If you’ve ever tried to kayak before, you’ll know the real predators aren’t the ones you find in the water; they’re the ones hiding out in rental stores. Renting a kayak can cost you an arm and a leg, but what can you do? Even if you happen to have your own kayak, transporting it isn’t exactly easy.
The Foldable Kayak
The Origami Paddler by Tim Niemier isn’t cheap by any means (it costs a little less than $300), but it’s cheaper than many options, plus it doubles as a paddleboard and helps solve the problem of kayak transportation.
Instead of straping a bulky oblong watercraft to the roof of your vehicle, the Origami Paddler folds down into a nice, square suitcase-size blcok you can store in the trunk of your car. Once you reach the water, you unfold the 9-foot stand-up paddleboard and kayak to the disdain of onlooking kayak renters.
This three-piece foldable kayak is made of recycled, eco-friendly materials and comes with some of the standard kayaking features. You have kick-up twin fins, stand-up paddleboarding footwells (those giant footprints in the middle of the craft), a collapsible seat, and a storage space for a collapsible paddle.
When unfolded, the Origami Paddler measures 9 feet long and 32 inches wide. It holds up to 230 lbs too, so you won’t need a perfect beach body to take this baby out for a swim.
Collapsing the kayak reduces its measurements to 35.5 inches long, 32 inches wide, and 13.5 inches high. And the weight? The Origami Paddler weighs a total of 45 lbs. folded or unfolded (without any accessories).
The Origami Paddler has seen many iterations since the first version was introduced back in 2012. Some versions only allowed for stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) and were less sturdy. This newest version combines a full-fledged kayak with stand-up paddleboarding and is a heck of a lot more durable than before.
You can find more on this folding kayak on Kickstarter, where it has met the $25,000 funding goal, pushing past $3,000,000. The Kickstarter exclusive starts at $329 with a scheduled delivery of March 2021.
