Vista

I absolutely love my walden vista expedition. It has been a tried and true boat for river trips and lake trips for me since July 1999 - wow that's almost two decades! i love that it is made of recycled plastic which has held up great - sad that i dont know if companies still make such a great recycled product. I do have a bit of a dent in the hull just from abusing it by "sandwiching kayaks" over the years in transport but it still is such a comfy boat and my preference whenever i paddle despite having an option to paddle a newer kayak with more bells and whistles but that is not nearly as comfy as the vista. It has also been great for kayak camping using waterproof bags and also for monitoring water quality as it has some room for equipment. It has a large cockpit so i can stretch my legs and the seat is also very comfortable even with its simplicity - i can easily bird watch and spend 8 hours in this boat without having to stretch or get out....this is not the case with other boats ive paddled. I hope this boat lasts me the next 20 years i would not like to see her go.

I bought my Vista slightly used - it'd gotten a few dozen paddles on it then it sat in a garage for a decade or so. I'm 6ft with 13D feet, so keep that in mind.

Good:
1> Bullet proof. Seriously, i met someone who lost his on the freeway at 70 and it was fine.
2> Forgiving. Really stable
3> Seat is great for me, I spent 5+ hours in it last weekend with no issue at all
4> Turns well once you get is angled good and hard

Cons
1> There simply isn't enough room for my feet down there, so that's bloody uncomfortable
2> Catches the wind as it is pretty high profile
3> Cockpit edge is sharp so literally impossible to brace against it
4> Slooooooow. Slower than my tandem with one paddler
5> Heavy - haven't weighed it, but pick up a lot of yaks and this one is at the "oof" end
6> Does not drain well after washing - always requires a wipe down with a towel ( this is a pet peeve of mine)
I've never tried to roll it, so can't comment on that.

I took the Walden Vista out on a large lake in fairly calm conditions. Was excited about trying a boat made out of recycled plastic. I'm a lean 5'10" female and was surprised at what a tight fit it was for me. Usually I have enough leg room in a 12ft boat, but this model is definitely made for a smaller person. The stability seemed pretty good, but the boat was very frustrating to paddle. Didn't track straight at all, and the least little bit of wind or current catching the boat at an angle spun it around. It did have enough rocker to surf the small waves a little, as long as I headed directly upwind or downwind, but that was about the only fun part. Don't recommend this kayak in comparison to other brands in the same size range.

I spent the summer on Mt. Desert Island in Maine, and was loaned a Vista by my wonderful landlords. I've paddled three different sizes of kayak, from 10' to 17', and LOVE the Vista. The size and weight are perfect for me, a woman of some years. AND--I slid it into my Honda Civic Hatchback, bungied it to the front window crank, bungied the hatch down, and down the road I went! This one had a rudder added, but I rarely used it unless it was blowing pretty hard. This is the boat for me! The problem is: I can't find one! I'd love a used one, and if anyone out there has one to sell, please contact me.

I've now taken out my Walden Vista on two fairly rigorous trips (Manhattan circumnavigations) and I think I now have enough of a feel of the kayak to give it a thorough evaluation. I purchased the boat used this summer as a replacement for a larger (and heavier) Necky Kayook. I found that I wasn't using the larger, more sea worthy kayak enough because of its weight, and overall I haven't been disappointed. Here's my comments on the Walden Vista:

PROS: It is a highly maneuverable boat. It turns on a dime, but is stable enough to handle significant current, wake, and waves for the experienced paddler. The Walden is INCREDIBLY LIGHT - I had no problem picking up the boat after paddling over 20 miles, which really says something because loading a canoe or kayak on the car after a trip is usually a burden for me. The boat is spacious enough (I'm 6' ~185lbs) and I don't feel cramped in it. The seat is moderately comfortable, but I found myself slouching a bit so I will work to find better back support for the boat in the future. The boat is very nimble, and it moves quickly in the water. I found the Vista to be very stable (I haven't rolled yet), but I can definitely tell that as a smaller boat closer to the water it would be easier to roll than the Necky. It handled 3-4' waves in Hell's Gate off the East River quite well. I had read somewhere that the boat has a tendency to let waves roll over the front of the boat - I didn't notice that, although my boat was back heavy with gear, water, and food.

