Folbot Aluet folding kayak

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This is not ultralight gear. But, if you take it in your car trunk or behind the seat it can go on the ocean, cross any lake, and is expedition quality. It folds up into two bags which fit easily behind a sedan car seat, can be taken on airplanes, trains, and buses, etc. I think I could fit 10 of them easily in the back of my old Ford Explorer.

Folding kayaks are great and I have a bunch of them, because I am probly more nuts than some of the other characters here and have to try everything (that includes both staff and non-staff characters by the way, not mentioning the name of one crazy enough to go camping with any gear suggested by the rest of us goofies in the middle of winter and another who has an avatar trading card that looks like he just came out the ice age, siberia, or a movie set).

Anyway, you gotta try a high quality folding kayak if you haven’t. They can even be sailed, but that is another story.

Folbot has a great web site and there is an online member community that can answer just about any question:

http://www.folbot.com/

So the Aleut is a pure 5 because it weighs about 30 lbs. It is what we call a “single” — holds one person and up to 100 lbs. of gear if you know what you are doing. They are near indestructable, although I did some damage to mine when I went down Hat Creek after a rain and spilled when it ran into narrow with tree limbs all over the place, and that is another story. But, the bent stern frame piece was mailed and arrived within two days by the wonderful people who run the business. They only sell through their own web site and direct so you will get to know them well if you get into this line of craziness.

The tops are a waterproof material and the bottoms a rubberized type hull material. Best to look at the web site if you want to know about the technology, because it is a vast subject.

Anyway, this is our working single of choice.

For really UL folding kayaks, there is one about 20 lbs. from a company in New Zealand which even comes in a see through hull for trying to look at the ocean or lake bottoms — but I haven’t had the nerve to buy one yet, my partner would kill me, as usual.

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