Wilderness Systems

I have been spoiled by my touring kayaks. That said, this is the best paddling recreational kayak I have been on. I owned the 140 a few years ago and liked it, but am enjoying the 160 more. It is very stable, and I was averaging around 3.5-4mph per two GPS's (mine and a buddy's)at an easy and sustainable pace. It tracked very well, but I am adding a rudder for wind and current. Not bad for a 75 pound sit on top. The front hatch is very roomy and easy to access but the smaller hatch by the seat was a tad too small to whip my DSLR in its dry bag out in time to capture a friendly river otter we came upon. I think I could fix this with a different dry bag and found that inserting it lens toward the seat worked much better. It was the diameter, the space is roomy. The 160 has the build quality typical of Wilderness Systems. No skimping anywhere. Solid build and well outfitted. Very long and sleek in the water. I needed a sit on top that could keep up with friends in their touring yaks due to some recent medical reasons and the 160 has filled the bill. I am looking forward to many more paddles in this yak and will probably get a little fishing in too. The weight is partly size, and partly because this thing is built like a tank. We regularly drag our yaks over rocks to access tidal nature areas, and ride up on beaches and rocky shores to have a meal or wander through nature. It is hard to imagine anything hurting this thing. It is nice not to worry about a fiberglass or composite hull getting damaged by this treatment. I was actually shopping for something else when I came accross Sierra Trading Posts' listing. This was advertised as a blem but agressively priced. I have never bought a blem before and was a little unsure until I received it. The blemmish was hard to spot and the yak came with the owners manual, registration card, scuppers and everything a non-blem would. If you see one of these deals here and are in the market, do not hesitate. I am very happy with my purchase, and with Sierra Trading Post. This was my first purchase here, and based on this experience I have ordered several more items and will regularly visit for my paddling and outdoor needs.

Twin 11 yr. old girls on Lake

I have been kayaking for over 30 years and currently have seven in the stall. I sold an older tarpon 160 the same day I took delivery on my new one. It is a great, quality product. This kayak is a second. It did have a cosmetic blemish on the right side but nothing that I wouldn't put on it the first time I hit a tree or rock. Otherwise the kayak looks fine. [...] I got this kayak for almost half price.