CONS: The Vista tracks OK, but it is beholden to the wind a bit. I found that in brief water/food breaks I'd have to paddle a few strokes to keep her on direction and away from tour boats. Perhaps that only matters on a congested waterway with a significant tidal current, but it was slightly inconvenient. It has a rather small storage compartment/hatch - on long trips I like to take an extra paddle, but it actually doesn't fit in the back so I have to paddle with it in the front between my feet. The interior material is also a bit rough, so I lay a towel under my calves which makes the trip more enjoyable. Comfort is important! Also, there is no convenient place to lock the kayak - in an urban area you DEFINITELY want to lock your kayak on the car, but I actually had to add a U-bolt from West Marine and drill it into the boat. It looks great, but I wish the factory had done that for me. I also had to re-seal the hatch cover and cabin separator with silicon to decrease a small bit of water leak, but that seems to have helped. I think the Walden spray skirt fit isn't great for the boat, so that may also be part of the problem. I didn't take on enough water to cause any flotation problems, but it's frankly not that enjoyable sitting in a puddle of Harlem River water either. Will still have to work on getting this kayak water tight, although again, I think it's a spray skirt issue and there is not a problem of hull integrity.

CONCLUSION: After saying all of that, I LOVE the boat, I'm completely glad I purchased it, it was able to handle a rather long trip in a comparable time as longer kayaks. I give it an 8/10 due to storage limitations (camping equipment would be tricky) and the water problem - which only bothered me because of where I was paddling and not the amount of water that got in. I’m very glad I “traded down” to a smaller boat.

In defense of the Vista- I own 2 of these and have for 4 years now. The seats that came with them back then are bad. But, so was every other kayak seat at the time these were made. The padded seats Walden added later are much better. But still not a WS Phase 3. Capacity is low. Both weightwise and Volumewize. Your not going to go much longer than a weekend with the gear you can bring. They tend to weathercock some in a crosswind. The bow submerges in a 2-3 foot chop. OK now that I've proven that I do not see my Waldens through rose colored glasses here's what's right about them.

They are LIGHT...really light. The Hull material is not just a single layer of poly like my WS boats. There is a degree of insulation and sound deadening there. Not to mention they are RIGID. You can stand on them and they won't dish. They are fast. Speed is based on waterline length nt overall and they are all waterline. So a 12'6" kayak with a Greenland style bow will have a waterline length of about 11'6" as an example. The Vista cutwater is in the Aleut style and yields a true 12'6" waterline. This is why she seems so much faster than other 12 footers. She has poor initial stability which makes it possible to lean turn her. But secondary stability is good unless you get cocky and nothing a good hard brace can't fix. And she CAN be rolled. But my biggest compliment is that this IS A LIGHT TOURING KAYAK! It is NOT a REC boat. Enough with the snobbery that anything less than 14' is a rec boat. Using that logic my battleship of a yak 160T Pamlico is not a rec boat. Which is completely untrue. The Vista is a "pocket" Touring Kayak. Easy to fit on the roof rack. Carries enough for a weekend if you pack carefully. And small enough to gunk hole into the out of the way spots that a 17' Fiberglass would'nt dare to go. And everyone who has enough time off a year to go on a week long expedition with a 10 mile open water crossing please raise your hand.........yeah that's what I thought. She's the right boat for 80-90% of us. So let's stop bashing her and accept her for what she is. A fine light tourer.

