AdvancedFrame Expedition Elite

Is the AFX Expedition Elite a Best All-Round Kayak? Of course, there cannot be only one "best all-round" kayak because we all come in different sizes. Above every other consideration, we should choose kayaks that suit our height and weight. For those 6'+ and 200 lbs.+, for example, medium and small kayaks make no sense, regardless of type or design. I am just over 6' and around 225 lbs. I have owned or tested 60 kayaks in the past decade and a half and have been happiest when the watercraft accommodated my frame. The two that stand out are a 17'6" hard shell with large cockpit and the Advanced Elements AFX Expedition. To cut to the chase, after six years, I sold the magnificent hard shell but have retained the Expedition because of its nearly equal performance and much greater portability for this inveterate traveler. My review makes a case for the Advanced Elements AFX Expedition as a leading candidate for best all-round kayak for the larger paddler. The Expedition holds up to 450 lbs. of paddler and gear and is thus admirably suited for overnight camping trips to remote places. It is 13' long, weighs 42 lbs., and comes out of a medium-sized bag which can be either carried like a suitcase or slung over the shoulders like a backpack. This new version, called the "Elite," comes with a drop-stitch floor, a storage compartment behind the cockpit, an aluminum brace in front of the cockpit, a thwart behind the comfortable high back seat, and a coaming for a spray skirt. It is worth comparing my 2021 Expedition "Elite" and its drop-stitch floor to my 2007 Expedition and its patented BackBone and air mattress floor. The advantage of the "Elite" and its drop-stitch floor is a faster set-up time and incomparable primary stability. Unless you get quite wet, you can leave the drop-stitch floor in place between paddling sessions. The older air mattress floor with BackBone, which is highly recommended, takes a bit more time to install and align. The rewards for the extra effort are a hull speed up to 10% faster and a V-shape to the hull for better tracking compared to the flat shape of the drop-stitch floor and its side chines. Recently, I faced high winds and whitecaps so severe that paddling directly into them was almost impossible. I was glad to have my 2007 Expedition with BackBone on that occasion because I felt the newer "Elite" would have spun around on its comparatively flat hull. The "Elite," though, is so close in its performance under more normal conditions that its faster set-up is a real advantage, so much so that some people who have used the BackBone and then the drop-stitch floor have ended up routinely preferring the newer arrangement. I think both are "keepers," and if I anticipate unruly conditions, I will choose the BackBone in my older model. Otherwise, the new "Elite" is compelling for its convenience. Tip: the drop-stitch floor is hard, like a board, and you might want to put a foam pad on the seat to make your butt more comfortable in long paddling sessions. The older air mattress floor is, of course, much softer but requires, in my experience, the BackBone to improve its hull speed and tracking. Final thought: The AFX Expedition, whether older model with BackBone or newer model "Elite," is portable, performs and tracks well in all but the most extreme conditions (true of all kayaks, even sea kayaks), and is perfectly suited to larger paddlers who are looking for that best all-rounder. I have sold or given away most of the eighteen kayaks I have owned in the past fifteen years but have kept my 2007 and 2021 Expeditions. That tells you all you need to know!

This kayak comes closest to performing as a hardshell touring kayak than most other inflatable kayaks unless you pay well over a $1,000 for a NRS or Airforce kayak. I bought this used and loved it until the seam split open. I had read about others who had the same issue prior to purchasing this kayak and suspected they had over inflated the kayak. I purchased a pump from AE that included a pressure guage. I inflated the main tubes to 2 PSI. The 3rd time I had used it the seam blew out on me. I patched one hole and the seam would tear in a different spot. Rather than pay $90 to replace the tube I purchased a 2002 Perception Carolina. I do plan on purchasing a replacement tube in the future so that I can sell it.

Easy for a petite woman to inflate and put in and tracking is above average for an inflatable. However, it is missing a footrest to brace against when paddling. It's fairly comfortable when the seat is adjusted correctly. The kayak doesn't have much storage area, so it can only be used for shorter trips. That's my main reason for giving it 4 stars. I've only used it on lakes, but I feel like it would be durable on a slow current river.

