I have 3 different ORU kayaks including the Coast XT. I've had them all for about 2 years now and I love them. The review here is right on point. I would not take my Coast XT into open water with high waves. But I would take it into moderately rough open water. There are some floats you can put inside the bulkheads to keep it more buoyant in case it swamps. I've never had any of mine swamp honestly. They are pretty durable. But honestly, if you're purchasing one of these, you're not buying it for durability. You're purchasing it for the ease of transport while still having decent performance which has been my experience. All of my boats are going to require some patching at the folds I'm quite sure as time goes on. That's just the trade-off for ease of transport. But if you take care of these kayaks, they will last a really long time. ORU is an excellent company and provides patching kits as well as other accessories to make their boats more comfortable. Also, they do provide bags for transporting on planes and if you're hiking in to get to the water. I have expedition bags for all of them and they work great. Just FYI.
I've not had problems with high waves. Though I did find it very unstable one time when the distance between the wave tops was the nearly as the length of the Coast XT as I ended up with ait below the centre of the kayak. Wind is a far bigger problem though.
I own the Oru Inlet and the smaller touring version Bay ST for over a year now. I used them alot and they still perform great. Be careful when you carry the Kayaks around, because sharp metallic edges like from a dock can cause some damage. I had a small hole in my Oru Inlet on the folding edge cause i hit a dock pier, however the Inlet is still watertight due to the second layer of the hull. They are perfect for people who lives in Cities like me in Hamburg, Germany because of their portable nature and their weight. I never tested the kayaks on huge open Waters but the Oru Bay ST in the Port of Hamburg and it performed very well with the gearlab Kalleq.
I bought two inlets a year ago. And as you said, the folding edge on the bottom is probably the pitfall of the Oru Inlet. Nothing to worry about but some water could leak into the middle canals of the two plastic watertight layers. Portability is your main trade when you chose Oru Kayak. I've flown with them and my trips changed drastically by having a portable kayak in a car to paddle recreationally in every river or lake I want. Can't say much about the Coast XT but it looks it can handle expeditions very well.
I have the smaller touring Bay and quite like it. I haven't owned or used mine enough to speak to long term durability but it doesn't feel fragile at all to me. I will echo some of the other comments about Oru needing to get their manufacturing up to par. I went through several boats (I had originally wanted the Beach LT model) that didn't track worth a damn and returned them - until I finally asked if I could try a Bay instead and it worked much better. Still doesn't track perfectly - but it's pretty good. I just ordered the skeg they released to test out this summer. I will say Oru has terrific customer service and never complained about all the boats I was sending back. Though it was certainly frustrating at the time. Inre: the price - never pay full price for an Oru kayak - they have big sales all the time. Just wait a few weeks and you'd be able to knock a few hundred bucks off the cost of the Coast XT. They also sell them in bundles that get you a bunch of accessories for cheap. Including the upgraded seat cushion, and the backpack they make to transport it with (that you can use when taking the kayak on a plane).
Excellent review! I've owned my Coast XT for 4 yrs and would concur about the overall value for a portable, fairly durable, and very light weight touring kayak. Yeah, you really do need the gel seat, float bags and I also feel that it's a bit wide, a tad slower than my hard-shell sea kayak, and that I wouldn't take it in quite the same rougher conditions as my hardshell. That said, it's more convenient to chuck in the car for day touring and I've only had to replace the broken rear plastic combing latch (which I think is aluminum in the newer model). My biggest complain about design/performance is how bulbous the neoprene bow/stern covers are and how they catch or plow water. The glide would be better if that were streamlined somehow. If pricing and availability were better, I think I would've gone for the Trak kayak, but the Coast is still and excellent boat for my needs.
Its good to see the evolution of folding kayaks. Foot pegs and seat comfort are a challenge even with some hard shell kayaks. Products are often redesigned for better function or comfort.
I couldn't agree more. I love companies that push the industry. Oru Kayak pushed the idea of what's possible with portable kayaks, and created something special. It's not the right boat for everyone, but it's a really cool product for a lot of people.
I have a 2018 Bay ST and a 2021 Coast XT. I have taken them out in surf, open ocean and rough waters. Very durable. A gel seat pad or the Sweet Cheeks seat pad is a must upgrade. I've paddled 13 miles (3 hours) in my Coast XT and the gel seat is a must.
I just switched to an Oru Bay ST for my wife and an Oro Coast XT for myself, that means I can use her boat sometimes too. I am selling my Necky Arluk III 18 footer with rudder, fun boat, and a Dagger Spectral plastic 16 footer with rudder and an Advanced Elements Expendition inflatable. I felt the pain carrying and loading these boats as I got older. The garage is too full. And will be nice to be able have the boats insider the vehicle for long trips. After a year up here in the Puget Sound area I should have an opinion to share, for now I just will be taking a $3000 risk for 2 Origami Kayaks. No risk no gain, so they say. 🏴☠
I have been using the Coast XT as my regular kayak for a few years. The biggest down side is that its stability comes at the cost of being able to roll the kayak, to right it requires so much force that I have trouble not puling myself out of the cockpit, and even when I succeed, the torque through the hull always causes all the bulk heads to pop out. The second problem is that it is difficult to travel with he wind my my side, I seriously injured my shoulder trying to get back into harbour as I had to paddle hard on just one side to stop from turning out to sea. The biggest advantage it has as a touring kayak is that it rolls up like a burrito, so you can access all your equipment in the unfolded hull at loading and making camp. I recommend not buying the thicker seat, use the seat that is included but place a good quality hikers sitting pad under it. The kayak is incredibly light, meaning I can out acceleration a coxed-four.
