Thanks, the Gower coast is spectacular. I would have got more drone footage but the sea was quite rough when we set off again after our lunch break (can only fly it on the sea when it's quite calm)

@@TheKayakCrew Makes sense! No point risking the drone!

@@AirOnTheWater No, it’s risky enough flying the drone even when it’s calm 😂

Thanks, yes it’s a great island to paddle around. Caldey Sound is a challenging crossing, but ok if you have the right kayak. I was glad I focused on just going round the island itself tbh

Good point about the tides. The tides are not so much of an issue on Cardigan Bay, no where near as much on the South Wales coast. The tide tends to runs across the coast rather than out to sea. On Cardigan bay it runs north to south (and vice versa). On S Wales it runs east to west (and vice versa)

@@TheKayakCrew Thank you , will bear that in mind!

😂 Fair point, well delivered. Do have a far better mic now though

Thanks, it’s a nice area to paddle and Tenby is one of the nicest coastal towns in Wales, so much character and history. Saundersfoot is great too.

@@TheKayakCrewYes, Tenby looks great. I don't know about you, but I feel that after all, the wind and offshore wave heights this coming week are just a bit too much for me, to head to Skomer. After all, the main reason for me going there, is to photograph the puffins, guillemots and other birds… though, of course, the kayaking is still a joy to me. I feel (and hope!) that the following week will be more clement. I'm all ready and prepared to go, and really want to get there… but… What about you?

@@PersistentPete52 hi, we are of a similar mind re Skomer. Unless the forecast changes significantly, it looks too windy to go later this week. We’re out paddling locally today but will get back to again later, cheers

@@TheKayakCrew Yep, and I'm off down to explore a bit more of the Jurassic Coast tomorrow morning, until Friday or Saturday. If the weather gets calmer next week, as forecast, I hope to be going to Skomer then. If you are able, maybe we can still meet up? I hope your hospital appointment tomorrow goes well.

@@PersistentPete52 Hi, have fun down the Jurassic Coast. That's down Dorset way isn't it? I won't be able to get the first half of next week off work but may be able to take time off later in the week. If so and you are down West then be good to arrange to meet up, let us know. Had a tough sea kayak yesterday from Port Talbot to Porthcawl, conditions much worse than forecast predicted. The forecast even got the wind direction wrong and it was more of a cross wind than a following wind and we had to battle it the entire trip. Could have done with a motor on our kayak. Shoulders are pretty sore today!

Thanks! The Aqua Spirit has been ok so far. Does not track the best tbh, it has 2 skegs but they are too small it seems. It is very good value as a package. I think the floor goes up to 8psi and the side tubes 2.5psi. The foot rest is useful, helps you to brace your feet against when paddling. The carry bag is very good and spacious. The included paddle is rubbish but most people tend to have bought their own paddles anyhow. I will do a review of the Aqua Spirit when I get round to it. I've used it about 6-7 times already on the sea and rivers but will do the review when I've used it a bit more.

Thanks, it was quite foggy for the first half of the trip! I thought that I was going to get lost at one stage. I did see your video with the lake moster, I bet you didn't expect to see that whne you were out padlding! Yes, inflatabes are great for taking on public transport or taxis, much prefer doing one way linear routes than having to double back at the end.

@@TheKayakCrew Same here! Yes, the lake monster was unexpected. I definitely also enjoy spending the entire route going "forward" rather than doubling back, especially in locations where you'd be seeing the same scenery again.

@@AirOnTheWater Exactly, it's much better not having to double back and cover the same scenery if possible. I saw some videos of yours where you even took your kayaks on aircraft when you flew abroad. We've only done that once so far, when we went to Ireland a few years ago.

@@TheKayakCrew Yes, indeed. I've flown with inflatable kayaks, light and heavier, a number of times, and also travelled internationally by train or cruiseferry with them. The flexibility is awesome! During a recent paddle, I paddled as far as I had time for out into the archipelago, then took the last ferry back from an island to get to the mainland - and ended up being the only passenger, so I was offered the entire first floor of the ferry to spread out my kayak and sort my gear during the trip 😎

Thanks, hope it helped you decide what kayak to get.

Thanks, the scenery on the Gower Peninsular is some of the best we have kayaked.

