Advanced Elements - AirVolution2™ Tandem Inflatable Kayak with Drop-Stitch and Carry Bag

This is a wonderful kayak! It is not an ocean boat or a rapids boat but a great compromise between the two. It does not at all feel like an inflatable, very rigid frame when inflated properly.It is a bit wide, but buy a high quality longer paddle and it is wonderful. Stored in the closet in the basement and so much better than another14’ boat in the shed!Light for its size, the pump is not great, get a HP pump and it is so easy to inflate!

This is our first inflatable kayak. With that said we do have hard kayaks and we wanted something to take in our Class B Van while traveling. We are primarily interested in being able to paddle flat water and wanted to take our dog our when possible. This thing arrives double boxed and the box is BIG. For reference we in our mid 60's and in better than average phyical condition we mt bike, hike etc... The Bag/pack is huge I'm 6' and over 200lbs and it is about all I would want to get onto my back, once it is on it's no worse than a heavy backpack but very large like 4ft tall. It does have plenty of handles and is very spacious to spacious IMO. The wheels add weight and make the whole thing very bulky, the pump is gigantic but seems to work decently and if you pump this thing up every day and you won't need a gym membership. The battery (4 D size) pump is a complete waste of plastic and could only be moderately useful to uninflate the kayak I found it completely useless for inflating even a paper bag the connectors are not the right type and it doesn't have much power.The good news is the kayak and the skeg were great and, I won't be using the pack/case or the useless battery powered pump.Also because it's not completely clear as you shop , this thing is basically constructed of 2 panels, the floor panel and then the other chamber that basically the sided that surround the floor panel and are taped/bonded to the floor panel so it you mess up a chamber, as in burst a seam or something major you will buy a whole new kayak. Also there is a lip that goes around the cockpit so it does seem like you could add a deck but none seems available so I would not count on it happening.If I could buy this without the bags and accessories that would have beena lot better. There is also a patch kit which is 1 piece of PVC material and a tube of glue. I tossed the bag and folded the kayak to fit in my van behind a seat and put it in an large stuff type bag. Folded it was 40x16x24 ish. The bag that comes with it made it to bulky to fit anywhere in the van really and much harder to move around. The straps that come in the bag must have cost at least 50cents so be perpared to upgrade those as well. FYI by the time you get a better pump that actually runs on 12v, paddles, better straps, PFD's you will probably be in the $2000 range if you get decent stuff and you can keep the manual pump as a backup and use the carrying case to haul a side of beef to the freezer once a year. But as I said the kayak seems pretty decent for what we wanted so if it last 10 years it wasn't the worst deal. If you want compact I would definitely look closely at some of the other options like the Sea Eagles. I definitely would not want anything heavier. With 2 people it's not a problem and I can carry it my self since it so rigid but no way could my wife move it around on her own.

The Airvolution kayak is terrific. We had a problem with a seam blowing out and contacted Advanced Elements. Matt at Advanced Elements walked through the repair procedure and offered to send a better grade of adhesive. As we were within the warranty period, Advanced Elements offered to replace the kayak. We were on vacation at the time but when we got home, Matt followed up and is sending us a new kayak.Overall we are very pleased with our purchase. The seam issue was noted as a manufacturing defect but was taken care of very professionally. I would recommend Advanced Elements products. Thanks Matt!

I purchased the Tandem… Kayak construction seams very well built, but not well designed. The leg room for back seat is only adequate for short people (like kids). At 5’10”, my knees are so high, paddling is very awkward. Also, the drop stitch sides are angled in a way they are almost as thisk as the previous pontoon style. Also, there is no optional seat position for single seat operation. It is very slow, you plow a lot of water, but does track well... for the price and being drop-stich, I thought it would had performed better than the previous generaionAlso , the back-pack bag is a joke. There is no way someone is going to wear this (tandem kayak). The seats don’t fit in the bag and it’s almost like it’s all built backwards, the zipper front is on the underside with the wheels. I’m think the marketing department, not the product engineers designed the accessory.

The kayak model wasn’t for me so I got another model from same company. I decided on the Island Voyage which is a replacement for same one I’ve had for years until mice ate holes (too many!) in mine. Lighter weight and easier to transport and set up. Company is the greatest!

I’ve purchased 6 advanced elements kayaks over the years. I was shocked to find out how poor the manufacturing was for this kayak. I received a kayak with a broken skeg casing. One side of the casing is permanently bent in due to a manufacturing defect. Now, when the skeg is forced into the casing, it turns to the kayak to the right constantly. I called customer service and was told they could do nothing for me. I don’t even know where to take these type of kayaks to get fixed. I’ll never buy advanced elements again.

Kayak is amazing, have used it a bunch of times and it’s easy to set up and put away. Downside; the pump they give you will not even inflate to 1 psi so you have to use the manual pump. Actually surprised they send such a junky electric lump with such a nice kayak. Seats are comfy and easy to put in and out which is a plus. Seats don’t fit in the storage case but that’s ok.

The construction quality is excellent.In the water it tracks and handles like a rigid (non inflatable) kayak.Fantastic stability. I was able to stand up and use it like a SUP.