Thanks for this excellent analysis. I'm search for a touring or sea kayak. I have very little kayaking experience but considerable experience distance SUPing (14' x 25") and wave SUPing (7'7"x27") in the open ocean, so I have some sense of the variables to be concerned with when selecting a vessel. Your comment about not feeling comfortable taking it out in "rough conditions" was helpful, but also raised the question of what you consider rough. I noted that the demo was on a glassy in-land lake. Is rough 10-15 knots on the open ocean? Relatedly, given the Coast XT is light, protrudes over a foot from the water line, and does not have a rudder, it seems to me any significant cross wind (i.e., 10 knot or more) is going cause major tracking challenges. Given that will happen commonly in many ocean situations, it would be helpful to understand whether that would be merely a concern or a deal-breaker for this model.
I personally wouldn't get this boat to take into open water in strong winds with significant waves. The lack of a rudder or keg would make it very tiring to keep on course over long distances fighting wind and waves. You would also want to make sure you had a skirt that provided a good seal on the cockpit rim to avoid a wave breaking on it and 'popping it'. You'd also want to get floatation bags to put in the kayak, to make it manageable if you did come out of it on the water. Overall, it's a great, fast, highly-portable, fun-to-paddle kayak for calm to mild wind and waves. Something to note is that there aren't any high performance and portable sea kayaks that I can think of that have a rudder or skeg, which means they all suffer from challenging tracking in wind and waves. This is a big advantage to getting a hardshell sea kayak with a rudder or keg. Hope this helps!
What would you recommend for overseas trips where durability and flying ease are important? Between the trak 2.0, oru coast xt, and pakayak bluefin which is the fastest on water?
On material durability, I have the Oru Bay sitting out for two seasons due to regular use. Water does get into the corrugation channels in certain areas. A few of these corrugation channels have started getting green and mildewy. Material is slightly cracked in a few folded corner, with certain deep scratches from transport and rocks. Definately looks a bit beatup after a year of use compared to my hardshell fiberglass and Traks.
Thank you for showing us the Ottawa River in this state :) Thought you were in Alaska for a moment there... LOL! ^_ ^ Would never buy any Oru Kayak-like model tho... Plenty of videos on RUclips to make you think at least twice before buying one : - Holes/Punctures. - Water getting inside the material. - Difficult to dry. - People who have sent them back multiple times! TRAK 2.0 FTW!!! ;)
I have 2 Oru Kayaks since 2018. The Bay ST and Coast XT. I have to disagree on all your points. I use my Coast 2-3 times a week. I've never had a leak. They are very durable. I've taken them into the open ocean, surf and rough water. I store my Coast XT in the trunk of my car. Sometimes I am not able to rinse the salty sea water off the kayak before folding back up and it could stay in the trunk for several days. I let it dry on the lawn or wipe it with an old towel. Sure I would love a high end sea touring hard shell kayak but I have no way to store a hard shell kayak or no way to transport a hard shell kayak so Oru Kayak is the solution for me. I would highly recommend this kayak.
Hi. yes have an Oru Inlet, 3 years old, salt water and clear, carcass fine. Here's the vulnerability, bow & stern trim, ouch! The bow (front) is not too bad, when the rivets rusted & popped out cable ties worked perfectly. But the stern, too much hard wear! Think Silence of the Lambs, cable ties all over the place.
I have never had an issue with swamping my Oru bay or Lake. But the only time a friend borrowed it, she flipped it and it got swamped and she swam to shore while her husband towed her swamped boat. I really like oru as a recreational kayak for exercise and going on lakes. I just don’t think I would buy a coast for longer trips or trips where I expect rough water.
The Coast treated me quite well on a week-long 150 mile trip on the Suwanee River. Not rough water, by any means... but a TRUE beast when it comes to performance/gear capacity/portability combination. Hard to beat.
I think my problems with this are that it's claimed it can handle expeditions and do what sea kayaks can do. There are no bulkheads, so if you swamp it's going to sink. You could say put float bags in, great, now you have less room for cargo. Almost any sea kayaking group, outfitter, instructor etc I know will not allow you to participate if you do not have sealed bulkheads. And I'm glad you agree that you wouldn't use it in rough conditions. Additionally, the flex in the material that can be seen just from sitting on it or moving it around is going to effect your performance in general, but particularly in rough conditions. Cost wise, it's about the same as a pakayak, which actually has bulkheads and is far more rigid and durable while still being pretty portable. But it's also the same cost as something like a delta 16, which is obviously not as portable, but will perform better and has none of the shortcomings of this. Could be good for someone who needs something that is really light and portable for calmer waters, but I don't think it's something that should be looked at if you want to get into anything serious.
I think you're bang on. It's not a kayak for serious sea kayaking. This brings up the problem I have with the term 'sea kayak'. Most people who buy 'sea kayaks' are really just buying high performance touring kayaks, because they have no intention to take them into real, exposed, open water situations. But, they want the paddling performance that 'sea kayaks' provide. That's where this kayak does great.
Depends on what you mean by "sink". With float bags: ruclips.net/video/jw-B2NO5Jkk/видео.html Without float bags: ruclips.net/video/If0aeOWfQIo/видео.html The hull material itself is buoyancy-positive. You could sink it if you loaded it with enough buoyancy-negative gear, but I've heard that a lot of camp gear ends up being buoyancy-positive anyway once you wrap it in an appropriate drybag.
@@AsturaPhoenix not entirely sure what the videos are meant to prove? That you can paddle the kayak still even when full of water? Yeah you can tow a kayak filled with water as well. Doesn't change the fact that the entire kayak is filled with water instead of just the cockpit. Yes, gear is generally going to be buoyancy positive, but still not as good as having sealed bulkheads. I also wouldn't want my entire kayak filled with water in rough conditions, out in the open and away from shore. If there's 2m waves coming in, and you get swamped in open water it's going to be a struggle to get it emptied or to paddle back to shore. It's for sure a useful kayak for those that need portability but I still don't think it can do everything a sea kayak can do.
