Not as tough as described

The air intake valve for the 1 and 2 slots on the kayak have a small piece of plastic that holds the spring seal in place to keep the air in/out depending on what you're doing. This plastic is surprisingly thin (you don't notice how thin until it breaks). I don't think that for how expensive the kayak is the air valve should be so poorly designed that it can break so easily. I've used it about 15 times since I bought it in March and it broke the air valve broke July 1st. Will not be rebuying another AE kayak.

Paddler profile: intermediate/advanced hardshell paddler with Gulf Coast/ Everglades/10,000 Islands/Keys open water experience in a Norse Sleipner and a Valley Sirona. For this new boat, follow the instructions. Oh, did you forget? Welp, they put em on a tag at the end lift handle. Don't want to spend a ton of time pumping? Let's call it 70ish double pump strokes total across all chambers. Can't handle that? Then buck up or skip it. Seriously. And buy your own pump cause nope, they don't include one. Reviews mentioning this are...looks around and whispers...betas. An inflatable boat is, well, inflatable. You would miss a stable dropstitch floor that is an add-on in lower models, great cockpit room, and durability to drag this to Hades and back while avoiding any damage. As in, not a scratch. Did I mention it fits in a 36x15x15ish bag? Sure, this is just eyeballing but can you pull up to a paddle drop in a 911 and whip out an Open ocean paddler, lol? Well, neither can I, so join the crowd. Small SUV? Yep. Honda CVCC...ok, Civic? Yep. It fits in the trunk and maybe a frunk or two. Go with a wider paddle than a hard shell by 10-20 cm to get the reach over a wide beam. The spray skirt is passable but not your waterproof icon as in a whitewater 'yak. It tracks well and decently straight. Not roll tested, but really? Be my guest and enjoy the water exit. Not gonna go there. It is a fun boat, not an Ferrari. Enjoy this for every convenience and capability it brings. My favorite casual paddler overkill and capable of being more if you aren't into exotic hardshells or are looking for rugged simplicity in a compact package. You could do so much with this yak and yet you can be a beginner with desire to improve via this platform. Fantastic package, hard to ignore unless you think drop stitch in every surface uber alles is the way to go. You'll never match the purpose built hardshell ocean yaks but you'll have fun with the platform no matter your experience level. Git sum.

If you are looking for a kayak that has more stability vs a narrower variant that has more roll, you may want to consider the Expedition Elite. It's probably a good intro kayak as well since it is inherently stable enough that one could literally stand in it while afloat. It tracks pretty well and it has a large cockpit with an inflatable coaming. Depending on conditions, spray skirt is optional - (requires you to buy AE's custom spray skirt to fit it) I'd recommend the touring spray skirt if you want to keep the water out more effectively as well as stay warm on the ocean trips. This kayak can hold an impressive amount of gear if you are considering any coastline touring. I like that I can store it in the trunk of my car - and on a whim, take it out on the water. Setting up is quick although stowing and packing away are made more lengthy by having to insure everything is completely clean and dry before being properly stored. You can buy marine fabric waterproofing to make water retension less of an issue - but keep plenty of towels handy for drying the kayak off after each use. If you want to do a super thorough job, remove the dropstitch floor and main tubes to get at any knooks and crannys where water can hide.Although this is an especially labor intensive process I'd definately recommend doing it if the kayak is to be stowed for any lengthy periods to prevent any mold.

I bought my Expedition Elite kayak on Amazon (and Leisure Pro). Like many of you, I researched kayaks for many hours. I wanted an inflatable so I could more easily take it on trips in Colorado, and I dream of taking it to Ireland one day.The drawback of an inflatable is that it takes a little time to setup, and it isn't quite as fast. We'll, I find that I don't need to pack it up all the way into its bag most of the time, so my setup time is around 5-7 minutes with the Advanced Elements pump (highly recommended). Pretty easy.As for speed, I brought my GPS this morning, and I can cruise at about 3.5 to 4+ mph (when I push myself), and I can sprint to 4.9 mph. I got a pretty good paddle (carbon shaft, 4 piece, fiberglass blades, weighs 30.5 ounces) that helps with fatigue, so I can go faster. Hopefully my paddling technique will improve and I will get a little better.So why does speed matter? Well, what if you have to return from a paddle into a headwind/current? And today, for example, I was the only kayak on the lake that went a couple of miles to the far side. I had that area all to myself while the other kayakers and paddle boarders were clustered within a half mile of the parking area.The seat back is a little on the short side for a tall person like myself (6 foot 2), but with good adjustment and an upright posture (better for paddling anyway), it is good enough. There is plenty of leg and foot room.Overall, I am very pleased with the kayak. It has plenty of room to haul stuff, is very stable (I don't think I could tip it over if I tried), and because of its hard pointy ends (with aluminum framing) and 13 foot length, it is fast enough for me.Update: my paddling technique has improved and I inflate it to the max recommended pressure now. I can top 5 mph in a sprint and cruise at about 4 mph (measured with GPS) . It is reasonably swift.