I bought my vista 4 years ago and it is without a doubt my best investment besides building our own log home. It's light enough to pack by myself and it's real smooth in the water. Tracking is excellent and it really moves fast without a lot of effort. I've used it on lakes, slow rivers, and the ocean. Not that great in the ocean unless it's a real calm day. It moves well thru the wind if you're in a pond or river. Seating is comfortable and foot pedals are adjustable. The large cockpit gives me a sense of ease and the storage is great. It also has a drain on one end so you can hose out the boat, which you should do anyway when switching locations to prevent the transfer of certain plants. My kayak is bright orange. Definitely a 10 compared to any other I've used.

I've been paddling my Vista for about 4 months now. A great kayak for the money and for day paddles. I live on the Gulf of Mexico so paddling in the ocean is usually a breeze. Didn't meet my expectations in 1 to 2 foot chop. A small rocker makes the waves crash over the front and fill in the cock pit. Other then that, a terrific kayak for back water, or any calm water condition paddling.

After trying the Walden Adirondack, I, on a whim, tried a Vista. I normally wouldn't have tried such a long, thin boat. I am a big man, 6'3", 225 lbs, and like big boats with large cockpits. But the Vista was surprising comfortable. Seat needs more padding, maybe a bigger backrest. The footpegs were long enough, which is great. The hull is very strong, stiff and durable. The storage area in the back was great.

The boat is very fast. Very fast. Tracks very well. It actually performs like a 14' boat, which I've heard others say. Because of its thinness, it might be a little tippy for some, and you are right there on the water. But it is no more tippy than a v-hulled boat, such as the Old Town.

The weight on this boat is great. Very light, easy to carry, easy to put on a car or truck. The 11 lb difference from the Adirondack was extremely noticeable.

I like this boat a lot. I will, however, check back after I've used it a lot. I commend Walden on its use of recycled materials. It was a selling point for us.

This poly kayak was our choice after much thought and research. I worked for EMS and had opportunity to take every kayak they sold for a paddle across a bay. I was tired afterwards, but I sampled 'em all!

Primary concerns as we searched out a kayak were: lightweight, narrow, poly (obviously, lots of rocks in N.E.), and storage space adequate for overniters.

Thus far, this kayak has proven to be all we hoped for. My brother got my canoe (which I had for 26 years) as we upgraded to kayaks. It paddles very easily, tracks well in the winds we have encountered so far. The light weight has proven to be the best of the choices we have made so far.

Pretty good boat for the money.

I just purchased a used Vista from a local dealer and am very impressed. I have paddled a number of kayaks, both rentals and friends kayaks and have to say this is the best handling boat I have paddled to date. It is light, extremely fast, tracks like an arrow even in choppy water and is very dry. I would highly recommend this boat as a first for anyone looking for the most bang for your buck.

The only dislike I have is in the foot room department. I am 5'10" at 175 lbs. My size 8.5 foot barely fits with my toes touching the underside of the deck. I wouldn't recommend this boat to anyone much larger than myself. Other than that minor drawback, I am very excited to own it and can't wait to get out into bigger waters with it.

I just bought the vista this summer. I demoed several boat and enjoyed the responsiveness of the Vista. I found the more stable yaks borring and less gracefull to handle. Some were like paddleing a barge! The Vista proved it can handle a lot. On the vacation to NH white mountain region proved it. We took a river trip with 17 other yaks down a class 1 and 2 river out to Ossiepe lake. The vista hadled the river just fine it was easy to turn around the outcropings and logs. but on the lake the winds were high and made very choppy white capped water, too windy for the sail boats to sail! We had to put two tow lines to the back of the vista to tow in my 11 year old daughter and her friend, the wind, current, chop, and seveal hours of paddleing was getting to much for them. (they were in swiftys we rented). with the wind, chop and two boats in tow the vista handled great. it tracked well was still easy to paddle and no water in the cockpit eventhough I didnt have the skirt on. We all made it to shore and laughed not bad for a little yellow yak.