The Oru Coast definitely doesn't want to see extremely rough water, but the Pakayak doesn't even come close to the gear volume and weight capacity of the Coast. The dry weight difference and packed down size make the Coast a hands-down winner for me if I'm traveling across country or planning a week-long expedition (not in whitewater).
I considered the Bay ST before buying an Itiwit x500 recently. I love the portability and very light weight, but a bad review on Maximus Joseppi's channel persuaded me to avoid it. Joseppi compares it to the Pakayak in a video titled "Actual Owner Comparison & Review, Pakayak Bluefin 142 vs Oru Bay ST Head to Head". He couldn't fold his first Bay ST so that it tracked well, and a replacement from Oru was no better. I also worried about durability and about sinking it without the optional floats since it has very little buoyancy when swamped without them. I've seen other good reviews though. I worry about the durability of the x500 too, but I've paddled it dozens of times in the last few months, most recently in the ocean at Tybee Island, and it's holding up well. It's heavier but as portable, and it'll never sink. I bought it largely thanks to your experience with it in the Okefenokee Swamp, and I spent two nights in the swamp with it soon after receiving it. The Okefenokee was truly a transformative experience. I plan to spend another four nights there in the Fall and may make it an annual ritual from now on. The Okefenokee trails are more than worth the five hour drive. It may be my favorite place on Earth. Thanks again.
Great to hear you're enjoying the X500! To be honest... I like all 3 kayaks that you mention. They each have their pros and cons. I'm jealous about your Okefenokee Swamp trip. Definitely worth a 5-hour drive. It's a 24 hour drive for me! Have a great summer!
I would rather have the solid reachability of the PakAyaK which doesn't cost much more and you're getting bulkheads and storage hatches and proper foot pegs, not just a bit of rope to hold on to with your feet.
The Pakayak is definitely better suited for rough conditions. The Coast XT gets the nod for portability, as it's around half the weight. In fact, it's considerably lighter than the lightest composite kayak.
I couldn't agree more... and the weight of the Pakayak is in line with any 14' rotomolded touring kayak! It might way a few pounds extra... but rotomolded kayaks are heavier by nature - but you get amazing durability with them.
The kayak is made of plastic that is buoyant. Don't use the Oru air bladders, they are crap and burst under the pressure or a cowboy rescue. I use dry bags for extra buoyancy.
@@PaddleTV I've managed to self rescue a swamped Coast that had no flotation aids in moderate waves using just a paddle float. I had no problems doing so.
Fresh chimichangas! Good review! My friend's Oru has been on quite a few river tours. As a SUP enthusiast I'm looking for a skinny one so I can keep up better lol.
Hi Ken, great review (as always). My question is: how do you pack the Kajak for a multiple day trip? Where to put all the gear? Thanks and greetings from Germany!
It's not an 'ideal' kayak for multi-day trips. You will need to pack light. Your best bet is to use stow floats in the stern, which are float bags that double as dry bags to stow your gear. You get the safety benefits of float bags, and the storage benefits of dry bags at the same time. You can get small ones for the bow as well.
They're both the same width, and so they'll be very similar in stability. Length doesn't really impact stability. Length impacts maneuverability and speed. Bottom line... both will have similar stability. The Coast will be faster, but less maneuverable.
I have one and am selling it because it is not, in my opinion, sufficiently robust for the open ocean. I also didn't enjoy paddling it. The deck zips, the decklines and attachment points, the undersized Oru buoyancy bags, the lack of cockpit outfitting - all are weak points. If the deck zips break open you are left with nothing. It sits high in the water and catches the wind and there are heavy folds either side of the combing that make paddling uncomfortable at times, particularly because it is relatively wide. The rubber protrusions on the hull affect the glide - I found the Oru gratingly sluggish. I really wanted to love this kayak, but I don't. I'm looking at Nortik and Nautiraid for something better - albeit more expensive.
It's not really the material that's the problem, it's that they haven't figured out how to make the hull assembly symmetrical and repeatable even brand new, never mind long term. I bought one, would track hard right.. had it replaced with a new one, tracked even harder right. Their solution "try to rebend it straight." my solution, returned
You also pay $2000 for a long garbage bin (rotomolded touring kayaks) :) I truly believe it's good value IF this is the right kayak for you. It really is for people who need/want a portable kayak, and want something lightweight, which is fast and fun to paddle, primarily in calm conditions.
@@PaddleTV A good point, well made :) For the 2000€ price I see on their website, I could have nearly two and a half Itiwit X500s at Europe prices. Unless the reduction in weight is absolutely critical (which for some it may well be), I'm not seeing the value. Once I'm substantially into 4 figures, I'd be looking at saving a bit longer and getting something like a Trak that can really take a beating.
Agree. I have the Bay (14 footer) - and that would be my concern here too. Also - the lack of a skeg coupled with their light weight makes these a bit hard to handle in wind. Basically - i love my Bay for what it is . . . a HIGHLY portable recreational kayak to throw in the trunk . . . but its not a replacement for a real kayak if the conditions are less than perfect
I don't think bulkheads define a portable sea kayak, but you DEFINITELY need to use float bags with the kayak if you're taking it into open water, or any water that can get rough.
The problem is, if you have to fill the thing with float bags then you have no space for anything else making it unsuitable for trips any longer than a few hours. It's just a massive compromise. The pakyak is a far better option if portability is important but sadly much more expensive.
Personally even if it’s considered a “sea kayak” it is not good for open waters😂 remember you are on a foldable big piece of plastic and you want to take it out in the open ocean….. Nothing foldable or inflatable will have the performance of a hardshell. The only waters id take this thing on is lakes and harbors I wouldn’t take it in open ocean especially with no bulkheads and a strong wave can possibly bend your kayak causing it to unclip.
You bring something up that has bugged me for years. The term 'sea kayak' really confuses things. For many people, sea kayaks are meant for exposed, open water conditions that are rough, or can get rough very easily. That's what the name insinuates. But for many people, sea kayaks are simply fast and fun touring kayaks that are great for multi-day trips. So what should we call the kayaks in general if not 'sea kayaks'? Don't know... maybe 'super awesome, human-powered, variable water fun machines'! :).
