ITIWIT X100 1 or 2 PERSON KAYAK REVIEW

CONTENTS

1. Introduction
2. Price
3. Dimensions
4. Contents of package
5. On the water tests
6. Pros of the Itiwit X100
7. Cons of the Itiwit X100
8. Summary of the Itiwit X100

1. INTRODUCTION

The Itiwit X100 is a ‘hybrid’ inflatable kayak witha high pressure drop stitch floor and traditional tubular sides.

We bought the ‘1/2 person’ model of the Itiwit X100.

There is also a larger ‘2/3 person’ version which have also done a blog post review of and uploaded a video review of to our Youtube channel.

2. PRICE

The Itiwit X100 seems to generally cost about £350 which is what we paid for it, although you can sometimes get offers.

Note that while at first glance this is slightly cheaper than many comparable kayaks, with the Itiwit X100 you only get the kayak, the seats, the 3 skegs, a repair kit and the carry back. You do not get any paddles or an inflation pump, which you will have to buy separately.

More recently, Itiwit have rebranded as ‘Triboard’ and Decathlon seem to be instead mainly be selling the ‘Tribord 100 Comfort’ 1-2 person inflatable kayak.

The Tribord 100 Comfort kayak appears to be the same as the Itiwit X100 kayak featured in this review, other than:

• It has a different colour scheme
• The carry bag has wheels on it
• The seats are different

3. DIMENSIONS

The Itiwit X100 2/3 person version is 365cm long by 103cm wide.

4. CONTENTS OF THE PACKAGE

The total contents of the package comprises:

• the kayak hull
• the drop stitch floor
• 3 plastic skegs for attaching to the underside of the hull
• a repair kit
• the instruction manual
• 2 seats with inflatable bases
• the carry backpack

5. ON THE WATER TESTS

We used the Itiwit X100 on number of occasions in both solo and tandem mode. We would surmise our findings by categorising them as follows.

Itiwit X100 in Solo mode

The itiwit X100 is even smaller and lighter than some of the solo only inflatable kayaks we have used so we did not find it unduly cumbersome in solo mode.

It is quite ‘roomy’ in solo mode due to the extra space in front of you and behind you which placing the one seat in the middle of the kayak creates.

Itiwit X100 in Tandem mode

The Itiwit X100 1/2 person version is a ‘compact’ tandem. It is big enough to accommodate 2 ‘medium’ sized persons or 1 tall person and 1 quite short short person or child.

At 365cm long and with a maximum of 195 kg, the 1/2 person version of the X100 may be a bit short for 2 tall people and in that case you would probably be better off with the longer, 410cm long version of the X100 which costs £100 more at £500 and has a maximum load of 245kg.

One tip in tandem mode is to put the rear seat as far back as it can possibly go, since this maximises the space between the rear and front passengers and helps to avoid the dreaded ‘paddle clash’ that you get if the rear and front passengers are too close together.

This gives the front passenger sufficient room between their seat and the front of the cockpit.

8. PROS OF THE ITIWIT X100

Stability

The Itiwit X100 is a very stable kayak due to the width of the kayak, the tubular side, pontoons, and the flat shape of the hull.

The Itiwit X100 can be used solo or tandem

It is just about the right size so that it is not too large and cumbersome to be used solo, but is not too small and cramped to be used as a tandem.

The drop stitch floor provides a firm base

Drop stitch floors are in our opinion, far superior to low-pressure conventional floors, traditionally found on inflatable kayaks. They provide a firm base and any water which splashes into the kayak cockpit generally drains off of the floor.

The Itiwit X100 is very portable

The backpack containing the kayak, floor and the two seat weighs just under 16 kg. In comparison to the drop stitch kayaks that we have, this makes it a very portable kayak when you consider that it can be used tandem.

Don’t forget that you still have to carry your paddles, pumps and other items separately in addition to the Itiwit backpack. If there are two of you sharing the load, then this is not so bad, but if you are on your own, you can start to feel like a Himalayan Sherpa.

Comfortable to paddle

The Itiwit X100 is comfortable to paddle due to the high pressure drop stitch floor and the inflatable seat bases.

If water splashes into the cockpit then it soon runs off and collects below the floor, so you’ll have a dry ride in the X100.

9. CONS OF THE ITIWIT X100

The Itiwit X100 does not track the best

Despite having 3 skegs, they are all shorter and not as wide as the skegs that we have on our other kayaks, and consequently, due to this and also due to the flat hull, the itiwit X100 does not track the best.

I recently learned that you apparently can purchase the longer skegs which fit the itiwit paddle boards and these are compatible with the Itiwit X100 and improve the tracking.

The Itiwit X100 is relatively slow

We have found it to be slower compare to our other kayaks, although not significantly so.

Personally, though, we would trade speed for stability any day.

Does not feel as robust as full drop stitch kayaks

We did not find the side pontoons felt as durable as the decks of full drop stitch kayaks we have which inflate to 10-12psi and hence are very firm. We got a couple of very small holes in the right pontoon after only the fourth time using it, we thinking from brushing against bushes on the canal side when pulling in to let canal boats pass.

The Itiwit X100 lacks foot rests

We find that foot rests noticeably, help with paddling, because you can brace your feet against them, and this allows you to use your core strength much more.

I improvised by using pieces of pvc plumbing pipe that I’d cut to length with strap threaded through them which were then secured to the buckles on the side pontoons.

In tandem mode, the front passenger can push their feet against the front deck while the rear passenger can push their feet against the base of the front seat (or against a bag wedged behind it).

10. SUMMARY OF THE ITIWIT X100

We did like the Itiwit X100 from the get go, since we’d always take stability over speed any day.

The main negatives were that we would have preferred a higher pressure drop stitch floor, foot rests, better skegs and more durable side pontoons.

It is just about the right size to use both tandem and solo for most people and the package as a whole is very light, compact and portable. 

As I said, Decathlon now mainly seem to sell the Tribord 100 Comfort kayak rather than the X100 but they are very similar kayaks and most of this review will be equally applicable to the Tribord 100 Comfort kayak.

If you predominantly want to paddle tandem rather than solo, OR if you are a pair of paddlers who are both tall OR your combined weight is in excess of the maximum load of 195kg, then you’d be better off with the longer blue and grey version which is 410cm long.

However, if you mainly paddle solo rather than tandem or if you are simply after a compact and portable tandem then we think you will enjoy the X100.

Below is the link to the Decathlon webpage for the X100 1 or 2 person kayak:

https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=26895&awinaffid=1394929&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.decathlon.co.uk%2Fp%2Finflatable-2-person-touring-kayak-high-pressure-bottom-x100%2F_%2FR-p-303057%3Fmc%3D8511866%26c%3Dsunflower%2520orange

Below is the link to our video review of the Itiwit X100 on our Youtube channel.

Below is the link to our video review of the larger 2 or 3 person model of the X100.