@@TheKayakCrew I can see why!

Thanks, glad you found it useful. 👍

Hi, yes, sort of. It’s a field at Lower Pitton Farmhouse. Think it was about £5-£6 to park?

Thanks! Hope to get the review of the larger 2-3 person Itiwit kayak uploaded soon.

Thanks! It was an amazing paddle.

Newquay is the best place so see dolphins on Cardigan Bay so you should have a very good chance of seeing some. 🐬

Hi, sorry late reply, been away a few days. Assuming you are in the UK, the Sandbanks Optimal is a great 2 panel full drop stitch kayak. It comes in a solo only version and also a longer tandem version (which can also be used as a large solo). Link to our review of it is below. The only other 2 panel drop stitch kayak in the UK is I think the Aquatec Ottowa. It's a similar shape to the Sandbanks but the Sandbanks has better accessories and a slight V to the hull so it tracks better. We've used the tandem version of the Sandbanks a lot on the coast, rivers, canal and lakes. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6CtKopiXsPQ.htmlsi=eNI9y6zOFolXd_q_

Thanks, yes, it is a great section of the Pembrokeshire Coast. It is very sheltered compared to many of the other sections but needless to say, always check the sea swell forecast before you go. I did the section from Manorbier to tenby in my Ottawa the following year and will upload the video when I get a chance. How much of the Avon can you paddle?

@@TheKayakCrew there is a fair amount you can paddle. I use the sections just outside Bristol on the way to Bath. It's a lovely river and lots of pubs.

@@breakbystealth Thanks, that sounds like our sort of river if there are plenty of pubs. We will definitely head up that way to paddle the Avon this year.

Thanks. If you are going from Swansea beach at the Marina end, then yes I would launch about 30 mins before high tide. The water will be slack then, and by the time you're half way across the bay will start to run towards Mumbles Head. The tide level will still be reasonably high by the time you finish. If you wanted to include going around Mumbles head as part of the route, it is subject to quite nasty tidal races other than about 1 hour either side of high tide.

The front well of the cockpit does act as a good foot support, but not that comfortable due to thefact that it's curved (which is why I wedge the backpack in as a buffer). I have copied a link below from someone called Rick Sparger who setup a foot support for the front of the cockpit of the Airvolution kayak. Its page 7 of his pdf. The Airvolution is almost the same as the Aquatec, so I guess a similar foot support could be rigged up for that (I've not tried it yet) myself). rick.sparber.org/TipsAndTricks.pdf

Thanks, glad you enjoyed. It’s very common to see dolphins on Cardigan Bay but in particular between Cardigan and Aberaeron. Unfortunately, lots of the bus services in Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire have been axed. I don’t think the Cardi Bach runs anymore although there is a petition to have it reinstated. The main service between Cardigan and Aberporth still runs (Trawscymru). A lot of the buses around St David’s still run as do the ones around Tenby and and South Pembs but many of the coastal routes have been axed, it’s a disgrace. Funnily enough, we used an Itiwit X100 to go from Broadhaven to Martins Haven last Sept, stopping at St Brides on the way. Will upload the video when I get time. We left a car either end of the route. If you’ve one car you may have to resort to taxis these days, who usually charge £20-£30 depending on how far your journey is. St Brides Bay is one of the best sections of the Wales coast to kayak, it’s quite sheltered due to the peninsular at the southern & northern ends of the bays. Another great paddle I did down that way was Solva to Broadhaven. I booked a taxi from Broadhaven for that one, can probably dig out their details if you want them? Cheers

​@@TheKayakCrew A shame about the Cardi Bach but it explains why I couldn't find a current timetable for it this year. We did a paddle from St Brides haven to Broadhaven and back in the Itiwit on a warm windless summers day in 2022 and it was great. A couple of curious Atlantic grey seals popped their heads up along the way. Another paddle from Broadhaven to Newgale Sands was not as successful as we had to turn back when we got near Nolton Haven after the previously pretty calm sea suddenly turned into quite a swell. The itiwit took it in it's stride, but it felt like we were in the wake of a continuous chain of invisible large boats at the time.

