Intex Excursion Pro K1 Review
Rating
Performance: 4
Size/Weight: 4
Durability: 2
Setup: 5
Value: 6
OVERALL: 4.2
Your ultimate companion for a day out on the water.
The price is right for this inflatable kayak option that’s a step up in quality from Intex’s Challenger model. It’s no-nonsense, with tons of space, an adjustable seat, foot brace, and holders for your rods (fishing rods, that is - we keep it clean here at W&O) and phone or GoPro. Its smooth PVC surface is surprisingly fast in the water and quick-drying for easy storage.
Comparison
Rank: #6
Open Size: Long and thick
Packed Size: Small and portable
Weight: Heavy
Capacity: Low
Best For: Flat and calm water, fishing, casual recreational paddling.
Pros: Stable, fast, easy to handle, very reasonably priced, comes as complete kit with paddles and pump.
Cons: PVC laminate construction doesn’t seem super durable, included paddle and pump not the best.
Verdict: One of the only fishing-enabled kayaks to make the cut, we’d recommend this as a great multipurpose leisure option.
Skip ahead to First Impressions, Setup/Packdown, Paddling Experience, or the Final Verdict, check out how the Intex Excursion Pro K1 compares to others in our list of the Best Inflatable Kayaks, or see how we choose the best inflatable kayak.
Specs:
Open Size: 305cm x 91cm
Packed Size: 58cm x 50cm x 32cm
Weight: 17kg
Capacity: 100kg
Approx Price: $259
First Impressions
There’s a lot of bits and pieces in the Excursion Pro box.
Included are two removable skegs, two fishing rod holders, a solid plastic footrest, an accessories bar and mobile phone mount, the inflatable seat and, just in case, an inflatable booster pad if the inflatable seat isn’t sitting high enough for you. Plus there’s a paddle and pump.
We like the options provided and think they offer a lot of versatility for different uses, but at the same time - it’s almost as if Intex are trying to compensate for something.
And we think they were - it’s pretty clear to us from our comparison with other inflatable kayaks that the 3-ply PVC/polyester/vinyl construction isn’t as durable as they could be, and from the finish on the seams potentially not as well constructed.
Setup/Packdown
The setup experience for this kayak kind of depends on how you’re planning on using it. Like many kayaks, this features a pretty standard three-inflation-point design and it was not onerous to pump.
For us, we’re happy to go a bit more minimalist, so we could slightly cut setup time by not adding the fishing rod holders, mobile phone mount or accessories bar, just pump up and install the seat, poke the footrest into the right holes for our leg length, and turn it upside-down to slide in the skeg (short for shallow water, long for deep water). For the purpose of this review, we did try putting those accessories in, and found them easy to click into their very obvious attachment points.
Being smooth material, it’s also very easy to dry off at the end of use - just make sure as you’re disassembling that you keep track of all those small parts!
Paddling Experience
We found the Excursion Pro surprisingly good in the water for a kayak at this price point. With the longer skeg in it tracked really well in a straight line, though had a bit more yaw in it with the shorter skeg (but was more manoeuvrable). It’s a longer craft but owing to its thick sides we also found it to be stable, suitable for those extra activities it’s equipped for like fishing.
The hard plastic footrest was a plus for us, giving a solid surface to push against when paddling, which was appreciated in the absence of a drop-stitch floor. (Intex lauds the high-pressure inflatability of this kayak on their website, but it’s still not quite comparable).
Our problem with it was the seat. As with the Intex Challenger, it’s spongy enough to give you the very strong impression of sitting on a marshmallow. Add the additional booster and you’re really wobbling. We’re not actually sure that we’d find the seat that comfortable over a long period of time spent fishing - it just doesn’t provide that much support.
Final Verdict
For a kayak at this price point, the Intex Excursion Pro K1 performs very well in the water. We didn’t find it all that comfortable and have major concerns about its construction and durability. However, this is a great versatile offering from Intex if you don’t mind sacrificing quality for accessible pricing.
Why not visit our list of the Best Inflatable Kayaks to see how the Excursion Pro compares?
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