Inflatable kayaks are one of the century’s best innovations. They’re entertaining, portable, and much easier to prepare for use if you have the best inflatable kayak pump. It’s critical to have a dependable pump on hand, which is why we chose to create this review and provide you some insight into your alternatives when purchasing a pump for your inflatable kayak.
How to find the best inflatable kayak pump?
Types of Inflatable Kayak Pumps
There are two choices you can go for when thinking about getting a kayak air pump. You can either pick an electric or a manual air pump. Whichever one you decide to pick would have it’s own pros and cons. Here are the main features for both of them, so you can decide which one is better for your use.
Electric Pump
Getting an electric pump wouldn’t put as much strain on you when you want to inflate your kayak or boat. They are convenient and quite easy to use. All you need is a power source.
Although the electric air pump is extremely convenient to use and requires no effort on your side, it does have some downsides. One major downside is that it requires a power source to operate. Depending on the pump you use, it might need a power outlet but some air pumps for inflatables can be plugged into the cigarette lighter plug in cars and use the car battery.
Another issue that some cheaper electric pumps have is their lack of pressure power. This means your inflatable kayak won’t be at 100% capacity.
Manual Pump
Getting a manual inflatable kayak pump would be much more affordable because they tend to be cheaper. There are two choices: you can go for a hand pump or foot pump. Many people who are using manual pumps prefer the hand pump because they produce higher air output than foot pumps.
Aside from the affordability of the pump as an obvious advantage, the hand pumps don’t require a power source so you can use them anywhere. This can also be taken as a disadvantage because it may be tiring for many people. They are easy to use and dependable at all times plus you can get your kayak up to 100% air capacity.
The difference between high volume and high pressure pumps for inflatable Kayaks
The term high volume pumping refers to the amount of air that is being exhausted from the pump. The higher the volume the more air comes out from the pump in a short period of time but they don’t have a lot of pressure which may result in less than optimal air capacity in the inflatable kayak.
On the other hand, high-pressure pumps won’t move the air very quickly. They take their time but they have a much higher pressure which allows you to inflate the kayak to 100% of air capacity.
The best option would be to have both high volume and high-pressure pumps. First, you can use the high volume pump to get more air into the inflatable kayak and afterwards use the high pressure pump to make sure it’s at 100%.
How to find the best Inflatable Kayak Pump for you?
The inflatable pump would be different for everyone so finding the right one for you would depend on a few things. For example, if you have easy access to a power outlet because you have a summer home near the water you should get an electric pump because it would be much easier to use. On the other hand, if you are constantly traveling and love to camp in remote locations without any electricity, a manual pump would be the obvious choice. It all comes down to where you are going to use the inflatable kayak air pump and what your budget is.
What are the best inflatable kayak pumps on the market right now?
The market is constantly changing because it’s quite competitive. There are constantly new inflatable pumps coming out that are not necessarily better but most are worth checking out. To save you the trouble of spending money on trying out different air pumps for inflatable boats and kayaks, we decided to check them out and let you know which are the best ones on the market right now.
Best inflatable kayak Manual Pumps
Definitely one of the best manual pumps on the market. It is ideal for inflating kayaks who have to be at 100% air capacity. It is built to be extremely durable and comes with a pressure gauge so you can inflate your kayaks with precision. This pump also has a high volume mode that can be engaged for faster pumping of air.
This hand air pump for inflatables is extremely compact and weighs only 600g so you can take it anywhere with you. It has an ergonomic design which makes it very comfortable for the user even when you need to pump for a long time. It comes with all the necessary adapters to fit the most inflatable kayaks.
The durable design and high flow inflation of the advanced elements pump is what make it one of the best ones on the market. It’s a pump that comes with many adapters and it also has a pressure gauge you can utilize and know exactly when your kayak is ready to be boarded.
Best inflatable kayak Electric Pumps
The outdoor master pump is probably the best electric pump for inflatable boats. It has tons of features that make it easy and convenient to use. It uses a 12v DC connector and comes with a lot of different adapters. It has an incredible cooling system that stops it from overheating when used intensely.
The seamax pump is a smart electric air pump for inflatables with advanced firmware that has a built-in temperature sensor to prevent it from overheating. It has an intuitive and easy to use design and a built-in auto-stop when it reaches the pressure you set. It doesn’t work with a basic 12v adaptor which means you have to use the one that comes with the pump.
The sevylor pump is a 12v inflatable boat pump that is among the best on the market. It can inflate up to 15 PSI using the high-pressure mode and it features an auto-stop function once the pressure that was set up was reached. It comes with an extension hose that you can use if you need to inflate low-pressure inflatables.
The sea eagle pump is extremely easy to use and it can reach a pressure of up to 15 PSI. This pump is also easily connected to the car battery which makes it very convenient to use and allows you to inflate your kayak fast without too much effort. It has a shut-off function when the desired pressure is reached and it comes with many adapters that fit multiple different inflatable kayaks.
Most people who use an inflatable kayak on a regular basis utilize a variety of pumps. They may utilize a 12V electric pump for most of the job, then switch to a dual-action pump to fine-tune the PSI. Then, as part of their kayak emergency kit, they may bring a tiny manual pump in case they need to make changes. To put it another way, there is no one-size-fits-all pump for every scenario or kayak user, so you might want to explore a mix of devices to make inflating a kayak as quick and painless as possible.