@@moody_blue682 yes, it’s a shame about the Cardi Bach and a lot of the other West Wales coastal bus services which have been axed. Hopefully they’ll reinstate them. That’s the nature of sea kayaking, conditions can change a lot out on the water, either for the better or the worse. We prefer doing one way routes which is why we usually use buses/taxis or take 2 cars. Hopefully you’ll be able to enjoy more paddling down West this summer. The coast between Porthclais and Martin’s Haven is all relatively sheltered for paddling. Ramsey Sound on the Northern end and Jack Sound on the southern end both have bonkers tidal races though.

They are both good bib pants. The Nookie ones less baggy if you are on the thin side and I think they in offer right now. I do like the Palm ones too though and our review of it is below. My suggestion is to order both and try them in the house to see what suits you best and return one if you don’t get on with them. Dry trousers are expensive but worth their weight in gold. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kxYxgiw-fO8.htmlsi=oQ4i28I9CS8IDvi4

Thanks, glad you found it useful

Hi, sorry late reply. The Aquatec Ottowa, the Adanced Elements Airvolution and the Sandbanks Style Optimal are all very similar kayaks. The Aquatec has a flat hull while the Sandbanks Optimal has a slight V to the hull. The seats are better with the Sandbanks. I have not done a direct head to head comparison but having used both a Sandbanks and an Aquatec, they are very similar with the Sandbanks being a bit better for tracking and maybe speed due to the V shaped keel. I've not used an Airvolution kayak but have used a tandem which is very similar. The only differences I can see are that the Airvolution has a hard ridge around the cockpit rim which may help slightly to reduce the amount of water which runs off the decks into the cockpit. All 3 are stable kayaks since they are all 2 panel clamshell shaped full drop stitch kayaks.

Hi, thanks for the sub. We have the Aqua Spirit solo kayak. Have only used it about 4-5 times so far. I think if you want to go kayak camping and take a small dog then you may struggle for room in the Aqua Spirit solo. It's an ok kayak, good value for money package, but I presume you'll be taking a lot of gear for camping plus will need room for your dog and I'm unsure you'll have room in the solo Aquaspirit. It's 320cm long which is OK for day tripping when you haven't got so much gear. I'll try send a further reply with a couple of photos showing what I mean. Haven't had any issues with the kayak itself when we've used it. It does not track the best and the paddle is poor (as with may kayak packages). The build quality is not as robust as a full drop stitch like the Sandbanks but it seems OK and haven't had any issues with it yet. The pump works ok and the carry bag is good and roomy. Maybe you could try inflating it in the house to see if you can get all your gear in and in not you can return it unused?

@TheKayakCrew hi,thanks for replying.i think I will return it.ive had a look at the sandbank kayak but it's too expensive(I'm autistic so unable to work so money is very tight)I had a look at a brand called 'wave' they say its a drop stitch kayak it's around £450/500.have you heard of 'wave' if so are they any good?.thanks for replying and your time,much appreciated.thank you and have a nice day.peace.

@@martyl425 You are most welcome. If you need the extra room for kayak camping then then Aqua Spirit do a 2 man kayak which is about 4.1 meters long. You will have more than enough room for your gear in that. You could probably place the one seat in the middle of the kayak using the middle set of Drings. Have not heard of Wave kayaks but looked them up. They sell 3 different models it seems. The Navigator is their full drop stitch model. Its the same type of kayak as one of the ones that we have. This type of drop stitch kayak is fast and tracks well but is not as stable as the Sandbanks type of full drop stitch kayak nor as the Aqua Spirit type of kayak. As long as you don't mind that, it should be OK. However, if stability is more important than speed and tracking, then I'd go for a kayak with tube sides if you cannot afford the Sandbanks Optimal. Wave make one called the Voyager which looks like a slightly bigger version of the Aquaspirit. We've used the Itiwit X100 kayaks which are also wide and stable, they do a 365cm long model and a 410cm long one. We did a review of the 365cm long one on our channel and will be doing a review of the 410cm one when we get round to it. Hope this helps.

@@martyl425 I just reliased, it would be the Wave Explorer (not the Voyager) which you may wish to get. The Voyager is still probably too small for you plus it does not have a drop stitch floor (the Explorer does)

No, we did not use a spray skirt. The only inflatable kayak we know of which you can fit one to is the Itiwit x500. With the Sandbanks, most of the water that splashes in drains to the drain well under the rear deck well.

