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Monday, March 7, 2011

Equinox 10.4 Kayak

As promised, a more detailed review of my new kayak, Equinox 10.4, is here. I checked my new watercraft back and forth, inside and outside, and now I have a good idea about its attributes. One thing I can say is that for its size, it really has a lot of room for equipment. Equinox is much shorter than sit-on-top giant Future Beach Freedom 160 DLX. Whenever we go for overnight kayaking trips I know where my equipment is going to go...LOLz.
































There are two main storage compartments in the Equinox kayak. One in the front and one in the back. Each of the compartments is tightly sealed with rubber hatch covers - hopefully waterproof (this will come in a later review).









The cockpit seat feels very comfortable. I will write more about it once I paddle for 12 hrs in that seat. Right now I cannot really say much about it. The cup holder is a bit small, but will do the job of holding a small bottle of water.





























Front storage compartment is a joke, but may be practical to hold either a cell phone, GPS, some snacks, wallet, or any other small items. Nonetheless, I like this a lot, because it gives more room for my legs inside of the kayak (enough to fit another dry bag inside)














Since the front storage compartment is so small, I am going to buy one of those cone-shaped dry bag and fit it in the front of the kayak. This will give me enough room to store either small tent, clothes, sleeping bag.










Equinox 10.4 is super light. I can easily pick it up myself and drop it off on the top of my car or carry the kayak for a few hundred meters with no problem. For easy handling it has two handles one in the front and one in the back. There are two drain plugs, which make it much easier to get rid of that extra water after rainy surprise or underestimated wind speed = high waves :-)













The rear storage compartment is a blessing. It's so huge I can fit all of my equipment in there (flashlight, clothes, shoes, small tent, perhaps a sleeping bag, etc... I will review actual packing later).




















I am very happy with the design of this kayak. There is an extra storage compartment on each side of the seat. It's not too big, but good enough for 2x2L bottles, extra paddles, trekking poles, or propane tanks.















I think I have covered most of parts, compartments, and some extra ideas about Equinox. I still have not used it on water, but that will happen very soon. First, I need to register it.

22 comments:

  1. Good job. I am also looking at this Kayak, actually 2 of them. I am interested in what gear it can hold. I am an avid backpacker and I usually try to take just the minimum.

    I am interested on your packing attempts and any extra goodies you got to go along with the Kayak. like Drybags. skirt, mountable gadgets, etc.

    Hopefully you will post soon.

    Andy

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  2. Hey Andy, yeah hopefully I will do it within a week. I'll let you know. There are a few things I can recommend for the kayak:
    Skirt size:
    Nylon Sprayskirt & Cockpit Cover Size: 2.5
    Neoprene Sprayskirt Size & Cockpit Cover Size: 2.5
    (source: http://www.sealsskirts.com/fitter/fit_model.php)
    Also I like this drybag from REI: http://www.rei.com/product/785138

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  3. I am very interested to hear thoughts on this kayak for open water use, such as around the San Juan Islands in Washington state. That's one goal I have in getting kayaks, so I really want to get good ones, but without breaking the bank.

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  4. Hey Quinn,
    I am trying to find some time (plus the weather factor, it's still in the 30s-40s around here). For sure, soon, I will take it for a test, probably on Lake Michigan. I want to see how it handles on larger waves.

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  5. Hi Danny,

    Thanks for the review. This is helpful, as my wife and I are looking at picking up 2 of these next week. One question I have is in regards to leg room. I am 6'4'', size 12 show. Is this kayak going to work for m? Or am I going to be squished? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks - Steve

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  6. Hi Steve,
    I am 5'10'' and the feet pedals are just right for my height. I heard people drill a few extra holes and move the pedals further to the front to comfortably rest their feet - that's an option. So, to be honest, without any modifications you will definitely be squished and uncomfortable. I would go for something bigger or a sit-on-top kayak. I hope this helps.
    Danny

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  7. Thanks Danny, that's what I was fearing. I appreciate you getting back to me with this info.

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  8. NO problem. Good luck shopping for your new kayak.

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  9. I'm pushing the 290 mark in weight. Will this kayak sink on me? I'm also about 5'10"...wondering about leg room.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, you will sink to the bottom of the sea. Tell Spongebob we said hello.

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  10. To add to my previous post, what differences...if any...does this kayak have to the Trophy 10.6 offered at Dick's Sporting Goods? Both are made by Future Beach?

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  11. Hey ahodges487, yeah I saw Trophy kayak at Dick's, it's practically the same kayak as the Equinox, except offered in a different color, LOL. We are the same heights, so you would be within your comfort zone when it comes to sitting comfortably with stretched legs, but the weight limit is 250lbs on this kayak. At 290lbs you will probably sink. You can try the sit-on-top perhaps.

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  12. Thank you for the great review! I was eyeing these up today!

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  13. Yeah, no problem! Thanks for visiting

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  14. After reading your 3 blogs on it, I went ahead and bought it yesterday, I'm pretty excited! :-)

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  15. You will be very satisfied for the price you paid. Have fun paddling

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  16. I just got mine last week.. Im 6'195lbs and this kayak is perfect for me.. I've done 2 trip a 1 hour just to get it out and the other was 4 hours.. I like your idea of the dry bag in the cockpit even at my size there is still a ton of room.. I filled my rear dry storage up with water to test for leaks.. Held tight overnight... Thought this would be a better idea then to find out the hard way..

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  17. @firefighter128, that's great! I'm happy for your purchase. Enjoy and B-safe

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  18. Wow, guys, looks like this thing is catching on like wildfire! I just bought mine, tonight, here in Lehi, Utah. My primary purpose was doubly selfish. I wanted to have a way to convince a friend to spot me on open water swims. Plus having a kayak is sort of cool, too. Can't wait to take it out and paddle (or swim.) Did anyone buy theirs at Costco, also?

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  19. Hey Nathan,
    Yeah, great idea with the open swim. My brother-in-law and I were actually planning on doing that as a part of our training for the Chicago Triathlon. Enjoy your time, either on a kayak or in the water. Yes, I think all of us got it at Costco.

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  20. You, too, Danny. I took it out a bit, last night. It was a blast. I think this is going to be a fun way to explore the lakes around here.

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  21. Thanks Danny. Great overview. We love ours. We have 2 kids 10 & 12 and they fit in well. Easy for them to handle.

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