Trailblazer 100

Bought this at Dick's, along with a more expensive kayak (Swifty). After a couple months of use, this one is my favorite of the two! It's very light, maneuverable, and tracks straighter than the other one. The material is durable. It has lots of grab points which is nice when you are loading it on the rack.

It is definitely a beginner boat with minimal features. Foot pegs have three fixed settings. Cockpit has little other than a cupholder. No dry storage. Still, for a beginner boat I think it is a great value, and I'm glad I bought it.

I recently purchased a Pelican Trailblazer 100 NXT Kayak from Field & Stream seafoam/yellow 10'. I absolutely love it. I stay perfectly dry and never feel wobbly or unsafe. It doesn't have any kind of dry storage or fishing rod holders but it does have a storage net inside that will hold cell phone, binoculars, etc ... This kayak also has two spots to put a drink bottle. I did have to purchase a paddle as this kayak does not come with one.

Just needed a cheap kayak to get out on the water. Picked this up at a local sporting goods store for less that 200. For the price, it serves its purpose and is fun to paddle around the lake. Can get one for each of the kids without breaking the bank.

My wife and I each bought one of these kayaks. We were pleasantly surprised with them. We were planning to use these till we could afford better. After using them several times, I am still shocked by how stable they are and how well they track. We have since bought a third one for our oldest son and recommended them to our other son and daughter in law. They are very light weight and are easy to carry.

This kayak is priced at the low end of the spectrum, which makes it a perfect choice for a novice paddler. This kayak has a wide flat bottom for stability and had the structural integrity of a tank. This kayak will work great for those that like to run creeks with debris and other obstacles as you don't have to worry about hull damage. The boat will float if full of water and you have to really try to roll it over. We have a fleet of these for our college students learning to maneuver on moving water and in swift currents.

This is a great recreational kayak for those new to paddling. Works perfectly well and is quite stable on flatwater. Qaulity and value are well aligned.

We purchased two of theses and have been very happy with them. Very stable and plenty of room for tackle, gear and a small cooler. A great choice for a beginner's yak. Perfect for lakes and slow water. Good platform for fishing and lounging. Handles class II well enough too but can hang up if your not careful.

We loved the Trailblazer for what it was designed for, recreational paddling on calm flat water. It’s a great kayak to paddle around your favorite lake or pond, a slow smooth flowing creek. Though you can paddle it in choppy and windy conditions in our opinion it is not the best choice for that kind of venture. It was designed for the person who wants to get out on the water, have fun and not sink a ton of money into that endeavor while still getting a well made boat. It is a great entry level kayak that won’t break your bank account to get into and you won’t feel like you wasted your money as long as you understand it’s uses and limitations. Still like and use mine every summer.

I give this 5 stars because I guarantee this kayak has not been pushed to the limits like they were with me.. This is my first kayak i take it down 3-5 mile hr platte river in Missouri religiously with enough room for my tent sleeping bag fishing gear and a full cooler or a trip out with the dog.. That being said the room in this kayak if you weigh under 200lbs is ridiculous so on white water rapids staying above water and having a spray skirt are key unfortunately the cheap name brand spray skirt is more of a drip skirt.. I used a lot of velcro n super glue which works for a single run on white water but if you bail out you will have to re velcro.. I did class 3 falls first day easy 4 miles and one bail out on a class 4 fall this is where all that room and no floatation comes in when this kayak fills with water u have to be in great shape to recover on moving water but is possible i shoved pool noodles under seat for help on my class 4 rapids day.. A water fall ate me up and filled with water kayak took a 2 hr beating before getting winched out.. Took it to a lake after and baby still rocking

I didn't expect much from a $200 kayak but I must say I'm very happy with it. My boys and I have put in several hours on the river in the 2 days since buying it and it's been great. No dry storage, but that was evident before I shelled out my cash so no worry there. No way to secure it if setting a shuttle (we drop bikes and bike back to the truck then come back for the boats) I solved that with a simple u-bolt secured thru the top......Yes, I bought a boat and promptly drilled 2 holes in it.

Lots of space to store fishing gear, coolers, dry bags, whatever you may require. The weight isn't bad at all, but only being only 5'3 it does require myself and one of the kids to lift onto top of SUV. We manage to squeeze all 4 on top. (I know, some people may cringe at the thought of fitting all 4 on top, but you do what you gotta do!)

Not the fanciest kayak but a great choice for first timers who don't want to spend a lot, or have to buy enough for the whole family!

Bought this at Dicks just like everyone else did. Took it out today for the first time and I'm reasonably impressed. Like most others, the back rest could be better. Tracking seemed good, but not like my Riot Eudoro 12, which is for a totally different purpose. I'm just over 200lbs at 5'11" and 56yrs old and I fit well into the cockpit

The rear storage is not even close to water tight and doesn't really hold much, but for a 4 hour trip, it works. With the max weight at 275lbs, it does sit a little low in the water, but with her in it and at 125lbs, it's a perfect kayak for my girlfriend. I was surprised just how much she loves it. She's a beginner and within an hour she was very comfortable paddling this around a very calm stream.

You can't beat this kayak when it comes to the price.

About me: Beginning paddler, 6'2", 200 lbs., using kayak for 2 hrs at a time on area lakes in calm and windy conditions. I had some previous experience with an inflatable SeaEagle kayak, and purchased a Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 kayak recently.

Thoughts about Trailblazer 100:
Size - This kayak feels a little more narrow and a lot more shallow in comparison to my other kayaks, but I did not notice any difference in stability. This could be helpful if you have T-Rex arms! The huge cockpit opening makes it very easy to get in and out of, but I have not found a condition yet where water was entering the cockpit. The footpegs extend a couple inches beyond what I need, and I am 6'2". So I would think this kayak would be comfortable for someone up to 6'5".