Thanks! I did use the Sandbanks solo once and you can certainly fit a lot of gear in the cockpit when used solo since you only have the one seat fitted. There is a section on our review re using it solo on the below link (you can just jump to the 'Solo Mode' section in the time stamps if you want). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6CtKopiXsPQ.html I attached the seat to the middle set of D-rings. I am not familiar with the Great Glen canoe trail you refer to but presume you want to fit in camping gear, etc. I would think you'd be ok but suggest you do a 'dry run' by seeing if you can fit in all the gear you want to take before you go

Thanks. The Ottowa or Sandbanks would both be an upgrade from the Memba. We also paddled the section from Slimbridge down to Sharpness which was about 5.5 miles (hope to upload the video in the next day or 2). It's a more scenic section than the one from Glos to the Pilot Inn, since you are right next to Severn Estuary for much of it. Where were you thinking of launching? I know you can also land/launch from Purton Marina and Saul Junction. When we looked into winter kayaking gear last year, we considered dry suits but because of the nature of the kayaking that we do, we ended up just buying dry trousers and neoprene boots to wear over the in built socks. We also bought Peak smock paddling jackets which have open zippered necks (no gaskets). We came to the conclusion that dry suits were only needed for paddling when you are likely to end up in the water fairly regularly or if you just wanted the extra assurance of knowing you would stay dry and warm if you did somehow end up in the water. I think for canals and flat water river cruising in the winter, a dry suit may be a bit OTT.

@@TheKayakCrew thanks for the info on dry trousers, I will have a look into this. Haven't been out for about 6 weeks so this would definitely help me get back out. I was thinking of Purton as I had a good look around there when I went to see the Hulk's, check it out if you don't know about them. At the moment I mainly paddle the Avon as I'm Bristol based. It's lovely river but there are a lot of locks ... Most with pubs which makes this not so bad.

@@breakbystealth No probs. If you get dry trousers make sure you buy ones with the in built socks since they will keep your feet and legs dry even if you wade out into the water launching and landing. We paddled past Purton on our Slimbridge to Sharpness paddle but missed the hulks. Just looked them up, I didn't know about them, doh! The Avon sounds like a great river, we tend to grade rivers and canals by how many pub stops they have. 🍺🍺

Thanks. You'll never get lost navigating by pubs 🤣🍺

Thanks. Yes, it was a lovely day and great scenery up there in the Brecon Beacons mountains.

@@TheKayakCrew Nice 😎

Thankyou! Hope you enjoy your river paddling

Used to paddle back in Holland when I was in high school. This summer I bought a used full drop stitch kayak and went out 8 times! Really enjoying it.

@@wouterkolkman The drop stitch kayaks are great. I've got a few different ones. What drop stitch kayak did you get this summer?

@@TheKayakCrew Bluewave - 2 seater, but added an additional seat for our 7 year old. I was surprised how fast it is, as the shape is better than the fibreglass I used to have. Also with single occupancy it is an easy paddle, but on open water susceptible to cross winds as to be expected.

@@wouterkolkman I know of the Bluewave Glider but not used one. Looks like a nice kayak. The 2 panel full drop stitch kayaks certainly are fast, the one I have is very similar but is one of the 'Story' kayaks.

Thanks, very kind of you. Took a while to pull everything together! Difficult to cover everything when the subject of the video is so wide.

@@TheKayakCrew Glider indeed - looks quite similar to the story from photos.

Thank you! PVC kayaks with a drop stitch floor have the advantage of being lighter. Full drop stitch clamshell kayaks feel more robust but are heavier to carry. I guess it depends what is more important to you. Performance wise, there is not a huge amount between them but the full drop stitch kayaks feel marginally faster and more robust. They are heavier to carry though. I think you will probably be happy with either

Thanks! Yes, the scenery on the Wye River is amazing, if you ever come to the UK then I can recommend it.

@@TheKayakCrew Noted for future paddles - hopefully! The UK is absolutely on my paddle list.

@@AirOnTheWater You can get some good shots with drone but it’s difficult to fly off a kayak. I’ll probably lose it one day 🤣!

