing one of these out, let us know and we’ll see what we can arrange. orukayak.com
