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I initially had no problems with the seat popping, however, now after several years use, in spite of tightening the strap as much as strength allows, it continues to pop out almost every trip now, most recently and frighteningly in some (up to that point) fun swifts in a lock outflow, but also regularly with calm water paddling. One clip of the plastic buckle has detached over the length of a trip, however most commonly the rear seat tube simply jumps out of its bracket. Any safe suggestions short of a ratchet or cam buckle strap and the risk of damaging the mounting brackets or hull would be greatly appreciated. I have checked the Old Town website and was unable to find a fix.

I bought 3 of these compact folding chairs for a 5-day canoe outing for me and my boys - all 180+ pounders. They are simple to unpack, set up and repack into an included storage bag, and were the envy of the others in the group - except for the guide who also had one! Although they appear fragile they were solid and comfortable on rock, grass and sand. They are not inexpensive, but we found them more than worth the cost in comfort and convenience.

I have had the NEXT for a year now and thought I'd update my initial review while not seeming too critical given the predominance of 10 out of 10 reviews. I am certainly looking forward to another season on the water, however over last summer I realized what a burden the weight became, for me, for portaging around locks and lifting for storing. The ads, I see, have the weight to 59 pounds now.

It is adequate for lake canoeing, although there is a learning curve to keep it tracking straight and dry in adverse conditions. Speed is fine with the Old Town kayak paddle, less effective with a canoe paddle and impossible (for me) with a Greenland paddle. The seat is comfortable over the short term (several hours) but numbness sets in thereafter. I use a marine seat cushion to raise the paddling height, well worth the loss of stability to be higher for paddling as well as easier entry and exit.

It is an ok product, however I would suggest a long test paddle and confirming your comfort level carrying overhead and on your shoulder before purchasing.

Cold and snowy here, so haven't been on the water, however having received my NEXT I wanted to caution buyers about possible quality control issues - including a defect near a screw attachment on the outside hull which could have been an errant screwdriver or crushed outer layer from over torque - I can't tell.

Boat looks excellent for my intended use, seat is great, colour coordinated paddles a nice feature, so buy, but before you buy (in case mine's not a one off issue), look stem to stern over dealer's inventory to get undamaged hull and to be reassured that the seat slides freely through the full range of the rails.

For the old and frail such as I, note that the weight is 53 pounds as now spec'd (different with and without the removable seat, of course).

A good canoe, easy to paddle, good load capacity, tracks well and tolerates waves and wakes. Workmanship is generally ok, but it was shipped built asymmetrically, or racked on build or transport, so won't fit on a car rack on 4 points, wobbles on three. I would look to a company with better construction precision and quality control at that price point.