Prodigy XS

I bought one of these yesterday used on Facebook for myself. I am a 50 yr old woman, 5’0”,112 lbs and although in good shape fitness wise I have some back and arm (tendinitis in wrists and elbows) problems and was having trouble with the weight of my Pungo 120 when I wanted to go kayaking without my husband as i couldn’t manage it on and off the car and struggled getting it in and out of the water. I researched small lightweight kayaks and based on reviews here bought this one. Oh my goodness what fun this is! It goes through the water so easily and is super fast! Effortless to paddle. Super responsive to any little body weight shift etc so feel it’s helping with my technique because I have to work with it being so responsive. It tracks well when moving along but will veer to one side with any little body weight shift. Not as stable as my Pungo but never felt I would tip in. It’s very tight on leg room so anyone much taller than me would struggle to fit but it’s fine for me. And it is so light! I can easily get it on top of my car and off again and can lift it with one arm down to the water. I live in the city near a canal and am so excited by how easy it will be to get it down there for evening paddles after work. I paddled for 2 hours on a lake this afternoon with some wind and current and didn’t feel like I worked hard at all. Love this kayak!!

Both of my daughters started in Perception XSs. They are quick, easily maneuverable, and seem to be fairly stable. They are light enough for 7-10 y.o.s to move around and to help load, etc. They are narrow enough that the kids can use appropriately sized paddles without banging their fingers on the sides. Real, adjustble footpegs are a huge plus

There are two minor disadvantages: the seats are not fully adjustable, and they are not comfortable for more than an hour or two (which might be all a 7 y.o. can handle anyway). Second is that one your kid will be paddling this, and then the "next day" they won't fit in the cockpit...

This tight cockpit is what makes the kayak so great for small people - you finally know what it's like to become "one" with a kayak. This kayak has great features - a very comfortable, somewhat adjustable seat that basically supports your back (and does so well), easily adjustable foot pedals even while in the kayak on the water, front and rear bungee straps for dry sacks, and nice carrying handles with built-in holes which can also be used to lock the kayak with a thin locking cable. The ballast can be annoying until you get used to it and it's odd that Perception didn't put in at least one small cargo area, but the bungees work great with dry sacks. Due to the tight fit, there is no cup holder and the only good place for a water bottle is in the front of the cockpit, but you can get creative with the bungee straps or buy a cockpit cup holder, which will fit. There is no room to store your paddle in the cockpit when you shove off as your own body will take up all the room, but you can buy a cockpit paddle clip, use the bungee straps with some practice, or just hold onto your paddle carefully.

Even with these limitations, I rank this kayak a 10 because it is a full 10 feet long and, thus, tracks well. The best thing though is it weighs only 26 pounds due to its aerodynamic shape! Your kayaking friends will be envious at how light it is. Even better, in 2015 it costs $405 (everywhere - don't bother shopping around) and, as you may already know, kayaks that light weight usually cost much, much more.

I only weigh 112 pounds and I can lift this myself, push it in the bed of my 8 foot truckbed at an angle, wrap two basic bungee cords around the end, and I'm good to go with the tailgate down (the kayak sticks out only about 5 inches)! You can probably get more creative and fit it in an 8 foot bed with the back end completely closed. It's also easy to put onto any roof kayak rack.

I have tested this kayak out on slow to medium moving rivers (no rapids) and small to large lakes and am in love with it. I've endured wakes from motor boats and jet skiers as well as strong head winds plus choppy water with lake waves as high as the kayak sitting in the water and I have felt secure at all times.

In this kayak, I can finally keep up with other paddlers who can paddle standard kayaks due to the paddlers' heavier weight. People who are not small do not think about how a kayak that is 50 pounds is almost 50% of my weight (this is true too for biking!). For them to understand, they would need to feel what it's like to paddle a kayak weighing almost 100 pounds. I can also finally paddle upstream as this kayak is so light! I find it tracks well, even in strong winds, though it does sometimes move side to side, but nothing worse than I've seen and felt other kayaks do. It does have a nice keel, which helps the tracking.

This is a well-built kayak and I wish I could meet whomever from Perception decided to make this as I could kiss him/her! On top of all of this, it comes in a great choice of colors.

If you are a smaller person and love to kayak, but get tired of killing yourself trying to carry and keep up using a typical kayak that is too heavy for you, you will love this kayak. You really don't have to give up any features with it at all so it is worth every penny. Enjoy!