SEVYLOR ADVENTURE PLUS KAYAK £350

USED BY paddle-powered news and features writer Ben Weeks (with assistance from free-floating photographer Tom Bailey)

USED FOR 3 years

This isn’t my canoe. It’s the Trail team canoe, but it just happens that I’ve used it most. I like canoeing. I have my own – a solid thing that requires a roof rack, ratchet straps and clever knots to transport. That’s where the Sevylor comes in handy. It’s far more portable should I want to traverse the length of Wastwater in the Lake District, or paddle out to an isolated Torridonian island.

Deflated, it packs into a bag which will fit in a car boot, along with the paddles and foot pump. Ah, how I’ve come to loathe that foot pump. The Sevylor takes a fair bit of pumping, so a car battery-powered pump is easier on the thighs. Manually pumping doesn’t take too long, but it’s a good job that canoeing is a

primarily arm-powered method of transportation.

Once fully inflated the canoe is reassuringly robust. The covering fabric feels tough and the air-filled compartments solid. It’ll accommodate two adults and camping gear (and actually makes quite a comfortable bed). Two things worth noting... One, the seats are terrible – floppy, unsupportive and horribly uncomfortable. And two, if you want to attach the keel that comes with it, you need to do so before inflating the canoe. If you don’t attach it, straight-line paddling is far more challenging…

VERDICT

A great little boat that adds an extra dollop of adventure to hill trips.