@@TheKayakCrewAny tips on exactly that - flying it from a kayak - for a drone operator to be?

@@AirOnTheWater sorry late reply. I think the main thing is to make sure that you can hand catch the kayak to land it before the battery on the drone runs out. The drone battery only lasts about 20-25 minutes so unless you can land it in time, the battery will run out!

Thanks. We had to park at the Hope & Anchor, so didn’t mind paying the launch fee. Good to know that if you go downstream then there is a free launch. Did you park up on the road at Wye Street? Yeh, it’s a great section of the river

@@TheKayakCrew yes parked on Wye street which gave 4 hours free parking, so that was plenty of time to kayak down to Lydbrook and get bus back from there (£2 opposite forge hammer).

@@hikerwoody182 that’s great. I got the bus from Kerne Bridge to Ross and kayaked back downstream when I did this route on my own a few years ago. Didn’t realise you could also get it from Lydbrook

Yes, always try and do tidal rivers within 2-3 hours eithyer side of high tide.

thanks. No, we have not used those thicker skin vinyl kayaks that you mention. I did look them up. The Bestway Hydroforce appears to have a double skin construction but I may be wrong? The Intex appears to be single skin vinyl as you say ('durable 30ga vinyl' apparently). They both appear to be more durable than the Intex Explorer which is the only single skin vinyl kayak we've used.

Thanks! 😀

Hi, thanks. This is the link to the Decathlon support website from which you can view or download the manual. www.manualslib.com/manual/2197971/Decathlon-Kayak-Itiwit-X100-2p.html?page=14#manual For a puncture, it says: 'Case 3: puncture on the kayak's surface (*18)1 - Locate the leak.2 - Deflate the kayak completely3 - Clean and dry the area to be repaired with a cloth.4 - Choose a piece of laminated canvas from the repair kit provided with the kayak.- Cut out a piece of fabric according to the area to be repaired, taking care to round off the corners- Apply a glue for ''soft PVC'' according to the glue assembly instructions.5 - Hold the patch firmly in place for 30 seconds. A weight can help compress the patch.6 - Allow 12 hours of drying time before re-inflating the kayak and check that the leak has been repaired properly.' We tend to use a glue called Stormsure to fix on repair patches to kayaks. Hope this helps.

That's interesting. I looked into those stabilisers before but have never actually tried them. I thought about us maybe using them on sea kayaking trips when it got a bit rough. Funnily enough, I had the same idea as you of threading the straps through D-rings on the side of the kayak. Glad they work for you. Do you attach them out of the way of the where you paddle or do you just paddle over the top of them?

Would be intersting doing this trip in reverse, the Ogmore is a great estuary. Have not been to the Pelican for years, we need to do this trip again so we can call there I think.

Thanks Ian. The inflatable kayak I used in this video is one I don't use any more. I have progressed to using drop stitch and semi drop stitch inflatables. We have not done an accurate speed test of the Kinetic compared to the inflatables but we did have the odd 'race' over the years and based upon that and general usage, I do not think that the Kinetic is much if any faster than the newer inflatables that we now use. The Kinetic is probably a bit faster though than the old Pro Aqua inflatable I used on the Ogmore trip back in 2021. The main pros of it are that it's less affected by the wind than the inflatables and also is more comfortable because your feet are lower than your hips when sat in it. Being able to lower and raise the skeg is also useful, we can't do this on the inflatables and are always mindful of breaking the skegs when we are in shallow water or landing on a beach. Stability wise, I think the the Kinetic is similar to the inflatables. My mate got the Hydrolite version which is lighter than the standard Kinetic. It is surprisingly light to carry for a hard shell, lighter in fact than some of our inflatables. I can ask Archie if you want more info on it? If you want a hard shell sit on top then I think it's a good kayak, he has been impressed with his. We probably will do a review of it some time, when we get round to it. I've only very briefly tried it a few times. Hope this helps.