The Oru XT seems like a terrible value to me: $2,000 + seat upgrade + absolutely necessary custom float bags + their thigh hook accessory (also a must) + their custom spray skirt = Are you kidding me? Its made out of the same material as a US Post Office tote. As others have said, this is not a sea kayak. I would love to see Ken demonstrate a self rescue with this boat (when that water warms up) - It just seems dangerous in too many situations that a regular sea kayak would be able to handle.
While I don't agree that $2,000 is terrible value - I would agree that it doesn't sound like this is the right boat for you! :) For someone who is looking for a high performing (fast and fun) kayak for touring - not for challenging serious open water and rough conditions, I think this kayak is great! Not only does it offer this performance, but it's highly portable, and is super light. Those are two HUGE benefits for many people. In fact, those things can prevent many people from paddling at all. Once again... the term 'sea kayak' really confuses things. For many people, sea kayaks are meant for exposed, open water conditions that are rough, or can get rough very easily. That IS what the name insinuates. But 'Sea Kayaks' are used for much more than that. For many people (perhaps more people) sea kayaks are simply fast and fun touring kayaks that are great for multi-day trips.
@@PaddleTV SPOT ON! This is a fantastic "expedition" kayak, for (literally) global expeditions. Not a 'sea kayak'. Hop on an airplane to Brazil and spend two weeks on the Amazon with no need to stop for supplies. No other portable has the combination of transportablility, cargo space, and weight capacity of the Coast. Period.
The material is the same as police riot shields. I'm happy with what I paid (apart from the Oru flats, lights and thick seat pad) and take my kayak out into rough waters. I don't have the thigh hooks.
Problem with oru is there's no way to make the folding design repeatable, symmetrical, and rigid. The creases come out of alignment brand new and you have to try to bend them yourself to make it a useful symmetrical hull and even if you successfully do that, they constantly will go out of alignment again. So you have a boat with an uneven hull that can't track straight, ever. If they could actually solve that issue and make the boat assemble perfectly every time without fail and without disforming over time, then it would be an epic product. Right now, it's a very expensive kids toy
I can see your concern. You DO need to be careful to NOT create new seams by forcing the material. I've never had that problem with my two (soon to be three) Orus.
Nah. Too many variable to make a blanket statement like that. AE are heavy and bulky, with almost zero cargo capacity. No portable exists with a better combination of portability/dry weight/cargo volume/cargo weight capacity of the Oru Coast. Do I want the Oru in whitewater? HELL NO! Give me an AE any day for that alone (if we're talking portables).
@@MEMcAndrews The price of the Oru Coast. is £1750 here in the UK. An Advanced Elements Expedition Elite sells for £1050 and will take 204kg, about the same as the Oru Coast. The Oru Coast only advantage is its 3kg lighter at 16kg versus 19kg for Advanced Elements Expedition Elite. I'm not paying another £700 to save 3kg in weight !!!
I have an AEEE. The only way you’ll ever put 204kg in the AEEE is if you fill it with rocks. There is no storage volume. But if your long range expedition gear includes lots o’ rocks, it may be the vehicle for you. 🤣
An AE AF Sport was my first kayak, and I still love it, but I wanted a sit inside kayak with a spray skirt and storage, so I now have an Itiwit x500 (as well as the Sport). The Sport has zero storage so it's not a touring kayak, but it tracks well especially with the optional backbone attachment. It only has a single bladder, so it's quick to inflate to 2 psi but still takes longer to setup (with the backbone) than the x500 which has five bladders (including the two small bladders on top) that inflate to 10 psi. Valves for the three main bladders are only inches apart inside the rear storage compartment. The x500 is drop stitch, so it looks and feels like a hard shell when inflated, and it's practically unsinkable. It has a lot of easily accessible storage though the compartments aren't isolated and require dry bags. It has drawbacks, like anything else, but it's in a class by itself. I haven't seen another inflatable like it at any price, and it was half the price of the Oru Ocean when you could still get one. The v2 is out of stock at Decathlon, but a v3 is coming.
Yes - like a recreational kayak, if it swamps it will be very hard to deal with on the water. You really need to have float bags in the stern if you're going to paddle this kayak further from shore than you can comfortably swim.
I have had no problems wet-exiting this in the sea. The Coast's light weight means I can lift the whole thing out of the water to drain using just the buoyancy of myself and my jacket.
I have 3 different ORU kayaks including the Coast XT. I've had them all for about 2 years now and I love them. The review here is right on point. I would not take my Coast XT into open water with high waves. But I would take it into moderately rough open water. There are some floats you can put inside the bulkheads to keep it more buoyant in case it swamps. I've never had any of mine swamp honestly. They are pretty durable. But honestly, if you're purchasing one of these, you're not buying it for durability. You're purchasing it for the ease of transport while still having decent performance which has been my experience. All of my boats are going to require some patching at the folds I'm quite sure as time goes on. That's just the trade-off for ease of transport. But if you take care of these kayaks, they will last a really long time. ORU is an excellent company and provides patching kits as well as other accessories to make their boats more comfortable. Also, they do provide bags for transporting on planes and if you're hiking in to get to the water. I have expedition bags for all of them and they work great. Just FYI.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Great to hear.
I've not had problems with high waves. Though I did find it very unstable one time when the distance between the wave tops was the nearly as the length of the Coast XT as I ended up with ait below the centre of the kayak. Wind is a far bigger problem though.
I own the Oru Inlet and the smaller touring version Bay ST for over a year now. I used them alot and they still perform great. Be careful when you carry the Kayaks around, because sharp metallic edges like from a dock can cause some damage. I had a small hole in my Oru Inlet on the folding edge cause i hit a dock pier, however the Inlet is still watertight due to the second layer of the hull. They are perfect for people who lives in Cities like me in Hamburg, Germany because of their portable nature and their weight. I never tested the kayaks on huge open Waters but the Oru Bay ST in the Port of Hamburg and it performed very well with the gearlab Kalleq.
