Oru Kayak  Inlet Pack

This is a review of the pack, not the kayak; the kayak is pretty awesome! The quality of the materials is excellent. Durable waterproof fabric and zippers and buckles. Although the kayak fits rather snugly in the pack, it is somehow not difficult to put the kayak in. There are some noteworthy issues with the pack, however. The problem with this pack is threefold: ergonomics, lack of gear storage, and aesthetics. Most importantly, it is not ergonomic, especially with the hip belt. I am a men’s waist 30-32 (narrow waist for men I believe) and the hip padding does not even extend to the front/top of my iliac crest, which is where most the weight of the pack should sit, which means that the hip strap and/or the hemmed edge of the hip padding digs into my bony hips. Very painful after 1-2 miles, which defeats the purpose when you want to actually take the kayak into remote locations. As you might infer, this hip belt does not fit all shapes and sizes—heck, it doesn’t even fit most. It is also not ergonomic in the sense that while the hip belt and shoulder straps are “adjustable” in that you can pull them tighter or looser, you cannot shorten or lengthen the torso distance between these straps for different body sizes. Finally, although the kayak itself provides some rigidity for structure to the pack, it is flat, and does not contour to the natural s-curve of the spine. This may feel uncomfortable for some, though it didn’t for me. The second problem is the lack of a haul loop and the minimal gear storage available on the pack. When lifting a heavy pack up onto your back, it is best to use the haul loop to get it up onto your bent thigh so you can slip your arm through the shoulder straps rather than swinging it up by those straps, thereby extending their life and preventing back injury. They do have the Velcro handle on one side, but it is awkward to use like a haul loop, as they usually reside at the top of the pack. The lack of additional gear storage is unfortunate, too. To be frank, I’m not sure if they can do much more than they have already done because the kayak takes up most of the volume of the pack. They do have a nice buckled pocket that fits the paddles snugly, a pull-string woven bungee to secure items, a small zippered pocket, and a place on the very top of the pack to cinch down additional gear with two buckled straps. You might be able to stuff some random small items in with the paddle if you don’t mind it being squished or wet. I use the bungee to secure my PFD, and that takes up virtually all of the elasticity. The small zipper pocket can fit a 1L flexible Platypus water bottle and a few small miscellaneous items like a snack, sunscreen, and a bug net. But that’s it. The top straps can secure my 35L dry bag full of stuff, but just barely. The straps are just long enough to clip but may not cinch down. While this does allow for a decent amount of extra gear, it makes the pack top-heavy and makes it difficult to follow best practice for distributing weight well in a heavy pack to prevent unnecessary fatigue or injury. Maybe add extra ways to attach gear on either side of the pack? Speaking of proper distribution of weight—the folded kayak on its side (pack right side up) is longer on one side than the other, pre-disposing the pack to lean a little to the heavier side. You may be able to compensate for this by weighting the opposite side. The lack of a haul loop and space for additional gear makes it difficult to actually take it out into the wilderness safely with the Ten Essentials and other paddling things you need. Lastly and least important but noteworthy, the pack is aesthetically obnoxious, bulky and conspicuous. Not much you can do about that except build smaller kayaks when folded.

This is a review of the pack, not the kayak; the kayak is pretty awesome! The quality of the materials is excellent. Durable waterproof fabric and zippers and buckles. Although the kayak fits rather snugly in the pack, it is somehow not difficult to put the kayak in. There are some noteworthy issues with the pack, however. The problem with this pack is threefold: ergonomics, lack of gear storage, and aesthetics. Most importantly, it is not ergonomic, especially with the hip belt. I am a men’s waist 30-32 (narrow waist for men I believe) and the hip padding does not even extend to the front/top of my iliac crest, which is where most the weight of the pack should sit, which means that the hip strap and/or the hemmed edge of the hip padding digs into my bony hips. Very painful after 1-2 miles, which defeats the purpose when you want to actually take the kayak into remote locations. As you might infer, this hip belt does not fit all shapes and sizes—heck, it doesn’t even fit most. It is also not ergonomic in the sense that while the hip belt and shoulder straps are “adjustable” in that you can pull them tighter or looser, you cannot shorten or lengthen the torso distance between these straps for different body sizes. Finally, although the kayak itself provides some rigidity for structure to the pack, it is flat, and does not contour to the natural s-curve of the spine. This may feel uncomfortable for some, though it didn’t for me. The second problem is the lack of a haul loop and the minimal gear storage available on the pack. When lifting a heavy pack up onto your back, it is best to use the haul loop to get it up onto your bent thigh so you can slip your arm through the shoulder straps rather than swinging it up by those straps, thereby extending their life and preventing back injury. They do have the Velcro handle on one side, but it is awkward to use like a haul loop, as they usually reside at the top of the pack. The lack of additional gear storage is unfortunate, too. To be frank, I’m not sure if they can do much more than they have already done because the kayak takes up most of the volume of the pack. They do have a nice buckled pocket that fits the paddles snugly, a pull-string woven bungee to secure items, a small zippered pocket, and a place on the very top of the pack to cinch down additional gear with two buckled straps. You might be able to stuff some random small items in with the paddle if you don’t mind it being squished or wet. I use the bungee to secure my PFD, and that takes up virtually all of the elasticity. The small zipper pocket can fit a 1L flexible Platypus water bottle and a few small miscellaneous items like a snack, sunscreen, and a bug net. But that’s it. The top straps can secure my 35L dry bag full of stuff, but just barely. The straps are just long enough to clip but may not cinch down. While this does allow for a decent amount of extra gear, it makes the pack top-heavy and makes it difficult to follow best practice for distributing weight well in a heavy pack to prevent unnecessary fatigue or injury. Maybe add extra ways to attach gear on either side of the pack? Speaking of proper distribution of weight—the folded kayak on its side (pack right side up) is longer on one side than the other, pre-disposing the pack to lean a little to the heavier side. You may be able to compensate for this by weighting the opposite side. The lack of a haul loop and space for additional gear makes it difficult to actually take it out into the wilderness safely with the Ten Essentials and other paddling things you need. Lastly and least important but noteworthy, the pack is aesthetically obnoxious, bulky and conspicuous. Not much you can do about that except build smaller kayaks when folded.