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This review was written after my second trip on my Ascend 10T kayak; I will update after I have made a few more trips with it. I purchased the kayak because the large open bow gives my dog enough room to move around comfortably, and it is stable enough that he can do so with less risk of falling in the drink.

On the first trip out, I went without my dog on a lake in a state park. While he has kayaked with me before, I wanted to get a feel for the Ascend before adding the extra risk (and joy!) of 50 pounds of happy dog moving around. There was little wind, and the Ascend tracked pretty well on the lake. I did not have any extra weight in the bow, and I have heard that helps it track a little better. After watching videos of people standing on the 10T, I tried it myself and was shocked to learn that I could use it like a paddle board on my first trip out! I was even able to launch it standing up! This kayak is incredibly stable.

The 50 pound bundle of love joined me on the second trip out on the Ascend. He settled quickly into the bow despite there not being much cushion there for him yet. He stood, sat, and walked around. I never once felt like the Ascend was going to tip over even with all of his weight on one side. It was a windy day on a different lake, and the Ascend was a bit of work to paddle and keep straight with the wind, but not enough to take any of the enjoyment away.

Moving this kayak around. It weighs 66-67 pounds as delivered. I got a stand-on-top kayak cart, and it is easy to move around. The most challenging part is getting the kayak cart through the scupper holes. Handling 66 pounds and trying to maneuver a two-wheeled cart is cumbersome, but not impossible. I'm 5'1" and weigh about 140#, and I have been able to load and unload with little more effort than loading my older 36# one. Getting this kayak did definitely inspired me to USE gravity to my advantage rather than struggling to work against it.

Overall, I am very pleased with this kayak and so is my dog!