I bought two inlets a year ago. And as you said, the folding edge on the bottom is probably the pitfall of the Oru Inlet. Nothing to worry about but some water could leak into the middle canals of the two plastic watertight layers.
Portability is your main trade when you chose Oru Kayak. I've flown with them and my trips changed drastically by having a portable kayak in a car to paddle recreationally in every river or lake I want.
Can't say much about the Coast XT but it looks it can handle expeditions very well.
I have the smaller touring Bay and quite like it. I haven't owned or used mine enough to speak to long term durability but it doesn't feel fragile at all to me. I will echo some of the other comments about Oru needing to get their manufacturing up to par. I went through several boats (I had originally wanted the Beach LT model) that didn't track worth a damn and returned them - until I finally asked if I could try a Bay instead and it worked much better. Still doesn't track perfectly - but it's pretty good. I just ordered the skeg they released to test out this summer. I will say Oru has terrific customer service and never complained about all the boats I was sending back. Though it was certainly frustrating at the time.
Inre: the price - never pay full price for an Oru kayak - they have big sales all the time. Just wait a few weeks and you'd be able to knock a few hundred bucks off the cost of the Coast XT. They also sell them in bundles that get you a bunch of accessories for cheap. Including the upgraded seat cushion, and the backpack they make to transport it with (that you can use when taking the kayak on a plane).
Great tips! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent review! I've owned my Coast XT for 4 yrs and would concur about the overall value for a portable, fairly durable, and very light weight touring kayak. Yeah, you really do need the gel seat, float bags and I also feel that it's a bit wide, a tad slower than my hard-shell sea kayak, and that I wouldn't take it in quite the same rougher conditions as my hardshell. That said, it's more convenient to chuck in the car for day touring and I've only had to replace the broken rear plastic combing latch (which I think is aluminum in the newer model). My biggest complain about design/performance is how bulbous the neoprene bow/stern covers are and how they catch or plow water. The glide would be better if that were streamlined somehow. If pricing and availability were better, I think I would've gone for the Trak kayak, but the Coast is still and excellent boat for my needs.
Its good to see the evolution of folding kayaks.
Foot pegs and seat comfort are a challenge even
with some hard shell kayaks. Products are often
redesigned for better function or comfort.
I couldn't agree more. I love companies that push the industry. Oru Kayak pushed the idea of what's possible with portable kayaks, and created something special. It's not the right boat for everyone, but it's a really cool product for a lot of people.
I have a 2018 Bay ST and a 2021 Coast XT. I have taken them out in surf, open ocean and rough waters. Very durable. A gel seat pad or the Sweet Cheeks seat pad is a must upgrade. I've paddled 13 miles (3 hours) in my Coast XT and the gel seat is a must.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
I just switched to an Oru Bay ST for my wife and an Oro Coast XT for myself, that means I can use her boat sometimes too. I am selling my Necky Arluk III 18 footer with rudder, fun boat, and a Dagger Spectral plastic 16 footer with rudder and an Advanced Elements Expendition inflatable. I felt the pain carrying and loading these boats as I got older. The garage is too full. And will be nice to be able have the boats insider the vehicle for long trips. After a year up here in the Puget Sound area I should have an opinion to share, for now I just will be taking a $3000 risk for 2 Origami Kayaks. No risk no gain, so they say.
🏴☠
I have been using the Coast XT as my regular kayak for a few years. The biggest down side is that its stability comes at the cost of being able to roll the kayak, to right it requires so much force that I have trouble not puling myself out of the cockpit, and even when I succeed, the torque through the hull always causes all the bulk heads to pop out. The second problem is that it is difficult to travel with he wind my my side, I seriously injured my shoulder trying to get back into harbour as I had to paddle hard on just one side to stop from turning out to sea. The biggest advantage it has as a touring kayak is that it rolls up like a burrito, so you can access all your equipment in the unfolded hull at loading and making camp. I recommend not buying the thicker seat, use the seat that is included but place a good quality hikers sitting pad under it. The kayak is incredibly light, meaning I can out acceleration a coxed-four.
Great feedback! Thanks for sharing your experience Glen.
Thanks for this excellent analysis. I'm search for a touring or sea kayak. I have very little kayaking experience but considerable experience distance SUPing (14' x 25") and wave SUPing (7'7"x27") in the open ocean, so I have some sense of the variables to be concerned with when selecting a vessel.
Your comment about not feeling comfortable taking it out in "rough conditions" was helpful, but also raised the question of what you consider rough. I noted that the demo was on a glassy in-land lake. Is rough 10-15 knots on the open ocean?
Relatedly, given the Coast XT is light, protrudes over a foot from the water line, and does not have a rudder, it seems to me any significant cross wind (i.e., 10 knot or more) is going cause major tracking challenges. Given that will happen commonly in many ocean situations, it would be helpful to understand whether that would be merely a concern or a deal-breaker for this model.
I personally wouldn't get this boat to take into open water in strong winds with significant waves. The lack of a rudder or keg would make it very tiring to keep on course over long distances fighting wind and waves. You would also want to make sure you had a skirt that provided a good seal on the cockpit rim to avoid a wave breaking on it and 'popping it'. You'd also want to get floatation bags to put in the kayak, to make it manageable if you did come out of it on the water. Overall, it's a great, fast, highly-portable, fun-to-paddle kayak for calm to mild wind and waves. Something to note is that there aren't any high performance and portable sea kayaks that I can think of that have a rudder or skeg, which means they all suffer from challenging tracking in wind and waves. This is a big advantage to getting a hardshell sea kayak with a rudder or keg. Hope this helps!
@@PaddleTV Helps very much! Thank you.