Tracking - I have seen a few reviews claiming poor tracking with the Trailblazer (and other makes/models for that matter), but I saw no problem with tracking. It could be that my lack of experience means I don't know any better, but the kayak did seem to hold a line really well. I did expect it to perform better than the Aruba 10, since the Trailblazer has more of a arched hull, but I found there to be no noticeable difference between the two.

Extras - I do wish the Trailblazer had a paddle holder... The water bottle is great, I don't mind having the bottle between my legs. The storage compartment is ok. It's not water tight, but I have been able to throw some waters or beers in there with some ice to keep everything cold for a while. Otherwise you will need a dry bag or some Ziploc bags to keep everything dry.

Comfort - I have seen many complaints about the seat. Specifically the lower back support. I also experienced some discomfort in my lower back after being out on the water for an hour, so on a whim I undid the buckles on my life vest, pulled it up over the back rest, and was then very comfortable. The next time I went out I wore a different life vest and had no problems at all.

Summary - Great price, great performance. Personally I prefer the Aruba 10 (barely), due to the paddle holder, storage compartment, and the deeper feel of the Aruba 10. That said I am very happy with the purchase of the Trailblazer 100. Plus the Trailblazer looks cooler!

Recently my girlfriend and I purchased the Trailblazer 100 as our first kayaks. We had looked at $1k-ish models at first and after a financial review we knew that we had to settle for a cheaper starter kayak. We have used it a handful of times so I've broken down my review into a few important topics:

1. Price - Can't beat it. We found it for around $200 at Dicks.

2. Aesthetics - Not many colors to choose from, but the colors are bright. Kayaking on a lake you sometimes deal with boating yahoos and the bright colors help identify yourself as "Please dont run over me".

3. Design - Not to informed on "Kayak engineering" but the design seems "ok". The seat was simple yet surprisingly semi comfortable. We kayaked for better part of 3 hours for each of our trips and both of us didnt have too much of an issue. My back support needed a bit of adjustment after some time but it supported me well. I'm at 6', 220lb guy so the cockpit fitted me was great. My legs rested comfortably against the sides and didn't rub either. The handles held up great for transporting & the tie downs worked great for strapping down our dry bags. We managed to go up and into a few very shallow streams without issue so the bottom of the boat scrapped a few times but the bottom held up great, no scrapes. 3 Complaints though:

(A) I could not find a comfortable place to rest my feet. The Foot stops worked well but the bottom of the boat pushed up again my heels awkwardly and I couldn't get them to be comfortable. More experience time maybe? I'm not sure, but I'm leaning towards design issue.

(B) The water drain on the rear of the boat is about 4-5" from the tip of the boat so you cant completely drain the kayak of water. There is enough water in it to be problematic if you bring it in your house to store or if you leave it outside (mosquito breeding ground etc).

(C) Again, I'm not an expert, but this thing missed every lesson on "Kayaks and Tracking". We both spun during paddling and had to fight a bit it to stay straight. However, we did test in calm streams and in a choppy lake, both did maintained the same level of "tracking". Which says at at least it does track somewhat.

3. Weight - It's not light but it's easy to transport solo if you lift a few milk jugs daily. We have a car with a low roof and we both would not have an issue getting it on and off. However, we transport it on our Jeep Liberty with a higher roof where I would recommend 2 people loading and unloading.

All this said, we both couldn't be happier for our first kayak. The price was the biggest winner as we couldn't afford a high end recreational. The Trailblazer 100 is a a great starter for anyone.

Some say, you get what you pay for and this is cheap thrill kayak and it does me well on the rivers here in North Carolina. It was the ram-x material that sold us on this kayak becasue we have a 17ft canoe that is close to 30 years old and it looks brand new yet. I would have gave it a 10 if it had thigh pads...but you get what you pay for and this one is good for what we use it for...traveling the black waters of NC.

I will say that the Trailblazer is by far the best Kayak for the price I have ever used. It tracks so well you find yourself testing it without thinking. It is roomy and comfortable. The foot pegs are easy to use and the seat was comfortable for a three to four hour paddle. Could use some padding for the knees, but I am sure I can add that.

The day I bought it I took it out on water and headed over to a little island we love. We went at high tide so we went right through the chop and my kayak didn't even pretend like it could flip. The wind did pull me around but I didn't expect anything less as the wind was really whipping and my kayak is so light. Not a bother for me. The storage is a little limited as we plan to make camping trips in our kayaks, but thank god for dry bags!

In the end, I am ecstatic with my purchase for the money I have spent!

Very stable, tracks decently for a 10 footer. It does get moved easily by the wind being as light as it is. It has a good amount of features for the price range, though it would have been nice to have the back end open for storage. It is closed off by foam behind the seat, and there is only a small "dry hatch" in the rear. I'm not sure how dry it will stay in rougher waters, but it stayed dry for us. it's definitely not sealed in any way. The seat looks good, though my wife complained that she would have liked it to be a it higher.

All said, a very good beginner kayak for $220. (Missed the $199 deal at Dick's)

The stability of these kayaks are awesome considering they are only 28" wide. I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking to start kayaking or even for intermediate yakers. All I can say is THANK YOU Pelican for a quality built, Yet inexpensive kayak. See you on the water!!!

Seat back is not great for someone with back problems. If you have back problems get a support or kayak with a high back.

I would only assume (after reading other reviews) than tracking could be a problem but I use it in the calm Charles River in MA and have no problem. I may have a different review if I were in rough water. I think for 180.00 this is one great kayak. NOW, let's see how well it holds up over time.