I bought the Advanced Elements Advanced Frame Expedition kayak (Let’s just call it the Expedition…) a couple months ago from AirKayaks.com First of all, let me tell you that this is my first boat ever, so my ability to compare it to other kayaks is not remarkable.

Readers beware: This is a looong disquisition. 

I tried Kayaking in many occasions before, but it wasn’t until I moved from a big city to a suburban area in Pennsylvania that I started gaining interest in kayaking. To be fair, it all started because I like fishing, and all the guys on the boats were always getting the big fish while I was looking from the lake shore with my tiny panfish…  I started researching all the options, and then discovered that there is more to kayaking than the occasional morning on the lake: Kayak trips, river expeditions, kayak camping and of course, fishing.

At first I was astonished of the variety of kayak types and prices. So I started narrowing down my list of requirements:

- I wanted something portable. I’m now living in a house, but it is possible that I have to move back to a city in a near future, and a 15 ft long kayak is not something easy to deal with in a 10th floor apartment... Going with an inflatable was the most critical decision of the process, and really narrowed down the possibilities.

- Fishing was the first thing that got me thinking about buying a kayak, but I ended more interested in kayak camping and going on short trips. After some heavy thinking I concluded that it would be easier to fish from a “short-trip-type” kayak than going on a trip with a fishing kayak.

- The size was also a critical thing to consider. At some point I considered getting a double seater to go with my wife, but from experience I guessed (correctly) that I will end paddling alone in an enormous boat, so I decided to get a single seat kayak and buy another one for my wife if she showed any interest in it (she didn’t).

- Coolness factor: Yes, I’m a very visual kind of person. Quality is a must, but the appearance is also very important to me. I didn’t want to spend a thousand dollars on an inflatable that looked like a swimming pool toy bought at Walmart. And certainly the Expedition excels at this: It looks cool. And according to what other kayakers have told me it’s easier to think that it’s a hard shell kayak from a distance.

I caught a very good sale at AirKayaks.com and I was able to get the 2015 Limited Edition Expedition for almost $200 less than its retail price. (They were probably clearing stock for the 2016 models) The 2015 LTD Edition it is basically the 2016 Expedition without the rip-stop feature on the blue fabric, which according to Advanced Elements it’s mostly a cosmetic feature. I got a pack with the pump, paddle and spray skirt for a very nice price.

The kayak arrived 2 weeks later packed in the smallest cardboard box ever. At first I thought that they had sent me just the pump and the paddle… It came perfectly folded in its bag, in a way that you will never-ever be able to replicate. I’m not kidding, even when trying hard at home and doing my best, the bag ends up almost twice as thick… The first thing I noticed was how heavy it is. This especially evident when lifting it in the bag with the thin handle. It’s definitely not something that you want to carry around by hand… After having used it a couple times it takes me less than 10 minutes to have it ready. The process goes like this:

- I try to park as close as possible to the launch (Even though I’m now using a home-made 2-wheel cart the Expedition is quite heavy and flexible which makes it difficult to move alone)
- I get the bag out of the car trunk, get the kayak out and unfold it.
- The Expedition has 9 air chambers (Yes, nine!) and have to be inflated in a relatively specific order:
1- The 2 main chambers (One is inside the other) go first. These are the only ones using a heavy duty valve. They have to be carefully inflated at 2 psi (slightly less if the kayak is going to be sitting in direct sun, to allow for air expansion)
2- The floor goes next. It looks like a pool toy-like mattress, with its tube-shaped chambers running from one end to the other, but the first time you take it off the kayak it’s surprisingly heavy. I no longer worry about breaking it, it’s very robust despite its appearance. This one goes at 1 psi, and since this year it includes a pressure relief valve that lets air out if over inflated. (Apparently the floor is especially sensitive to being left inflated under the sun)
3- The rest of the chambers are the 4 deck lifts (2 on each end, bow and stern) and the spray coamings on the cockpit (one chamber on each side, port and starboard). These six are very small tubes: the lifts only take two pumpings to fill, and the coamings only 1.
- The 2016 version also includes an aluminium arch that is installed under the front deck, right next to the cockpit opening to give a better shape to the kayak front and allow for water to escape easier. It just slides into two fabric pockets.
- Then I clip the foot rest (One side needs to be un-clipped when folding) and install the seat.

