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I have paddled for many years in Florida, when my son wanted a kayak for Christmas the door opened to purchase a boats for both of us. I choose the Tsunami 14.5. Since we are involved in Boy Scouts and we enjoy camping being able to transport gear and a stable platform were placed high on the list. Also was the type paddling we would be doing is mainly creeks, rivers, lakes and very limited open water. After several trips the Tsunami has proven to meet every all of my needs.

The cockpit- All of the factory installed thigh braces and foot pegs and seat are of quality, easily adjustable even when under way. Mu back really appreciates the multiple adjust points on the seat, as does my legs and rump. The cockpit is roomy yet you can still use your thighs to control the boat. I can stash a day pack/ dry bag behind the seat for my snacks and gear I want handy.

Hatches- this boat has three , a bow , stern and day hatch. I have not had a problem with the hatches leaking and have had water over the bow and the stern. I do check and recheck before launching that the hatches are secured property before launching, I have opened the day hatch while underway and resealed and did not have nay water get in, my only complaint is that they do not manufacture an access for the day hatch for stashing stuff and have easy access to it , it is just another opening into the stern stowage area. When the boat is loaded you can position a small bag under the opening and it can be retrieved, but if you are not loaded it is not very useful.

Storage- Lack of space for my gear has not been an issue, Since I back pack regularly , my gear is light weight and packs down. When camping with the kayak I have been bringing some "extras" like a larger sleeping pad and a regular sized chair. I did practice loading my gear in the boat for trimming purpose in the neighborhood pool....

Tracking - The boat tracks straight, when paddling i t wants to run. When in smaller creeks with down trees and other obstacles I have to watch not to get going or I am constancy back paddling and slowing as much as forward. It is a wide boat so others that have slightly narrower boats will be faster I enjoy the paddle not looking to race. But I can get moving when I want to.

Outfitting - I will be adding a rudder in the near future. my sons boat came with a rudder and that really makes the boat track much better and navigating in tight spaces easier.

I really enjoy paddling in the Tsunami and would recommend the boat to anybody that has similar needs and size.

I have owned the Hiker Pro for several years, it has been to BWCA, AT for extended trips and used on many weekend trips. It has never failed is easy to maintain in the field, and the water tastes good too.

This is a great sleep system for paddling specially in the south. It is easy to setup and extremely comfortable to sleep in. If it is cold, you will need to add something under your bag to maintain warmth, but in the summer you stay so much cooler and off the wet ground. It can be setup anywhere as long as you have 2 poles, trees to tie up to. Packs down, I have been in it in some heavy thunderstorms with wind and have stayed dry, while others were getting flooded in tents.

This is a great system for use on paddling trips. Like all gear you do have to maintain it and follow the instructions for it to have a long life. We typically fill and filter a full bag as we approach camp site and then refill the dirty bag before landing, we then have 8 liters of water for use. By filling away from the banks you eliminate a lot of particles in the water, if the water is dirty then we use a pre-filter, coffee filter etc. when filling the dirty bag. Then just hang and let gravity do the work for you.