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I bought this 12' kayak to use on Lake Erie, the Niagara River, creeks and ponds and to do overnight camping. It was listed as a touring/overnight kayak, but that is a stretch. Since it is primarily designed for smaller paddlers (women), it has a lower deck height (the actual measurement was removed from the website, so I cannot confirm the true height) and is 24 1/2"" wide, both aspects that are aimed at shorter paddlers.It also is a lightweight 38 pounds, making it easy to carry, but it does lack proper safety lines around the perimeter.

To add front flotation, a large foam barrier has been placed down the middle of the kayak, making stretching the legs or scratching an ankle itch with the other foot a bit difficult, if not impossible. Also, there is no front hatch, which means that to go on an overnight, any gear that does not fit in the rear hatch would have to be placed in even weights on both sides in the front of the kayak. Also, the thigh braces are not adjustable and I found that they were too thin to be of much use for me.

Although the kayak was fine on the Niagara River, easily riding over waves, I still found it a bit more effort to track and paddle than the other kayaks I have used, as well as when on the Erie Canal and on local creeks.

I have narrow hips and thighs, so I fit easily into the cockpit, though at 5'5"" and 140 pounds, I am not skinny. My 6' 155 pound son found it too snug, as did my 5'7" daughter.

Since I wanted to use the kayak for camping, I returned it to LL Bean in exchange for a 12" Wilderness, that has two storage compartments, as well as a much more comfortable seat and usable thigh braces! If the Calypso flotation was added in just the nose rather than as a "wall of foam" separating the entire front of the kayak, it might have been workable. Either way, it is not a light touring kayak, as the LL Bean website stated when I bought mine; rather, it is a recreational kayak. For that use, it is fine. For light touring - not.