Thank-you very much for the comprehensive reply. It's the hydrolite version that I'm looking to go for. I currently have a x100 which I like, but I find it quite slow when paddling against the current on local rivers and fancied a solo kayak with good stability, tracking and hopefully a bit more speed than the Itiwit, which I still intend to use with the kids. Good to hear that your friend still likes his Kinetic. At 18kg it's probably a similar weight to some of the drop stitch inflatables and my chief purpose for it is doing short tours on the local rivers. For this reason I like the idea of the retractable skeg. Stability is a concern, and as you know the Itiwit has incredible stability for climbing in and out of so I didn't want to lose too much of that. If Archiehas any further comments I would be interested to hear. Thank-you again for taking the time to reply.@@TheKayakCrew

@@iansimpson8309 In our video review of the Itiwit X100 1-2 person kayak, we included footage of a 'race' we had on the Monmouthshire & Brecon canal. The link is below. Archie was using his Tootega and the Itiwit did seem a bit slower but not massively so. We were both beaten by his 2 boys who were using a tandem full drop stitch kayak (2 paddlers are faster than one!). The race footage starts at about 5:50 in the video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-S2L8rPUxcPc.htmlsi=cDEscySDC3UTzpJy As long as you have the storage and a roof rack to carry a hard shell, then the Tootega Kinetic seems a very suited to your use case. I will have a chat with Archie because he has used the Tootega much more than me and he's also used the Itiwit and the other inflatable kayaks we have a lot, so he is in a better position to make a comparison than me. I'll reply further asap once I've discussed with him. My gut feeling from having been out with Archie when he's used the Tootega on many of our trips is that the Tootega will get you a speed increase with better tracking, a retractable skeg and more comfortable seating position compared to the Itiwit but maybe at the cost of a bit of stability but not that much. Only time I can recall him tipping his Tootega over is on the Taff river earlier this year and that was when he hit a large boulder under the water. Archie was using his Tootega in our Kerne Bridge-Symonds Yat video on the below link. Not trying to get you to watch our other videos, just that you may be interested to see it in use 🤣 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-THE0T3DsTr4.htmlsi=9N0rpqSdAv8i3SLG I'm sure there is footage of him using it in some of our other videos but can't remember which ones. He doesn't use it that much now tbh because we tend to mostly use our tandem inflatable kayaks. I remember him using the Ottowa drop stitch kayak we have and saying that it performed similar to his Tootega, although the skeg is not retractable. When we went on the Ely River/Cardiff Bay earlier this year, I used a Story drop stitch kayak and this seemed a bit faster than the Tootega which Archie was using but it's not very stable, so if you want stability I would not recommend it

Again, thanks so much for the detailed reply. It seems that there is not as much speed difference as I had anticipated. I watched the little race on the canal and unsurprisingly the 2 up drop stitch kayak was faster! I'm hopeful the increased comfort and similar stability should still make it a good choice for me. I have space at home and a roof rack on the car, so there should be no issues there. I hadn't realised that Archie had experience of both the Itiwit x100 and Tootega, so if he was able to make any comparisons, that would be much appreciated. I had looked and was sorely tempted by the Ottawa too. My only issue with the inflatables is the set up and drying times before packing. I tend to do return journeys up and down the river so it's not like I'm going single journeys and need something portable to get on to public transport to take me back home! @@TheKayakCrew

@@iansimpson8309 Of all the kayaks we've tried, there is not a massive speed difference between any of them tbh. If you just do circular trips and have a roof rack then a hard shell would be a better option for you I guess. I haven't yet got a roof rack for my car but may get one when I buy a new car (hopefully soon). I do like being able to pack away inflatables in a backpack in the boot but hard shell sit on tops are more comfortable and the ability to retract the skeg is useful on rivers - nothing worse than the sound of your skeg grinding over the bed of the river 😬 We've snapped a few skegs off the last couple of years, always take spares with us just in case. Yes, Archie has used the tandem inflatables loads as well as his Tootega, I will speak to him on the weekend and update you about what he said.

Thanks. Very interesting rivers and a lovely area to explore by kayak.

I’m sure they know what they’re doing too. Just unusual to see someone going upstream on the river. You can go upstream on many sections but on others it would be tough because the river can run 3-4mph downstream in the faster sections.

Sorry, forgot to add that you can leave a second vehicle at the end to get back to the start. Or you an get a taxi/bus back to the start sometimes. I’ve never done any river other than downstream only, unless it’s tidal, in which case you can come up with the tide

Thanks, very kind of you. I hope it helped you buy the right kayak for you.