Search
A 7-kilogram, catamaran-style kayak that folds into a duffel and heads wherever the weekend leads.
If you paddle for sport—or simply crave a quiet loop around a lake—transport is the limiting factor. Hard-shell boats need roof racks and spare garage bays; even most inflatables still wrestle with balance once they hit choppy water. Industrial designer Walter Sidler, working from Rosario, Argentina, decided to start with that problem instead of the hull: what happens if a kayak is conceived first as luggage, then as a boat?
Two tubes, one idea
Sidler’s answer is the Kamarán Kayak, an inflatable craft built on a catamaran plan. Two parallel PVC pontoons stretch 3.5 m bow to stern and 90 cm across, leaving the center completely open—no cockpit tub, no place for water to pool. The layout delivers two immediate advantages: lateral stability (you can lean into a cast or a casual selfie without risking a swim) and feather-light weight. Fully assembled, the boat tops out at 7 kg; deflated, every part nests into a 90 × 40 × 20 cm Cordura bag that slides under a bed or into the trunk alongside a weekend pack.
Assembly is a single-valve routine. Inflate the tubes, slot the anodized-aluminium crossbars, clip in the seat sling, and push off. Entry is almost bank-like: step between the hulls, sit, and paddle away. First-timers avoid the ungainly wobble that can plague narrow kayaks, which is one reason the design took Sports Gear Design of the Year at the 2025 FIT Sport Design Awards.
fitdesignawards.com
Built for distance—car or bike
Rosario sits between the Paraná River and an endless patchwork of streams, so Sidler tested prototypes by strapping the pack to a bicycle and riding to launch points unreachable by car. The production model keeps that spirit: PVC fabric shrugs off rocks and sun, while aluminium fittings resist river corrosion. Should a puncture happen, each hull inflates independently; limp one hull ashore, patch, and relaunch.
On the water, the catamaran stance trades a little outright speed for tracking confidence; for touring athletes the gain is less fatigue from mid-paddle corrections. Anglers get a stable platform for standing casts. Families can lash a dry bag—or the dog—between hulls without fouling legroom.
A compact future
Sidler’s fledgling company, Kamarán Kayaks, now produces the boats in a new 100 m² plant outside Rosario and is tooling up versions aimed at anglers and expedition paddlers. Export talks with Spain are under way, and limited runs in bright orange and deep blue—the same hues that earned the FIT jury’s nod—begin shipping this summer.
puntobiz.com.ar For paddlers who measure gear in backpack litres, not square footage, Kamarán offers a simple trade: one duffel out, one kayak in, river included.
