Profile

After contemplating many different canoes, I decided on the PakCanoe 170 and have been very happy with it. So far I have taken it on several day trips, 2 weekend trips and a week long expedition in Maine. The canoe can easily haul 2 adults and several weeks worth of gear and supplies.

I had been using a friends kevlar canoe, and the PakCanoe is considerably slower, but seems much more stable in rough water. I purchased the heavy-duty spray cover and was able to easily head out in conditions that would have left me sitting on the shoreline waiting for the swells to subside if using the kevlar. It is well constructed, after being dragged on the rocks for a distance in low water it showed absolutely no damage.

I did have some issues with the seats popping loose, but that was more to my "who needs the assembly instructions" mentality. Once I figured out the correct way to secure the seats and using some zip-ties, I have had no further issues. It usually takes about 20-30 minutes to assemble, and less than 15 minutes to pack it up. The canoe will easily fit in a car trunk or closet, and the bag is well constructed, though it doesn't close unless you lace it with some of your own rope (like an old fashioned military duffle bag).

Be prepared for lots of questions whenever you are assembling or packing up, however. Something about the process seems to draw the curious like moths to a flame!