What would you recommend for overseas trips where durability and flying ease are important? Between the trak 2.0, oru coast xt, and pakayak bluefin which is the fastest on water?
On material durability, I have the Oru Bay sitting out for two seasons due to regular use. Water does get into the corrugation channels in certain areas. A few of these corrugation channels have started getting green and mildewy. Material is slightly cracked in a few folded corner, with certain deep scratches from transport and rocks. Definately looks a bit beatup after a year of use compared to my hardshell fiberglass and Traks.
Thank you for showing us the Ottawa River in this state :)
Thought you were in Alaska for a moment there... LOL! ^_ ^
Would never buy any Oru Kayak-like model tho...
Plenty of videos on RUclips to make you think at least twice before buying one :
- Holes/Punctures.
- Water getting inside the material.
- Difficult to dry.
- People who have sent them back multiple times!
TRAK 2.0 FTW!!! ;)
I have 2 Oru Kayaks since 2018. The Bay ST and Coast XT. I have to disagree on all your points. I use my Coast 2-3 times a week. I've never had a leak. They are very durable. I've taken them into the open ocean, surf and rough water. I store my Coast XT in the trunk of my car. Sometimes I am not able to rinse the salty sea water off the kayak before folding back up and it could stay in the trunk for several days. I let it dry on the lawn or wipe it with an old towel. Sure I would love a high end sea touring hard shell kayak but I have no way to store a hard shell kayak or no way to transport a hard shell kayak so Oru Kayak is the solution for me. I would highly recommend this kayak.
@@karenb_ca Good for you, but I am not touching those things with a three foot pole!
Sorry! ;)
Hi. yes have an Oru Inlet, 3 years old, salt water and clear, carcass fine. Here's the vulnerability, bow & stern trim, ouch! The bow (front) is not too bad, when the rivets rusted & popped out cable ties worked perfectly. But the stern, too much hard wear! Think Silence of the Lambs, cable ties all over the place.
Rivets rusted? It's almost as if they weren't supposed to get wet!
I have never had an issue with swamping my Oru bay or Lake. But the only time a friend borrowed it, she flipped it and it got swamped and she swam to shore while her husband towed her swamped boat.
I really like oru as a recreational kayak for exercise and going on lakes. I just don’t think I would buy a coast for longer trips or trips where I expect rough water.
The Coast treated me quite well on a week-long 150 mile trip on the Suwanee River. Not rough water, by any means... but a TRUE beast when it comes to performance/gear capacity/portability combination. Hard to beat.
I think my problems with this are that it's claimed it can handle expeditions and do what sea kayaks can do. There are no bulkheads, so if you swamp it's going to sink. You could say put float bags in, great, now you have less room for cargo. Almost any sea kayaking group, outfitter, instructor etc I know will not allow you to participate if you do not have sealed bulkheads. And I'm glad you agree that you wouldn't use it in rough conditions.
Additionally, the flex in the material that can be seen just from sitting on it or moving it around is going to effect your performance in general, but particularly in rough conditions.
Cost wise, it's about the same as a pakayak, which actually has bulkheads and is far more rigid and durable while still being pretty portable. But it's also the same cost as something like a delta 16, which is obviously not as portable, but will perform better and has none of the shortcomings of this.
Could be good for someone who needs something that is really light and portable for calmer waters, but I don't think it's something that should be looked at if you want to get into anything serious.
I think you're bang on. It's not a kayak for serious sea kayaking. This brings up the problem I have with the term 'sea kayak'. Most people who buy 'sea kayaks' are really just buying high performance touring kayaks, because they have no intention to take them into real, exposed, open water situations. But, they want the paddling performance that 'sea kayaks' provide. That's where this kayak does great.
Depends on what you mean by "sink".
With float bags: ruclips.net/video/jw-B2NO5Jkk/видео.html
Without float bags: ruclips.net/video/If0aeOWfQIo/видео.html
The hull material itself is buoyancy-positive. You could sink it if you loaded it with enough buoyancy-negative gear, but I've heard that a lot of camp gear ends up being buoyancy-positive anyway once you wrap it in an appropriate drybag.
@@AsturaPhoenix not entirely sure what the videos are meant to prove? That you can paddle the kayak still even when full of water? Yeah you can tow a kayak filled with water as well. Doesn't change the fact that the entire kayak is filled with water instead of just the cockpit.
Yes, gear is generally going to be buoyancy positive, but still not as good as having sealed bulkheads.
I also wouldn't want my entire kayak filled with water in rough conditions, out in the open and away from shore. If there's 2m waves coming in, and you get swamped in open water it's going to be a struggle to get it emptied or to paddle back to shore.
It's for sure a useful kayak for those that need portability but I still don't think it can do everything a sea kayak can do.
@@AsturaPhoenix This is correct. Nobody goes on an expedition with net negative-buoyant gear.
The Oru Coast definitely doesn't want to see extremely rough water, but the Pakayak doesn't even come close to the gear volume and weight capacity of the Coast. The dry weight difference and packed down size make the Coast a hands-down winner for me if I'm traveling across country or planning a week-long expedition (not in whitewater).
I considered the Bay ST before buying an Itiwit x500 recently. I love the portability and very light weight, but a bad review on Maximus Joseppi's channel persuaded me to avoid it. Joseppi compares it to the Pakayak in a video titled "Actual Owner Comparison & Review, Pakayak Bluefin 142 vs Oru Bay ST Head to Head". He couldn't fold his first Bay ST so that it tracked well, and a replacement from Oru was no better. I also worried about durability and about sinking it without the optional floats since it has very little buoyancy when swamped without them. I've seen other good reviews though.