And you’re done! The kayak is ready to hit the water in less than 10 minutes. I have seen people struggle to untie and get their kayaks down the roof rack in in the same time that it took me to inflate mine…

Of course it then takes me another 5 or 10 minutes to prepare myself and to load the kayak. Aside from the PFD (Duh!) I usually carry a bilge pump, a water bottle, and a small dry bag on the front deck. In the dry bag I pack my camera, wallet and a small med kit as well as an emergency blanket and a couple storm-proof matches. The med-kit has already proven useful a couple times (burns, insect bites, small wounds and headaches), and while I hope to never need the emergency blanket and the matches they weight almost nothing and are very tiny so I like to have them with me.

Under the front deck I also carry my tiny anchor (I mostly use it when fishing on windy days) and a big dry sack packed with clothes and food (Sometimes a small jet-boil mini stove) if I’m planning on spending the day on the water. The space under the rear deck is obviously more difficult to reach when on the water, so I store there my home-made foldable 2 wheel kayak cart and the inflation pump (just in case I had a puncture and had to use the patch kit that comes with the kayak). If I plan on spending some time on the water, or if I go fishing with some prospects of bringing fish home I also fit a small cooler on the rear hatch.

From the fishing point of view, this is not a practical kayak, that’s for sure. It does not have rod holders, trolling motors, elevated seat, stand-up rails, space for 20 tackle boxes, etc. So if you are one of those guys (or girls!) who MUST have 5 different reel and rod combinations and 8573 different lures with you at all time this is not the vessel you are looking for. On the other hand if you appreciate a more minimalist approach to the art of fishing, as I do, this may be a perfectly suited boat. I either use my fly-fishing rod and a tiny fly box or a foldable spinning rod with a small tackle box the size of my hand. I have even carried both setups at the same time with no problem: Simply use the paddle holders on each side to strap your non-foldable rods and keep the rest of the gear on the front deck.

So, introductions being made, how it performs?
It does very well on the water, even in rough conditions (Although I haven’t tried it in the sea). I’m really happy with it, although it has some issues that prevent it from being prefect. Let me enumerate the pros and cons that I think define this kayak:

PROS:

- It’s really rugged and resistant. I know that some people hear the word inflatable and the first thing they think of it’s a flimsy and delicate pool toy that will break, puncture or deform under the smallest stress… Well this is not the case! You really have to see it in person and feel it to comprehend how resistant it is. If I had to choose between crashing into a rock with the Expedition or with a regular hard-shell kayak, I would choose the Expedition for sure. It would probably just bounce off the rock.
- It’s easily repairable: A small puncture or tear (That again, will not be easy to inflict) can be easily patched with the included kit and be in the water again in less than 10 minutes. Good luck fixing a hole in a hard-shell…
- The redundancy of their double main chambers and inflatable floor will keep it afloat even if damaged or punctured. And even if seriously damaged, all the chambers can be replaced easily at a fraction of the whole boat’s cost.
- When folded it occupies close to nothing. You could store it under a bed, in a closet, your car trunk, etc. You can’t go wrong with it if living in an apartment.
- You can carry it in your car all day long and nobody will know that you have a boat in there. I wouldn’t be too keen to leave a hard-shell in a roof-rack in an urban area…
- It is comfortable! Your derriere will appreciate the flexibility of the inflatable floor after spending some hours sitting on it.
- It’s (relatively) flexible. While this may be an inconvenience in some situations, it certainly helps when dealing with rough water. Instead of fighting the waves, it simply molds to them (Be water, my friend!)
- You don’t need a roof-rack. This may sound obvious, but with some roof racks costing almost the same as some kayaks, this is a big plus. And I could fit four Expeditions in my car trunk.
- Accessories! Even if the kayak performs well straight from the factory, you can still add some goodies to make it even better:
- A drop-stitch floor can replace the original floor to make it completely stiff (It’s the same construction that the inflatable SUP use)
- If you want to add some keel to it and improve the tracking and stiffness you can add a “backbone” under the floor that will give it a bit of a v-shaped bottom.
- Advanced Elements just released a kit to install a steerable rudder with control pedals. Yay! Although its price it’s quite steep…
- You can fly with it! Not that it has wings or anything, but being about the same size as a big luggage it’s easy to check it in on a plane.
- It keeps the pressure for a long time. I have left it inflated for WEEKS and it held the pressure perfectly. You could go on a week-long trip and not have to worry about inflating it again.
- It looks damn good. Yes, this is subjective, but I love it! 

