Noy sure if this an appropriate subject for this site. I’m trying to get more reviews from paddlers who have use the origami inspired Oru boats. Bad back. Mainly looking for light weight Not interested in inflatables.
I suspect the back rest/seats on the Oru, which is specifically made to be light, might not be great if back support is something you are after.
The Bay or Coast models do a pretty good job at approaching the performance (speed, tracking) of a similar sized hard shell kayak. A major tradeoff has shown to be that they are difficult to get back in to in open water when you flip. They take on a lot of water (even with the optional float bags) and the back deck being so flexy brings challenges for the standard rescue solo or assisted format of getting on back deck to get back in to the kayak. Not uncommon for the slider bar that holds the 2 sides together to break during a rescue.
If you are always padding in warm enough water and close enough to shore to swim back should you flip, then this issue may not be fatal.
I am a fan of Orus ever since I talked to a guy in one on a small local river a few years back. He had good stories about having family drop him off at various places, then paddling down through tough areas that are nearly too choked with vegetation to be navigable, and then he folds it up into its backpack and walks home. It seemed rugged and like it opens up a lot of opportunities.
Depending on what your paddling ambitions are, there are more durable and seaworthy folding kayaks than Orus – inflatables are not the only other portable options. I’ve owned 8 different models of them, ranging from a 24 pound 12’ Pakboat Puffin to a 37 pound 15’ 7" Feathercraft Wisper. There was a brief drop in availability when Folbot and Feathercraft both closed up shop about 12 years ago, but more and more companies have come into the market. Do a search for folding kayaks (and ignore all the ads for the sad and clunky TukTecs) and you’ll see some that meet or exceed the performance of even higher-end hard shell boats, like Nautiraid’s Nook.
A Pakboat Puffin Saco, at 12’ 6" and 24 pounds costs about the same as an Oru Bay and can be packed in a standard rolling checkable bag for airline travel. I can set mine up in 15 to 20 minutes. The newer versions can be paddled with the deck off and that version only weighs 20 pounds.
I have both the Orun Coast and the Pakboat Quest 150. The Oru is the best conversation starter ever, smile. Quick to assemble, so fast to get on the water. Keeps up with other boats going on relaxed paddles. But it is “noisy”, due to the folds in the material, and that turbulence creates drag, so it feels like the glide peters out quickly and you need to paddle more frequently to keep up. When Covid hit, we bought one and my son used it on our outings. He loved it and didn’t know the difference. Then I let him try my P&H Cetus and at his first stroke he exclaimed the Cetus felt like it was turbocharged. And after a few tries in the Oru, I decided to get the Pakboat, as the Oru was too noisy and slow for my taste.
The Pakboat takes longer to assemble. There are just a lot more pieces, and they need to be placed correctly. Say the Oru takes 10 minutes once you have it down, and the Packboat 30-40 minutes, though I have not “gotten it down yet”. But its performance is a lot closer to a non foldable kayak, both my son and I were impressed how similar it paddles and glides to the Cetus, compared to the Oru. The Pakboat has inflatable tubes running the length, so in a sense it is an inflatable.
The seat in the Pakboat is a lot better than the one in the Oru. The Oru is just so flexible, and minimal, that I kept trying to modify it by placing cushions. The back gave enough support that I never noticed anything, and my back gets tired without a back band, but there was really no adjustment available other than minimal up and down.
The Pakboat, on the other hand, has a seat built on metal tubing that clips into place and is very secure. And is easily adjustable, both the seat and the backband. The backband is quite wide and supportive.
From what you said, the Oru might work. It is light, though quite bulky when folded, for the Coast model. Quick and easy to assemble. Has enough drag that I find it annoying, but it still moves along quite well. But I would check out the seat if you can, to make sure it will work for you, since you have a back issue, it has the worst seat of all the kayaks I have tried, and though the back felt fine to me, it has almost no adjustment due to the way it attaches to the deck and hull.
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Depends on what model of Oru that you are thinking of and where you want to paddle. We’ve only seen the base models. Most of our paddles are on the Chesapeake Bay and larger tributaries, which often is comprised of big open water. The base models are all severely affected by wind. In addition open water rescues are difficult to impossible and without optional float bags they can sink. On the occasions that people have joined us in paddles they’ve often had to turn back because they were too slow or could not deal with even moderate wind. On occasions they’ve had to be towed back to the launch. We haven’t seen one of these in a while now and several kayak Meetup groups will no longer allow them on group trips.
I can’t speak for the higher end models as I’ve never seen one in person, although they appear to be better designed for open water. For the price though, people seem to go for more respected brands of folding boats.
In my opinion, the base model Orus seem to be suitable only for near shore use in very protected waters. If that’s where you intend to paddle, then one of these may be suitable for you.
If weight is the main consideration and you plan on paddling in protected lakes and rivers, you might want to consider a lightweight canoe. Some like the Hornbecks are as light as 15lbs.
My wife has the Inlet and it’s minimal with an open cockpit, lightweight though fairly slow. It is a great entry point to getting on open water or slower moving rivers. It is tough to keep in a straight line when paddling upstream, even with minimal current. Stop paddling momentarily and the boat is almost immediately taken by the current.
A friend has the Bay, which weighs a little more and is more work to assemble, but it’s a lot more boat. Seems to move pretty quickly, he has no trouble controlling it.
Another option could be to look at something like Eddyline. They have a couple of light-weight boats, like the Rio, which is just about 12’ long and 35 lbs. A little more $$, but something that would be easy to move around and should last years. Best of luck!