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Best inflatable kayaks
We've found the best inflatable kayaks, priced between £130 to more than £400, from leading brands including Aquaplanet, Intex and ITIWIT.
We tested single, double and three person inflatable kayaks to see how well they perform on the water, how easy they are to transport, and what they're like to set up and then pack up at the end of a long day.
The worst inflatable kayaks don't have enough space for occupants, are a nightmare to handle on the water and even worse to pack up and transport.
But the best are fantastic fun on the water, are comfortable to sit in, and are comparatively easy to set up and pack up again on land. Our watersports experts and novice kayaks found three that they agreed were the best inflatable kayaks. Read on to discover which we recommend as our Best Buys.
The best inflatable Kayaks
Only logged-in Which? members can view the inflatable kayak test results below.
| Inflatable kayak | Stability | Glide | Manoeuvrability | Portability | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | ||
| Good | Good | Excellent | Poor | ||
| Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | ||
| Good | Good | Good | Good | ||
| Good | Average | Average | Good | ||
| Excellent | Poor | Average | Poor | ||
| Good | Average | Average | Poor |
Date tested: February 2023. Page last checked: 23 February 2024. We're not able to show every retailer and cheaper prices may be available.
The inflatable kayaks we tested
All the inflatable kayaks we tested are listed in alphabetical order below.
Only logged-in Which? members can view the best inflatable kayaks from our tests.
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Aqua Marina Betta 1 person
Available from Aqua Marina UK (£216)
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Need to know: One person kayak. 312cm long and 80cm wide when inflated. Reinforced PVC material. Carry bag, paddle, foot pump, double fins and puncture repair kit included.
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Aqua Marina Betta 2 person
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 412cm long and 80cm wide when inflated. Reinforced PVC material. Carry bag, two paddles, a foot pump, puncture repair and two fins included.
Aqua Marina Laxo
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 320cm long and 90cm wide when inflated. Premium polyester fabric. Carry bag, two paddles, a foot pump and two fins included.
Aquaplanet Inflatable Kayak
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 84cm long and 97cm wide when inflated. Polyester fabric. Carry bag, paddle, hand pump, one fin included.
Bestway Ventura Kayak
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 280cm long and 88cm wide when inflated. Nylon fabric material. One paddle, hand pump and stability fins included (does not come with a carry bag).
Intex Challenger Kayak
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 351cm long and 76cm wide when inflated. Vinyl fabric. Two paddles, one hand pump and stability fins included (does not come with a carry bag).
ITIWIT 100 2/3 Person Kayak Orange
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Need to know: Two or three person kayak. 382cm long and 108cm wide when inflated. 100% polyester fabric. It has a carry bag, but it does not come with a pump or paddle - you need to buy these separately.
ITIWIT X100 1/2 Person Kayak Yellow
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Need to know: One or two person kayak. 365cm long and 103cm wide when inflated Polyester mix fabric, quick drying tarpaulin. It has a carry bag, but it does not come with paddles or a pump - you need to buy these separately.
Sevylor Madison
Available from Wow Camping (£314.95), and Cotswold Outdoor (£399.20)
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Need to know: Two person kayak. 327cm long and 93cm wide when inflated. Polyester fabric. Pressure gauge, two paddles, foot pump and puncture repair kit included. Carry bag is a holdall style rather than a backpack.
How we test inflatable kayaks
To find the best inflatable kayaks, we recruit novice paddlers and qualified experts to help us rate each inflatable kayak on a calm lake in Surrey.
We'd like to thank Skip Innes, owner and head coach, and Grant Bristow, Open Water Lifeguard, at The SHAC at Buckland Park in Surrey, who helped facilitate our most recent inflatable kayak test, and kept our testers safe on the water.
We regularly revisit the inflatable kayaks on sale to see if there are any more popular versions that need testing and when we find them we do.
Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.
We rate each inflatable kayak for:
- Fun on the water: Each kayak is rated by each tester for stability, manoeuvrability and how easy the kayak is to get up to speed and maintain this speed. The best kayaks are fun on the water, easy to get your balance on and will cruise around a lake with minimal effort. The worst are more energy sapping to navigate, aren't as stable and fundamentally just aren't as much fun
- Comfort: We rate each kayak for how spacious it is for the intended number of passengers and how comfy any seats are. The worst kayaks have little space inside them, and uncomfortable seats that force you to keep your stomach muscles constantly engaged. The best have comfortable seats and a roomy interior for hours of fun on the water.
- Quality of the accessories: The best kayak is about the whole package. We rate the paddles, pumps and carry bags of every kayak we test. As well as shoddy pumps that could cause blisters or extra effort when pumping up the kayaks, we find paddles that are very wobbly or easily broken. The best kayaks that we recommend come with sturdy paddles, high quality pumps and durable carry bags.
- Practicalities of living with it on dry land: It's no use having a brilliant kayak if it's a real nightmare to deal with as soon as you get it back on dry land. We rate each kayak for how easy it is to inflate, and also how easy it is to pack up at the end of a tiring day. In general, kayaks are a bit of a nightmare to pack up. They're large, unwieldy and can take a long time to dry. However, the kayaks we recommend are easier to pack up, have more generous carry bags, and are made of materials that will dry relatively quickly too.
- Tip test: In water temperatures of four degrees, we roll into the water from each kayak and attempt to scramble back in. With most inflatable kayaks, this is a relatively easy manoeuvre. However the worst kayaks are unstable in the water and very difficult to climb back into.
See our reviews of the best paddleboards
Do I need a licence for an inflatable kayak?
Yes, you need a licence, or the necessary permissions from the local authority to put your kayak in the water on almost any of the UK's inland waterways. A British Canoeing on the Water membership (£47 for an adult) gives you a licence that opens up 4,500km of rivers, canals and waterways in England and Wales for you to enjoy.
Alternatively, you can kayak at a variety of private lakes and waterways around the country, as long as you have sought the correct permissions and licences. On most inland waterways you can attain a licence for different time periods, often from as little as a day, which may be a cheaper option than an annual membership, depending how often you intend to use your kayak.
Things we learned while testing inflatable kayaks
- If you can, it's best to keep an inflatable kayak stored inflated, as the more you fold them up the more chance there is of them getting damaged. You should also take lots of care when you're packing them up that you don't fold along stress points (such as where the fins attach), as this is more likely to cause punctures.
- While you're storing a kayak, try and keep it out of the sun as much as possible. UV rays can weaken the fabric over time.
- Our testing revealed that most inflatable kayaks are a complete nightmare to pack back up. They require lots of folding and manhandling to get them back into their carry bags.
- They can also take quite a lot of time to blow up. The fastest pumps are hand pumps, which can do the job as much as twice as fast as a foot pump.
- Not all inflatable kayaks are easy to get back into if you fall out. We recommend practicing this technique under supervision in safe shallow waters before you venture out on your own.