CONS:

- It is slow. Yes, it’s slower than a hard-shell of the same characteristics if you are wondering. I honestly didn’t noticed this until I had to paddle along some friends that rented a couple kayaks. They were paddling at a steady, calm speed and I struggled to keep the same pace… Of course, my paddling skills are despicable, but not that much!
- It doesn’t track very well. This has nothing to do with it being inflatable, but with the absolute lack of a keel. Yes, it has some sharp bow and stern edges, and a rear fin, but the bottom is completely flat. This can be improved with the backbone accessory. On the other hand of course it turns in a pinch.
- You have to dry it before storing it. The fabric that it’s made of can absorb some moisture, and the splash water that gets into the kayak ends up creating moisture behind the main chambers and under the floor, so it’s not wise to store it damp in its bag for a long time. What I do is: When I arrive home I leave it half inflated in the basement for a couple days under an air vent, and that will take care of the problem the lazy way. Of course, if you are not in a hurry, and if the weather allows, 15 minutes sitting under the sun will take care of any moisture.
- Inflating and deflating it will at some point misalign the interior chambers with the outer cover, so some repositioning is necessary from time to time. It just takes 20 minutes. You take it apart and reattach the main chambers while aligning them.

Final thoughts.

If you want a compact foldable kayak that will perform very good this is your kayak. It’s portable, allows you to travel with it and it’s fun to paddle. On the other hand, if you have the space and means to deal with a hard-shell 15ft boat, and you don’t plan to fly with it, go for it! You will gain some performance.

I've found the AdvancedFrame to be among the most stable of kayak's that I've used. When purchasing the unit I opted for the drop-stitch floor add-on as a part of a packaged upgrade deal and the unit arrived with both the standard floor and the upgrade. I've never used the standard floor and so my experience is based upon drop-stich floor use. With the drop-stich floor I've found the Expedition's tracking to be very good.

I went with the Expedition over the AE1012 primarily due to my being a bigger guy and I find the unit to be quite comfortable. The build quality of the Expedition is more similar to what you would expect in a whitewater rafting unit than what you may typically think of when you hear "inflatable" – the unit is capable of standing up to abuse. Quite often when I get up closer to others out on a paddle I'll get a double take and I'm asked if the Expedition is an inflatable and compliments soon follow. In many cases I've been very close to folks and they still have asked if it was inflatable and they are a bit surprised when I confirm that it is.

The unit is a bit short on storage due to the chambers taking up quite a bit of the interior space not allocated for your person. If I were going to use it for more than a long day I'd pick up a deck bag. Assembly goes pretty quickly and like anything else the more frequently you do it the better you get at it and the quicker it goes. When it comes to storing it do yourself a favor and allow it to dry out prior to socking it away. More often than not for me this means taking it out of its duffle upon returning home, laying it put open out in the sun or in my basement prior to folding it up for longer term storage.

All things considered (function, flexibility, durability and price) I'm quite happy with the unit. I recommend that anyone who finds themselves looking for a "portable" kayak to put the AdvancedFrame at their top of the list for consideration.

