Razor Kayaks R1 Ultra Review
Rating
Performance: 8
Size/Weight: 8
Durability: 10
Setup: 10
Value: 9
OVERALL: 9.0
A well-constructed kayak that ticks all our boxes.
Razor Kayaks’ R1 Ultra is the kayak of our dreams. It has a beautifully firm Tech-Stitch (Razor Kayaks’ engineered drop-stitch) floor, smooth, tough 1000-denier PVC hull, and stability for days. It’s easy to inflate, easy to dry, easy to carry and easy to paddle - everything about this baby makes for a simple, super-fun inflatable kayak experience where you spend as much time enjoying the water and as little time setting up or packing down as possible. Our favourite part? It’s insanely well priced for a kayak this good.
Comparison
Rank: #1
Open Size: Shorter and wider
Packed Size: Small
Weight: Very light
Capacity: Highest
Perfect For: All types of water.
Pros: Firm Tech-Stitch floor, durable, stable, manoeuvrable, lightweight, easy to carry, easy to store, very reasonably priced.
Cons: If we’re picky, it’s slightly slower than differently-shaped high-performance kayaks we’ve paddled.
Verdict: There’s absolutely nothing better out there in this price range.
Skip ahead to First Impressions, Setup/Packdown, Paddling Experience, or the Final Verdict, check out how the Razor Kayaks R1 Ultra compares to others in our list of the Best Inflatable Kayaks or see how we choose the best inflatable kayak.
Specs:
Open Size: 285 x 84cm
Packed Size: 80cm x 50cm x 35cm
Weight: 8.2kg
Capacity: 179kg
Approx Price: $1,149
First Impressions
The R1 Ultra comes with a slightly oversized backpack which at first we thought was a bit weird - until we realised we could comfortably fit paddle, pump, snacks and lunch all in the one bag and get the whole lot easily down to the water. The shoulder straps on the backpack made it easy to carry, and while you’re never going to be able to replicate the crisp, compact folded shape it came in straight out of the box, we found that it didn’t matter - roll it up and shove it into the bag, and you’re good to go.
The reinforced PVC felt super tough and without the appearance of visible seams - the entire side tubes are one super-strong piece, which is achievable because of layers of PVC that sandwich reinforcing mesh. The main thing that really stood out to us was how hard that Tech-Stitch floor gets when inflated - it was hard to believe it was an inflated floor.
We liked the included accessories - seat, footrest and removable fin. The fin’s solid and easy to slide in and remove, with a sturdy pin that holds it in place, and the seat strikes the perfect balance of firm supportiveness and comfort.
Setup/Packdown
Setup was a simple process of inflating the three closely-located inflation points at the rear of the kayak - one for the floor and one for each side tube. The R1 Ultra gets inflated to a relatively high-pressure 8 psi, part of why it’s got such a beautiful firm feeling on the water.
Once inflated, clip the seat into its four attachment points, attach the footrest by looping it through its D-rings, and slide in the fin. On our first use we obviously had to adjust the seat and footrest straps to achieve the optimal setup, but on subsequent trips we could skip this step.
In terms of packing away, this inflatable kayak is a dream. The PVC rinses and dries really quickly, the seat, footrest and fin are easily removable, and the Halkey-Roberts style values mean the kayak deflates with a simple (and strangely fun) push of the button. Unlike some of the other inflatable kayaks we reviewed, we didn’t have any issues fitting this one back into the bag.
Paddling Experience
We found the R1 Ultra an absolute joy to paddle. It handles beautifully, easily making the sharpest of turns, but unlike a lot of other very manoeuvrable kayaks is able to track a nice clean straight line, meaning you’re not fighting against the water with every paddlestroke. We also loved how stable it was, and felt comfortable sitting and floating sideways through chop - we even had a go standing on the Tech-Stitch floor SUP-style, and didn’t get wet.
The testing conditions were both smooth water and chop, where it performed equally well. One of the kayak’s best features is its stiff bow and stern that cuts nicely through both smooth water and waves, and with the firm floor it moved really efficiently through rougher water.
We found the seat and footrest, combined with the floor, were a great team in providing surfaces to push against and take a lot of the load when paddling, and we definitely felt much happier paddling the R1 Ultra around for a long period of time than we did in some of the other kayaks we reviewed. Looking at how the seat’s installed into the kayak I did worry initially that it was going to move around when paddling, but it stayed nicely in place.
Final Verdict
It’s genuinely difficult to find fault with the Razor Kayaks R1 Ultra. This is an extremely well-designed, high-quality, durable kayak that’s an absolute delight to paddle for an entirely reasonable price. For that reason, it’s our pick of the bunch.
Want to see how the Razor Kayaks R1 Ultra compares to other kayaks we tested? Head over to our list of the Best Inflatable Kayaks.
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