I worry about the durability of the x500 too, but I've paddled it dozens of times in the last few months, most recently in the ocean at Tybee Island, and it's holding up well. It's heavier but as portable, and it'll never sink. I bought it largely thanks to your experience with it in the Okefenokee Swamp, and I spent two nights in the swamp with it soon after receiving it. The Okefenokee was truly a transformative experience. I plan to spend another four nights there in the Fall and may make it an annual ritual from now on. The Okefenokee trails are more than worth the five hour drive. It may be my favorite place on Earth. Thanks again.
Great to hear you're enjoying the X500! To be honest... I like all 3 kayaks that you mention. They each have their pros and cons.
I'm jealous about your Okefenokee Swamp trip. Definitely worth a 5-hour drive. It's a 24 hour drive for me! Have a great summer!
I would rather have the solid reachability of the PakAyaK which doesn't cost much more and you're getting bulkheads and storage hatches and proper foot pegs, not just a bit of rope to hold on to with your feet.
Apart from weight, the Pakayak is a brilliant portable hardshell kayak.
The Pakayak is definitely better suited for rough conditions. The Coast XT gets the nod for portability, as it's around half the weight. In fact, it's considerably lighter than the lightest composite kayak.
I couldn't agree more... and the weight of the Pakayak is in line with any 14' rotomolded touring kayak! It might way a few pounds extra... but rotomolded kayaks are heavier by nature - but you get amazing durability with them.
@@PaddleTV And if you haven't seen it, Pakayak now says they've reduced their kayak weight by 20%, getting it down to 49 pounds.
without air bladders, wouldn't you worry about the boat sinking if you swamp?
Yes. Without air bladders/bags/floats, the kayak shouldn't be used in rough conditions.
The kayak is made of plastic that is buoyant. Don't use the Oru air bladders, they are crap and burst under the pressure or a cowboy rescue. I use dry bags for extra buoyancy.
@@PaddleTV I've managed to self rescue a swamped Coast that had no flotation aids in moderate waves using just a paddle float. I had no problems doing so.
Hey what length was your paddle ....oh ya good job
210cm
Fresh chimichangas! Good review! My friend's Oru has been on quite a few river tours. As a SUP enthusiast I'm looking for a skinny one so I can keep up better lol.
:)
Hi Ken, great review (as always). My question is: how do you pack the Kajak for a multiple day trip? Where to put all the gear? Thanks and greetings from Germany!
It's not an 'ideal' kayak for multi-day trips. You will need to pack light. Your best bet is to use stow floats in the stern, which are float bags that double as dry bags to stow your gear. You get the safety benefits of float bags, and the storage benefits of dry bags at the same time. You can get small ones for the bow as well.
I have a question: Is the ORU Coast as stable as the ORU Bay?
They're both the same width, and so they'll be very similar in stability. Length doesn't really impact stability. Length impacts maneuverability and speed. Bottom line... both will have similar stability. The Coast will be faster, but less maneuverable.
@@PaddleTVokay! Thanks al lot! I think I go for the Coast!
I have one and am selling it because it is not, in my opinion, sufficiently robust for the open ocean. I also didn't enjoy paddling it. The deck zips, the decklines and attachment points, the undersized Oru buoyancy bags, the lack of cockpit outfitting - all are weak points. If the deck zips break open you are left with nothing. It sits high in the water and catches the wind and there are heavy folds either side of the combing that make paddling uncomfortable at times, particularly because it is relatively wide. The rubber protrusions on the hull affect the glide - I found the Oru gratingly sluggish. I really wanted to love this kayak, but I don't. I'm looking at Nortik and Nautiraid for something better - albeit more expensive.
I have the Haven TT (tandem) and I love it. I will likely replace it with 2 oru touring kayaks.
Great to hear you're loving the Haven TT. I haven't tried that one yet.
TWO GRAND for a bent yard sign?
I've seen two or three "long-term" reviews of various Oru kayaks, and each of them has involved a warranty claim.
It's not really the material that's the problem, it's that they haven't figured out how to make the hull assembly symmetrical and repeatable even brand new, never mind long term.
I bought one, would track hard right.. had it replaced with a new one, tracked even harder right. Their solution "try to rebend it straight." my solution, returned
You also pay $2000 for a long garbage bin (rotomolded touring kayaks) :) I truly believe it's good value IF this is the right kayak for you. It really is for people who need/want a portable kayak, and want something lightweight, which is fast and fun to paddle, primarily in calm conditions.
@@PaddleTV A good point, well made :) For the 2000€ price I see on their website, I could have nearly two and a half Itiwit X500s at Europe prices. Unless the reduction in weight is absolutely critical (which for some it may well be), I'm not seeing the value. Once I'm substantially into 4 figures, I'd be looking at saving a bit longer and getting something like a Trak that can really take a beating.
I don't think this should be referred to as a sea kayak since it doesn't have any bulkheads. If it swamps you're done.
Agree. I have the Bay (14 footer) - and that would be my concern here too. Also - the lack of a skeg coupled with their light weight makes these a bit hard to handle in wind. Basically - i love my Bay for what it is . . . a HIGHLY portable recreational kayak to throw in the trunk . . . but its not a replacement for a real kayak if the conditions are less than perfect
@@mikeconza1698 They just released a Skeg for all their models (previously they only had one for the lake) - I'm not sure how much it helps though.
ruclips.net/video/jw-B2NO5Jkk/видео.html
I don't think bulkheads define a portable sea kayak, but you DEFINITELY need to use float bags with the kayak if you're taking it into open water, or any water that can get rough.
The problem is, if you have to fill the thing with float bags then you have no space for anything else making it unsuitable for trips any longer than a few hours. It's just a massive compromise. The pakyak is a far better option if portability is important but sadly much more expensive.
Personally even if it’s considered a “sea kayak” it is not good for open waters😂 remember you are on a foldable big piece of plastic and you want to take it out in the open ocean….. Nothing foldable or inflatable will have the performance of a hardshell. The only waters id take this thing on is lakes and harbors I wouldn’t take it in open ocean especially with no bulkheads and a strong wave can possibly bend your kayak causing it to unclip.