When fully inflated, this yak cruises decently for an inflatable, although you would need the backbone to get the best gliding and speed capability out of it. (Using the backbone does take a little extra set-up time and also adds some bulk and weight when transporting the folded/deflated boat. Make sure you have the backbone well centered. A lower-weight, easier-to-use, more compact option for enhancing glide may be to use the high-pressure drop-stitch floor instead of the backbone, although this adds more cost.) With the standard configuration, GPS showed close to 3 mph w/ fairly easy paddling, 3.4 to 3.9 w/ steady to firm paddling, and up to 4.4 or so at a sprint (add about 0.2 to 0.5 if you are using the backbone, and subtract about 0.2 to 0.5 if you are under-inflated). Note however, that without the backbone, its speed capability is equivalent to only about a 10-foot hardshell. It seems that since having it fully inflated is important for best performance, but the instructions warn you to NOT over-inflate, then Advanced Elements should include an accurate, low-pressure-range gauge with the necessary adapters with each boat they sell to ensure proper inflation.

The boat does have a rather slick appearance. Seems very durable. One potential drawback is that it does take a while for it to fully dry out after use - so if you don't have the option after a given paddling to leave it inflated for drying out, you would need to later then lay it back out or even inflate it to allow it to finish drying out. Another drawback could be that there is no drain valve.

Overall, a good quality portable boat w/ decent performance.

The boat with the backbone tracks very well compared to other hardshells and turns better than one in comparison to the same size. The only complaints are that the top deck does leak a little so you will have water in your boat at the end of the day but not much. Also if you ever flip it then it is extremely hard to get all the water out due to the inflatable floor. But other than that I have taken this boat out on rough water and smooth water, rivers, lakes, and very shallow channels which due to its construction have not torn any holes in it. Do take caution with the deck risers; I have already replaced one due to over-inflation.

When I first took it out of the box, I was immediately impressed with the strength of the materials. This was the toughest inflatable I had seen, so I was immediately reassured that this was a good quality yak.

It comes with a dual action hand pump, which is great, but I also bought a battery operated Coleman pump which does about 75% of the inflation. You do have to be careful not to over-inflate the floor, so the hand pump is good to finish off. With the floor, just inflate until the tubes fill and push your finger onto the floor - it should be firm, but you should be able to depress your finger until you touch the bottom surface. Once you sit inside, your body weight adds to the firmness. The Coleman is great for deflation too - just plug it into the valve, turn it on and let it do all the work!

The first inflation was easy enough and took about 15 minutes, just using the hand-pump. The second inflation was faster - 6 minutes!! I can take this out, inflate it and be ready to go in the same time it takes my friend to unstrap his yak from his car, get all his things together and carry it down to the launch!

I use mine for fishing too! At first I was a little nervous about hooks and an inflatable, but as long as you are organized, it really is no problem. I made up some rod holders and a fish-finder mount out of uPVC tubing. If you have a look on the Advanced Elements website and go to their forum, you will see my adventures!

I don't have the backbone installed in my kayak. As long as you take a few seconds to ensure the floor is centralized, it tracks straight and slices through the waves without any problem.

Since I bought mine, there's a few more people interested in Singapore and have already placed their orders! It's gonna be fun to have a few of us out fishing at the same time.

Is there a down-side? The only down-side is that you do have to make sure the yak is dry before you store it for a while. I'm out every weekend, so I just wipe it down when I am ready to pack it away - it is 30 deg.C + here though, so it doesn't take long to dry!

I set myself a realistic budget. Value for money, bang for buck, this yak is superb. My only worry is that it might be heavy rain at the weekend and I can't get out on the yak!! I love it!

Our experience is exactly the opposite of the reviewer who gave this craft the lowest possible rating. Mind you, it took a few times to know how to set up the 13' EXP right; and our previous experience with the smaller 10'5" Advanced Frame undoubtedly was a help. We are great advocates of the BackBone accessory, which, with the aluminum forms, gives a rigid internal architecture to this kayak that will give it a hull speed and an ability to take on large waves that will equal a hard shell of similar beam and length.

