KXOne Slider 375
Summary
Price At Time Of Writing | $1,398.00
Our Overall Rating | 88 out of 100
Pros - Built well and easy to set up
Cons - Seat is uncomfortable, has drag
Overall - High quality, but needs improvements on performance
Technical Specifications
Open Size - 384x78cm
Weight - 14.2kg
Load Capacity - 175kg
Packed Size - 85x57x43cm
Our Analysis & Ratings
Full drop-stitch kayaks with a wonderful stiffness against the water make up the KXOne Slider line. The 375 model had certain drawbacks in terms of performance and comfort, but it was well-sized for one-person paddling, simple to put up and extremely well-manufactured.
Performance - The KXOne has a full drop-stitch hull with plastic bow and stern, so it has everything needed to move through the water with ease. The hull does, however, have a surprising amount of drag that, as far as we could tell, is caused by the dips that curved drainage channels in the inner floor generate on the outside hull, resulting in bumps that collect the water. As a result, paddling wasn't as effective as we'd anticipate from a kayak with this kind of structure and design.
Construction - The KXOne is unquestionably a well-built product. The outside is made of sturdy PVC and the drop-stitched sides and floor inflate to a very solid 8 psi. We mostly observed evidence of care in the production process on the model we evaluated, with no obvious glue or frayed edges on accessories. The plastic layer that gives the splash guard its form is not covered and is the only very minor issue we had with it as it comes out fairly easily.
Setup/ Pack down - With only three matching inflation points and quick-drying PVC, our top-rated kayaks for setup/pack down, like the KXOne Slider 375 couldn't be simpler to set up and pack away.
Portability - This inflatable kayak weighs about 14 kg, which is average in weight and bulk compared to other inflatable kayaks we tested. It takes a little practise to fold this one so that the plastic bow and stern fit inside the bag, but once you get the hang of it, it's one of the easier kayaks to pack away and store.
Comfort - We had several concerns with the seat, despite the cockpit having enough of space and a very comforting firmness. The seat's foam was a little bit thinner than the other foam seats we examined, and in our opinion, the side supports actually made paddling more difficult because you couldn't fully extend your shoulder without pushing on the seat's side panel.
Overall - The KXOne Slider 375 is a good full-drop stitch kayak with room for small performance and comfort improvements.
