AdvancedFrame Expedition Elite Kayak

This is a great kayak, delivering everything it promises. You quickly notice it’s build quality and materials are a high standard. Very easy to set up and performs really well on the water, easily comparable to a hard shell kayak. Would definitely recommend the Expedition Elite and Oz Inflatable Kayaks to anyone considering this type of kayak. Emily was a great help when I was trying to decide on the right model and delivery etc was all faultless.

An excellent buying experience, great advice given, prompt delivery, no surprises. A great product, performs well. I have been paddling now 5 times for 2-3 hours each time and the Kayak is great. An excellent result from a kayak that I can put in a backpack. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Michael.

The Advancedframe Expedition Elite Kayak is extremely well thought out and put together. Every aspect seems to have been catered for. My first experience on the water in the Expedition Elite was very memoriable and 6 hours of paddling seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. I have found that the Expedition Elite simple to set up and can be done in under 10 minutes quite comfortably. On the water the kayak is very stable and tracks well, but in a strong current and or wind can be a little cumbersone. I feel the addition of the rudder kit would aid in rectifying this problem. When the conditions are calm it is a breeze to paddle and I have no difficulty in keeping up with friends on hard shelled kayaks. Being an inflatable kayak it folds down to a suitcase size (83cm x 52cm x 26cm) so is very easy to store when not in use and can be carried in the back of a car without the worry of roof racks. If storage and transport is a problem for you I would highly recommend the Advanceframe Expedition Elite Kayak and would highly recommend purchasing from oz inflatable kayaks as Emily was wonderful to deal with and was very knowledgeable and answered every question I threw at her and the service was second to none.

I purchased my Advanced Elements Expedition a few months ago and have been absolutely loving it! As someone who lives in a townhouse and drives a 3 door i20, an inflatable kayak has been a game changer. It's so easy to store and transport. It's a little heavy when it's deflated (maybe it's just awkward) , but once it's pumped up it's somehow much easier to carry - so I just pump it up next to my car and carry it inflated down to the water, 100-200m no worries. The Expedition is super stable on the water and I can go a pretty good speed (averaging 6km/h). I had a recent outing where unfortunately I didn't think the check the weather and on my way back it got very choppy. It was hard work paddling against the wind and waves (although I imagine that would be true of most kayaks), and I was more than a little nervous as I'm only new to kayaking, but the Expedition handled well and got me home safely. I can highly recommend this kayak to anyone who wants a high performing kayak but doesn't have the option to store and transport a traditional kayak. Also, I can't thank Emily enough for all the help and advice she provided to ensure I bought the right kayak and accessories for my needs - Thanks Emily!

We purchased 2 Kayaks from Emily, an Expedition Elite, and Advanced Frame. I am 6ft5 so I needed the extra legroom offered by the Expedition Elite, however my partner fits perfectly into the standard Advanced Frame model. I am very glad I went for the Expedition Elite, I can fit into the Advanced Frame version but it is pretty cramped, especially around the feet I found that it would roll my feet inwards and this would put pressure on my ankles. I do not have any trouble with this in the Expedition Elite. If you are a tall person I would definitely recommend the Expedition Elite. We have been out in the Kayaks 4 times now, once on an inland river and the rest of the time out in the estuaries around Brisbane. Both kayaks have been fantastic, they cut through the water really well and they track very straight even when paddling hard. It is important to ensure all the inner air chambers are lined up before you inflate the kayak. I had removed the inner chambers to clean them after doing a few trips, and when I refitted them I didnt line it up correctly so the next time I inflated the kayak the front was a bit off centre. It is very easy to fix this as the inner air chambers simply velcro to the inside, so I just had to deflate and then realign the velcro patches. Inflation and deflation is a breeze, I was expecting to have to pump the air out manually (especially the last bits or air) when deflating but you really dont need too. Just open up all the valves and the thing deflates itself like some sort of magic. And yes! They do easily fit back into the bags, you just need to practise the fold a couple of times, the key is to have as few folds as possible to allow for the correct length. The convenience of just throwing two kayaks in the boot of the car and heading to the water is amazing. Dont waste any more time thinking about it and just get one and get out there, you will not be disappointed.

Easy to set up.Love the backpack. Glides much better than simple heavy plastic kayaks. No need to strap to roof

Experience with Emily was great from start to finish. Had a little bump with delivery company but all was resolved promptly and well communicated. The kayak has been fantastic and I've used it about 10 times already since getting it. So far I've done ennogerra reservoir, twin waters, lake currimundi, belongil creek and its been faultless. Easy to pump up and deflate, always catches peoples attention and an absolute treat on the water. Only managed to roll it once whilst riding a pretty large wave and going a bit sidewards so your average yakker will be steady as anything. Just one thing to remember, these are light as when dry but if you get it really wet (like out on open seas) it really packs on a few kgs and would be too heavy for a smaller person to lift in the bag. Thanks Emily!