Initial set-up is important, as it is, say, for folding kayaks, such as the Feathercrafts (their Kahuna performs in a generically similar way, incidentally). There are a few "tricks" one learns in aligning the BackBone and the floor until a perfect set-up takes no more than ten minutes, tops. Placing the BackBone over the bow's landing skid and the stern's skeg is not difficult, once one uses both hands, inside and outside the hull. Inflating the floor a bit to give it shape before installing it over the BackBone also ensures a symmetrical line-up. Of course - and of prime importance - the main chambers and floor must (I repeat "must") be inflated to a good and firm level - or the kayak simply will not work well at all (I can almost hear Mae West saying, "A hard kayak is good to find"). Sitting back as far as one can in the cockpit is also important. Note that the storage space in the stern would be compromised were the cockpit placed farther back: hence, the need to sit back and engage that skeg to good purpose.

All these little refinements add up to a great gain for a great kayak, but Advanced Elements kayaks, like all IKs and folding kayaks, require somewhat commensurate mental advancement to get the best out of their designs. There is a learning curve, which is steeper, the longer the IK. Thus, the 8'4" Lagoon (Dragonfly XC, Skedaddle) is almost fool-proof. Just pump it up, and it is ready to hit the water. The 10'5" requires more attention, especially if a BackBone is installed - but well worth the little bit of extra effort, given the improvement in performance.

The hull speed of the Expedition is greater than the AF 1, and, again, especially with a BackBone, this craft will glide in a straight line, will paddle at a tangent against steady whitecaps and winds without much weathercocking, and will show a remarkable seaworthiness in all waters. Many of my family and friends have paddled my Expedition; all are astonished by its performance, especially those who have owned hard shells. So, why is my son's and my experience of this kayak so categorically different from some and so similar to others? We are too busy using these wonderful IKs to worry about the answer.

On the water, it's a blast. Very comfortable, almost like a water bed.... uh yeah. Tracks nicely feels secure, but make sure it's inflated properly.

Only downside is that drying the boat out after use can be a bit of a hassle. Some of the various inflation chambers need to be removed to ensure it's completely dry.

If you're short on space, this is a great solution.

It's a snug fit for me at 5'10" 220 lbs and I did not adjust the foot brace correctly before leaving so I could not re adjust on the water. To access the foot brace you have to unzip the top cover of the craft, something the manufacturer says you should not do. So I went ahead and continued paddling with straight legs.

The seat is as comfortable as any I have sat in. It was a windy day (10-15 mph), my son was in a 11' Pungo & I could not keep up with him. Coming back with the wind it was more even, so this yak is affected by the wind more than the hard shells.

The Expedition seems to track well but does take more effort to paddle. I will take it out one more time before I decide to purchase the back bone, my first impression is the boat is a little too flimsy in the water, it's weird to feel the boat undulate with the waves, yet it's extremely stable.

Taking it down was easy as long as you use the pump to suck all the air out first. It fits back into the bag, with room for the pump and some extras I have.

I bought this boat to access the numerous lakes and bays within a couple of hours of Houston & I did not want to put a rack on the "good " car. It looks like it will fit the bill...

Fast forward two days and it is finally time to put in (weather finally let up). A quick blow up (set up time was approx 15 min – to blow up and pack) and I was ready to go. Finally out on the water and the AE expedition handled... well... different. I was a little disappointed until I realized that I had the backbone out of alignment a little which kept turning me (albeit slight) to port. I quickly return and righted the situation (literally) and away I went for a 6 mile trip around the reservoir. With the water being very frigid I was glad I was in the inflatable – that layer of air had a very nice way of keeping me warm in the cold water. About half way through the paddling session I noticed that the backbone was...for a lack of a better word...'intrusive' as it is right under you in the most ‘inappropriate’ spot. Looking down I realized that the floor had deflated on me and the only thing between me and the backbone was the thin seat and the padding around the aluminum shaft (read…not comfortable). After a portage to blow the floor up again (thank goodness I remembered to bring the pump with me) it was back on the water again to finish the day. Upon reflection, I think I didn't tightened the screw-style valve all the way closed on the floor – thus the deflation; however I will have to investigate further next time out.

Overall the kayak is well built, paddles and tracks well (for an inflatable – not nearly as nice as a hard shell) and is a great way to get some paddling in without having space for the storage of a rigid boat. You can’t go wrong for the money – just toss it in the car and go.