I have been paddling a Vista for 3 years. I LOVE it for ALL the same reasons everybody else does. This year I bought the new Odyessy. It is also a winner. Handles and tracks great, easy to load and carry, and reasonably priced. I love BOTH my Walden Kayaks. Try the rest, then try these.....you won't go back!!!! (P.S. You don't see many used Vistas for sale.)

I am a retail sporting goods store manager and kayal instructor. I have been paddling for twenty five years both whitewater and flat water. Our store has been selling Walden Kayaks for five years. These boats rock! The Vista has been in our instructional fleet for four years and have been a perenial class favorite of five boat models used. As the other reviewers have said, the Vista is very stable and quick for its length. It is also a very comfortable boat. We did a clinic on Lake Michigan,last summer, with 3' waves and we were all absolutely amazed at how the Vista performed. I have paddled many boats in this category, and for the price no mafacturer comes close to the performance, comfort, stability and value of the Walden Vista! The only model (in this size class) is the new for 2002 Walden 13'5" Odysee! Buy it, paddle it, I guarantee you'll love it!

Before getting into a kayak, first thing, make sure to do your homework, which luckily, is exactly what I did. Finding there were many and many kayak manufactures- which one to get? That's the hard part. Buying the right one- that's the harder part, which brings me to the Vista. After setting my sights on another brand of kayak, the Walden Vista suddenly came into clear view.

I went to a local kayak retailer that advertised a sale. Luckily I talked to a salesman who was also a kayak instructor. After asking him a few questions (drilling him on info I read out of magazines) - he seemed like he knew exactly what he was talking about. He then told me about the Vista. First he told me it was a 12-1/2 ft. kayak that had the speed of a 15 footer. (The longer the kayak - the faster!) I thought ok. Then he told me it was very stable, and very easy to maneuver. He also told me this was a good kayak for the beginner to the expert level. I thought ok! He also told me that this kayak was virtually "unsinkable" even when filled with water. Later I find this to be true with mostly all kayaks.

Last but not least, he told me the Vista is the kayak they use to teach their lessons in. I then tried on the Vista sitting on the floor and it was comfortable. Two other good selling points of this kayak is it is made with the use of recycled polyethylene (fancy word for plastic) - which makes it environment friendly, and also one of the lightest kayaks available! (41lbs.)- and the last but not least thing - It looks good! So with all this, I purchased it and so far... so... EXCELLENT!!!

As far as the speed - it's there! As far as stability - it's got that too! As far as maneuverability - turns on a dime! I'm a beginner at this kayak stuff - and it's perfect for me. I also don't see myself "growing" out of this when I get real good either. And at 41lbs. it's a breeze to carry. And I failed to mention the most appealing thing about the Vista - it's price!

One last footnote, I had a question for the Walden Paddlers e-mail team - They responded quickly and answered my question accurately. Bottom line: The Vista is an excellent product from an excellent company with an excellent team at an excellent $.

The Walden Vista is a fine kayak. We added the expecition kit ourselves with no problems. The boat is light, solid and tracks beautifully. Our only complaint is the rough intereor finish which makes it tough to paddle barefoot. We have loaded the boat well above 200 lbs on trips and it still handles fine. This is a very well designed boat very adaptable to flat water as well as gently rivers. We love it and would buy another.

I LOVE my Vista..it's light, easy to carry and easy to load up onto my pickup truck cap. It handles and tracks well. I enjoy paddling it all day...It's a GREAT boat for the price......try it...you'll like it!

If you want a kayak that is really light (40 lb) and tracks like a boat 2 feet longer, get a Vista. Had mine out in Michigan rivers, lakes and ponds and couldn't ask for more performance in such a small package. Construction seems to be stout and I got mine without hatches since I found I could get more day gear in by going behind the seat. The seat is great but I bought the aftermarket pad kit to cool things down and offer a little padding. I hardly paddle my longer glass kayak anymore if that tells you anything.If you are going on overnight trips, you have to pack real light but how many paddlers really do?

This boat handles like a longer kayak. Love the seat and backrest. The footbraces are long enough for my 37" inseam!