You bring something up that has bugged me for years. The term 'sea kayak' really confuses things. For many people, sea kayaks are meant for exposed, open water conditions that are rough, or can get rough very easily. That's what the name insinuates. But for many people, sea kayaks are simply fast and fun touring kayaks that are great for multi-day trips. So what should we call the kayaks in general if not 'sea kayaks'? Don't know... maybe 'super awesome, human-powered, variable water fun machines'! :).
Don't forget swamps and rivers. I've had great fun on the Okeefenokee Swamp and 150 mile run down the Suwanee River in my Oru Coast.
@@MEMcAndrews well thats good that you are enjoying your oru and getting money out of it. I have a sea kayak but rarely use it as i am a sprinter
I found that it outperforms hard shells on the Irish and Adriatic sea. It's also the fastest craft for touring Amsterdam.
The Oru XT seems like a terrible value to me: $2,000 + seat upgrade + absolutely necessary custom float bags + their thigh hook accessory (also a must) + their custom spray skirt = Are you kidding me? Its made out of the same material as a US Post Office tote. As others have said, this is not a sea kayak. I would love to see Ken demonstrate a self rescue with this boat (when that water warms up) - It just seems dangerous in too many situations that a regular sea kayak would be able to handle.
While I don't agree that $2,000 is terrible value - I would agree that it doesn't sound like this is the right boat for you! :) For someone who is looking for a high performing (fast and fun) kayak for touring - not for challenging serious open water and rough conditions, I think this kayak is great! Not only does it offer this performance, but it's highly portable, and is super light. Those are two HUGE benefits for many people. In fact, those things can prevent many people from paddling at all.
Once again... the term 'sea kayak' really confuses things. For many people, sea kayaks are meant for exposed, open water conditions that are rough, or can get rough very easily. That IS what the name insinuates. But 'Sea Kayaks' are used for much more than that. For many people (perhaps more people) sea kayaks are simply fast and fun touring kayaks that are great for multi-day trips.
@@PaddleTV SPOT ON! This is a fantastic "expedition" kayak, for (literally) global expeditions. Not a 'sea kayak'. Hop on an airplane to Brazil and spend two weeks on the Amazon with no need to stop for supplies. No other portable has the combination of transportablility, cargo space, and weight capacity of the Coast. Period.
The material is the same as police riot shields. I'm happy with what I paid (apart from the Oru flats, lights and thick seat pad) and take my kayak out into rough waters. I don't have the thigh hooks.
Problem with oru is there's no way to make the folding design repeatable, symmetrical, and rigid. The creases come out of alignment brand new and you have to try to bend them yourself to make it a useful symmetrical hull and even if you successfully do that, they constantly will go out of alignment again.
So you have a boat with an uneven hull that can't track straight, ever.
If they could actually solve that issue and make the boat assemble perfectly every time without fail and without disforming over time, then it would be an epic product. Right now, it's a very expensive kids toy
I can see your concern. You DO need to be careful to NOT create new seams by forcing the material. I've never had that problem with my two (soon to be three) Orus.
That was my problem with a Bay ST based on a review on Maximus Joseppi's youtube channel ... oh wait ... that's you.
I have never had a problem with my Oru kayaks being non-symmetrical or soft even after years of use in rough water.
@@GlenSearle I mean, the company themselves says is a problem. So you're either very lucky or you aren't aware your hull isn't symmetrical
good quality kayak
Yeah no I'm good. I just don't see this thing holding up in a year or two. Rivets and little things will start coming out.
comment for the algorithm.
I can think of a lot better portable kayak's at that price point. Anything from Advanced Elements will beat this hands down.
Nah. Too many variable to make a blanket statement like that. AE are heavy and bulky, with almost zero cargo capacity. No portable exists with a better combination of portability/dry weight/cargo volume/cargo weight capacity of the Oru Coast. Do I want the Oru in whitewater? HELL NO! Give me an AE any day for that alone (if we're talking portables).
@@MEMcAndrews The price of the Oru Coast. is £1750 here in the UK. An Advanced Elements Expedition Elite sells for £1050 and will take 204kg, about the same as the Oru Coast. The Oru Coast only advantage is its 3kg lighter at 16kg versus 19kg for Advanced Elements Expedition Elite. I'm not paying another £700 to save 3kg in weight !!!
I have an AEEE. The only way you’ll ever put 204kg in the AEEE is if you fill it with rocks.
There is no storage volume. But if your long range expedition gear includes lots o’ rocks, it may be the vehicle for you. 🤣
@@MEMcAndrews Did you watch Ken's video on it?
An AE AF Sport was my first kayak, and I still love it, but I wanted a sit inside kayak with a spray skirt and storage, so I now have an Itiwit x500 (as well as the Sport). The Sport has zero storage so it's not a touring kayak, but it tracks well especially with the optional backbone attachment. It only has a single bladder, so it's quick to inflate to 2 psi but still takes longer to setup (with the backbone) than the x500 which has five bladders (including the two small bladders on top) that inflate to 10 psi. Valves for the three main bladders are only inches apart inside the rear storage compartment.
The x500 is drop stitch, so it looks and feels like a hard shell when inflated, and it's practically unsinkable. It has a lot of easily accessible storage though the compartments aren't isolated and require dry bags. It has drawbacks, like anything else, but it's in a class by itself. I haven't seen another inflatable like it at any price, and it was half the price of the Oru Ocean when you could still get one. The v2 is out of stock at Decathlon, but a v3 is coming.
Swamp it and forget it. Once it’s full of water you are screwed.
Yes - like a recreational kayak, if it swamps it will be very hard to deal with on the water. You really need to have float bags in the stern if you're going to paddle this kayak further from shore than you can comfortably swim.
I have had no problems wet-exiting this in the sea. The Coast's light weight means I can lift the whole thing out of the water to drain using just the buoyancy of myself and my jacket.