I have had my expedition for almost a year now and use it on average about once a week. It mostly gets used for flat-water river paddling, but I have taken it down some very minor rapids and taken it on the ocean in 2m swell a few times. I do not have much experience with other kayaks, and that experience comes from over ten years ago, so is pretty irrelevant. Speed, handling, stability: These kayaks are super stable. My girlfriend and I both have them and neither of us has fallen out yet.Generally speaking you can get in one of these and pay zero attention to staying upright. Even paddling side on to the larger swell has proven completely fine so far. My analysis of speed is based on matching strokes with other paddlers randomly encountered while out and about. This doesn't account for the technique or strength of the paddler. Based on this very floored analysis it would appear that the expedition is significantly faster than any of the modest sit on tops, but noticeably slower than a racing kayak (no surprise there!) Storage space and comfort: At 6'1" tall I need some leg room, and the expedition has it. I have also tried the regular advanced frame and that was a squash for me. If you are 6' or above I would strongly recommend the expedition unless you are comfortable having your legs bent for the entire trip. This said if I am wearing shoes then there isn't a huge amount of space down at the nose of the kayak. It has the length but the width starts to pinch out. If I'm not wearing my shoes then I can stuff them down to the end of the nose one on top of the other and still fully stretch my legs out. There is a decent amount of space behind the seat. I often use the kayak to paddle out to snorkelling spots so will have fins, dive boots, mask and snorkel, towel, rash shirt, lunch, water, anchor, dry bag behind the seat. Inflation: Inflation is very easy on all the critical chambers. Once you have the pressures and order memorised then setup from boot to water is about five to ten minutes. Pack up is very fast, less than five minutes. I generally just fold mine up loosely and put it in the boot of the car. If you wanted to break down all the paddles and pack everything into the bag each time then it would take a little longer. Storage and transport: I store mine under a games table, it could just as easily go under a bed. Living in Western Australia I wouldn't want to store it in the garden for fear of sun damage. Transport is a major advantage of these. I have a two door four seat car and can fit three of these kayaks and three people in the car!! it's a bit of squash with backpacks as well...but it's possible and that's fantastic! Early in 2016 we flew to Tasmania primarily for a hiking holiday, but I also decided to take the kayak along since a couple of the areas visited had some rather fantastic river. This was great. I checked it in as a second bit of hold luggage and once we arrived it just lived in the boot of the rental car and was available whenever I wanted it. Not only that but I didn't have to consider if kayaks would be available for rent, and if so if they would be any good. I wish I had known about these kayaks when I lived in the UK and didn't have a car. It would have been possible to take the kayak out on public transport, jump in a river, and paddle down to the next town and get public transport home again! If you want to try something like this then I would advise buying a hiking backpack big enough since the bag the kayaks come in really isn't comfortable as a backpack. Pressure: The instructions are pretty insistent that the kayak shouldn't be over inflated and so I bought the pressure gauge that attaches to the hand pump and observe this closely, except on the combing chambers which I just guestimate since you lose air while closing them anyway. As already mentioned I live in Western Australia and it gets hot here in the summer, consistently over 40C. As such I don't like to take the kayaks completely out of the water for any length of time. Generally we just leave them half in and half out. All the air chambers are in contact with each other (except the ones around the cockpit) and so we have trusted to the water keeping them all cool. We haven't had any problems so I guess it's working. Leaving them in the water can be a bit of a pain if you're at the beach and can't find a landing spot that's sheltered from the waves. Overall: For me the combination of performance, storage, and transport makes this kayak an excellent fit. It's possible that its performance will be below that of a $3,000 hard shell equivalent, but I can't keep such a thing in my boot, I can't take it on a plane, and I would be worried about damaging it on bumpy four wheel drive tracks.

Love this kayak ...speedy and straight in the water ...and very comfortable to sit in ...top marks from me

Hi Emily! Been meaning to drop you a line, been busy here. Yes indeed. Been out a number of times now and loving it! Don't have many photos on this computer but I've attached a couple. Hoping to plan a trip to NZ or Tassie in the New Year when we have a bit more experience. It's even more fun than I thought it would be. It took me about 30 to 40 minutes to inflate both kayaks the first time, but it takes about 5 minutes each now - very easy. Took a couple goes to get the hang of the seats but now super comfy. Cheers,Phil

Hello Emily, Finally managed to find some pictures for you of my partner and my kayaks on some of our adventures. We circumnavigated the Indonesian island of Gam (just west of Papua) in January, which was extraordinary. Gliding over fantastic unspoilt corals just under the surface, using the tides to whisk us up channels to Hidden Bay with limestone caverns, coral and completely alone..... Completely different but still exhilarating was kayaking the Thames river through the heart of London earlier this month. Often use the Advanced Frame Expedition kayaks to explore the Pembrokeshire coast, near where I now live. Have a lot more adventures planned with them. Great kayak and very dependable. Cheers, Victoria.

I have had the chance to paddle the boat on flat water about 4 times now and it is certainly filling my requirements very well. I have had no trouble inflating the kayak and find it stable, comfortable and easy to paddle. With my very limited experience I have no worries tracking straight or turning the boat, it is easy to pack away and actually goes back into the bag without too much difficulty. There is always some interest from onlookers when I am inflating the boat before I launch. Cheers, Wayne