Back home I packed the kayak into the Paj, along with some photo gear, towels, sunscreen, etc. then it was down to the creek. I was going to set a camera up on a tripod to film the unpacking as the included instructions were pretty crap and I thought I may need some help when it came time to pack it back up. However, it turns out it would have probably taken me longer to set up the camera and tripod then it did to actually unpack and set the kayak up.
The inflation was pretty easy with a 12 litre dual action pump, once I found the three main air nozzles. They were excellent because your could close them off before removing the pump hose, so there wasn't a rush of air out of the device as you tried to close the cap. Once all three air bladders were pumped up the craft was quite sturdy. There is quite a few storage areas including one right behind the seat, in here is also another air nozzle to pump a cushion for the back of the seat, but I didn't find that until I got back to shore and started packing up. I stowed the pump and my shoes in here, in case of emergency.
There is a cover which goes over your legs (it seals wth Velcro) that keeps most of the water out and it also has some storage areas, including one which is supposed to be waterproof. Just to be sure I put my phone in a dry bag and then into the waterproof compartment. I found my legs were getting hot and sweaty from being covered over but on the plus side they were also protected from sun burn. I had planned that I would get into the water at high tide and then paddle up the creek, allowing me to drift back down the creek with the outgoing tide when I got tried of paddling. It didn't really work out too well as there wasn't a lot of water movement as the tide turned, so I ended up having to paddle both directions. :(
It was very nice on the creek, no wind, not too hot and the water was a pleasant temperature. I slowly paddled a kilometer or so up stream just doing a bit of sightseeing and watching the other kayakers. It seems like the standing paddle boards are the latest trendy things, there was way more of them than kayaks. I eventually got used to paddling so that I went in more or less a straight line, this seemed a bit harder than when I was on the sit on top kayak at Lawn Hill but I just probably need a bit more practice. I didn't work out how to adjust the foot straps until I was back on shore so my legs weren't too comfortable, once again I think this is something I'll get used to.
Packing up the kayak wasn't too bad, I opened all the air nozzles while I got the large plastic tub out of the car, then gave a few pumps using the deinflation mode. I managed to fit it into the 120 litre plastic tub on the second try and it is now sitting unfolded in the back yard drying out before it gets packed up and stored away in my camping room.
All up I'm very happy with it, I had no problems setting it up and packing it away. On the water it felt very stable although it is probably not as fast as the solid shell kayaks, but that is not what I wanted it for. It's still quite bulky (fits in a 120 litre tub) and will take up a fair bit of room in the car but overall I think it is better for me and my travels than having a hard shell kayak strapped to the roof racks. I think I also now need a little water proof camera to take with me as it was going to take too long to get a normal camera or my phone out of the waterproof container to take a photo of the birds and flying foxes in the trees beside the creek and the fish in the creek. Time to rest the shoulders and have a late lunch.
