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Ignore bretts review as its so inaccurate that its pathetic. Anyone that supports a walmart pool toy over a jackson is clearly a jackson hater for no reason. (or any other quality manufacturer for that matter) Also try adjusting ANY boats fitting with a skirt on. I bet you cant do it right? Why not? Because a skirt is designed to seal the paddler and boat from water entry. So please show me any boat that allows you to adjust anything without popping the skirt first.

First you need to realize what this boat is. It is a crossover boat. That means its a whitewater boat first, with some additions to help it on flatwater areas. In this capacity it works great and the outfitting is wonderful. The outfitting is designed to be able to be repaired in the field, by carrying some extra paracord. Try doing this with plastic or ratcheting systems. I bet you can't. The rope and cleat system is simple, yet functional. Some prefer it some don't. However as designed it cannot be beat for reliability and ease of repair. However with the rope and cleat design, you can get that perfect fit, not hope that the click adjustments match up properly. Too often with those you get a lil too loose or a lil too tight. It comes back to preference.

Some wonder what some of the differences from this boat and the newer jackson traverse are. The rogue has the sweet cheeks seat vs the traverses molded and padded seat. The sweet cheeks allows you to have a custom fit on the seat bottom. Many have said its actually a bit more comfortable. I myself am neutral on it and I found both to be comfortable. The rogue has footpegs and a foam divider between the legs, the traverse has a unishock bulkhead. The rogue is rated to class 3+ whitewater, the traverse 4+ because of this bulkhead. Also the skeg mechanism on the rogue is a lever/cable type vs a rope/cleat type on the traverse. Both function well and are spring loaded to assist in deploying

The footpegs work well. They are comfortable and easy to use. It does give something to get caught on during a wet exit, but few had problems with this. It is nice when you want to stretch as you can slip your feet past the footpegs and relax some.

The boat is maneuverable, yet reasonably stable. Once you drop the skeg it tracks well, especially with good paddling technique and leaning forward.

its hard to go wrong with this boat for most paddlers. Especially since it can often be found used cheaper than a traverse. Paddling both the rogue and traverse, its hard to tell much of a difference between the two. 10 hours on the water and the boat was still comfortable and enjoyable to paddle.

I finally got to put the Fusion SOT through its paces. It was the second time out in it so I got to give it an accurate evaluation. A friend also got to use it and give me another impression which was very similar to mine.

It performed exactly how I had hoped it would. It behaves very predictably with no noticeably bad characteristics. The thigh straps keep you connected to the boat and provided noticeably more control in surf and rapids. It surfed and played well, even in good current. I was able to get up on edge and not get grabbed. Even the higher center of gravity due to it being a SOT and sitting higher above the water was not noticeable. It performed well with no bad characteristics Drop the skeg and it tracked well. The convenience of the SOT, especially in shallow water when you have to get out and drag or portage is perfect. Yet still having the playfulness in whitewater is icing on the cake.

The biggest complaint both my friend and I had was the backband. Especially compared to the Jackson Traverse fitting. You lean forward and it drops down to your lower back and doesn't give support. You can pull it up, lean back and it will give support and be comfy. However the moment you learn forward (like you often want to do in rapids etc) it drops down. In long stretches it tires your back and gives some discomfort and soreness. I will likely be trying an addon seat cushion from amazon (about $25-35) While giving more support, it will prevent you from leaning over the backdeck, and potentially rolling it if you want. I did add a 3/8" foam pad to the seat when I purchased it, as I figured the long stretches of paddling would make the molded seat uncomfortable. Therefore I'm unable to evaluate the stock comfort level of the molded seat.

Overall its a great boat that does what its intended to do. I'm very pleased with it. However due to the back band I could only give it four stars.

I wanted to share this as I have seen many questions from people looking for information on the Traverse. This is a compilation of two reviews. The first posted in Kayak West Virginia, by a person with a vast amount of experience, and multitudes of boats. His review was the reason for my purchase and subsequent inputs. I am getting back into the sport, with past experience in cheap inflatables and rec touring.

First look at the Jackson traverse.
My first impression of the boat is its amazing, it has the bow rocker and edge lines of a solid creeking boat. The hatch seals well, for 40 extra bucks you can get a hard shell hatch cover to go over the soft one, it also latches in place which will make the hatch a true dry hatch. The 3 flush mount accessory points are setup for rod holders or a go pro stick. As with all jacksons it comes stock with a go pro mount and the Jackson simple yet utilitarian outfitting. The skeg controls are the same as the karma rg and are absolutely the simplest out of the conversion kayak skegs to use. With the hard shell cover I'd rate this as a solid class 5 boat but tomorrow will tell the difference. The only downside I see from the exterior of the boat is the lack of a drain for the hatch area, I'm gonna chalk that up to Jackson kayak banking on their hatch to be completely dry. From my experience with conversion kayaks no hatch is 100% dry some are better then others but they still leak. If the hatch stays dry after tomorrow's paddling adventure I'll be shocked.

Post paddle report on the Jackson Traverse.
The first thing I noticed while outfitting the boat, which actually is the only design flaw I could see. The loops for your throw bag are located to close to the seat. Other then that I have no problems with the outfitting. My 4 piece paddle fit with ease in the hatch which was easy to open and put back in place. I'm 5'11" 220 lbs so I'm not a small boater, I fit in the traverse quite comfortably, probably the most comfortable I've been in a kayak. On the water I noticed the boat got pushed around a little bit which is like a creek boat. It took me a few Rapids to stop treating the boat like a crossover and treating it like a creek boat with a hatch and a skeg. Once I did that the boat handled like a dream and by the end of the run my confidence level was up and I was at home in a boat that I found comfortable paddling in any water. It seemed like it auto corrected to line me up for great hits without needing many corrective paddle strokes. In my opinion Jackson has developed an amazing crossover boat that would feel at home in a lot of people's fleets. I like the boat so much that I returned the demo today and placed an order for one.

My observations after paddling it for about 75 miles in various water conditions, ranging from flat waters of Ohio with little to no flow, to class 3 rapids during a release. Clay Wright also gave some very accurate information during his video of it on jacksons site.

Clays thoughts are spot on regarding the turning while coasting, as I thought it was just me. When slowing without current or paddling, the boat will turn one side to the other.

The Traverse is a whitewater boat first and foremost, since it has the Karma hull, but it has the skeg which does improve tracking and its one of the few I can fit in due to the width of the cockpit. I can't fit in any Daggers or Pyranhas. I am at the upper limit of the boat, 6'2 and 285 but the boat behaves well, doesn't feel like its being a slug, is stable, and predictable. I've had experienced kayakers tell me it looks perfectly trimmed and I still carry gear in the stern area.

I usually have to paddle with 1/2 power strokes as it helps with the tracking and is very efficient. It gets up to speed fast, usually in 2-3 good strokes. If I need to add power, you lean forward and the boat is straight as an arrow with the power strokes. It will pivot about its center axis (yaw axis for those familiar with aviation) very quickly if desired. It works very well in the Ohio flatwater rivers and creeks.It was fun in the class 3 rapids I ran, though I couldn't stay in them long as I did not have my skirt yet.

The boat loves to surf, and at times will do it without trying. I was watching others playing in a hole while I was in the river in a light current. After 5 minutes I realized I hadn't moved downstream as the boat was surfing the current on its own.

I can keep up with rec and touring boats in flat water, without much effort. I love the whitewater rating and characteristics since thats my main focus, but I am realistic with the Ohio waters and the many flatwater sections.

For the waters I paddle, and my goal, I could not be happier.