REASONS TO BUY
Very maneuverable
Easy to set up
Dries quickly
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor tracking
Limited storage
Unimpressive features
Airhead Montana Review
A high-sitting maneuverable kayak made for dodging obstacles and turning on a dime
Credit: Jason Peters
RELATED: Best Inflatable Kayak of 2024
Our Verdict
The Airhead Montana is a simple solo boat built for light missions in quick-moving waters. On flat water, its maneuverability becomes a liability as it tracks poorly and is a bit too wide for easy paddle correction. A completely open cockpit drains water away from you as you tackle rapids but leaves limited options for storage on calmer adventures. This boat is easy to set up, and when you're ready to go home, fast to dry in the sun or with a towel. It's not the best flatwater boat, but it is fun to play in on the river.
Editor's Note: We updated this review to reflect our updated testing metrics on October 11, 2023.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Airhead Montana | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for Your Buck | Excellent Value for a Tandem | |||
| Price | $450 List $414.03 at Amazon | $499.00 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $369.00 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $400 List $399.99 at Amazon | $389 List $366.69 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | A high-riding kayak that turns on a dime and is built for dodging obstacles and riding rapids | A marginally more affordable folding boat that's a breeze to set up and enjoyable on calm and flat waters | This yak is among our favorites and it's built to last and perform at a high level | This improved folding craft is lightweight and does pretty well, if less technical, for a budget-friendly price | An affordable and pleasant paddling experience with a friend or solo on calm waters |
| Rating Categories | Airhead Montana | Oru Lake | Advanced Elements A... | Tucktec Folding Kayak | Sea Eagle 370 Pro |
| Gliding and Tracking (25%) | |||||
| Maneuverability (20%) | |||||
| Stability (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Transport and Set Up (15%) | |||||
| Comfort (10%) | |||||
| Construction Quality (10%) | |||||
| Specs | Airhead Montana | Oru Lake | Advanced Elements A... | Tucktec Folding Kayak | Sea Eagle 370 Pro |
| Measured Weight (boat and storage bag only) | 32.0 lbs | 17.0 lbs | 33.25 lbs | 26.0 lbs | 42.8 lbs |
| Capacity | Single; 300 lb | Single; 250 lb | Single; 300 lb | Single; 300 lbs | Tandem; 650 lb |
| Kayak Size (length x width) | 9' 2" x 2' 11" | 8'11" x 2' 8" | 10' 3" x 2' 9" | 10' x 2' 7" (9' 4.5" boat only; rudder not included) |
12' 6" x 2' 10" |
| Packed Size (length x width x height) | 28" x 19" x 16" | 42" x 18.5" x 10.5" | 33" x 16" x 15" | 46.5" x 14.5" x 9" | 36" x 20" x 8" |
| Included Accessories | Repair kit | Extra plastic buckle, extra velcro patches | Repair kit | Paddle | Foot pump, repair kit, paddles |
| Material/Construction | UV and water resistant 840D nylon | Double-layered polypropylene, 10-year UV treatment | Aluminum ribs in bow & stern, PVC-coated polyester | 1/8" high-density polyethylene thermoplastic | 38 mil PVC |
| Features | Foot brace, adjustable backrest, drainage hole | Adjustable backrest | Adjustable backrest, bungees, pressure relief valve in floor, skeg | Adjustable foot rest, adjustable backrest, front bungee, carry handles on ends | Seatback pockets, bow & stern grablines, drainage hole, adjustable seats, two small tracking fins, converts to solo boat |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
The Airhead Montana is a single boat with a 300-pound capacity. It weighs 32 pounds and is made of UV and water-resistant 840D nylon. It features an adjustable backrest and foot brace and a drainage hole.
Performance Comparison
A wide boat that turns on a dime.
Credit: Jason Peters
Gliding and Tracking
Because the majority of the kayaks we tested are built for flatwater and calm days, that's where we did the bulk of our testing. When it comes to solo missions crossing big distances on still waters, the Montana is abysmal. It rides on top of the water with a wide base and no tracking fin, making it difficult to paddle in a straight line. It zig-zags with every stroke of the paddle and catches the wind like a small sail. A plasticky exterior and high profile help it to start moving quickly, but with no strong keel to keep it gliding, it stops moving almost as soon as you stop paddling. Strong winds are not the friend of this high-riding kayak.
The Montana rides on top of the water and is very maneuverable.
Credit: Jason Peters
Maneuverability
In moving water, the Montana is a dream to ride in. The 9'2" Montana is highly maneuverable, turning around submerged obstacles and into oncoming rapids and waves with ease. It lacks water-soaking fabric and channels the inevitably crashing surf away from your body toward a large channel surrounding the floor of the boat. Though not meant for serious rapids and intense rivers, the Montana is designed to be great in moderate white water and quick-moving streams. Its sturdy exterior lends confidence when crossing submerged objects — and its shallow profile keeps it out of reach of many underwater hazards.
This highly maneuverable kayak is better suited to dodging rapids than battling winds.
Credit: Jason Peters
Stability
Paddling the Montana feels more akin to a sit-on-top kayak than a traditional kayak. Sitting higher above the water is less stable-feeling than lower models, yet this Airhead model still feels reasonably stable. It's wider than average, adding additional stability, and the thickly inflated sides prevent as much rocking motion as you would feel in one of the hard-sided models. Getting in and out is simple from this open cockpit kayak.
The bow and stern covers easily come unlatched due to poor buckle design.
Credit: Jason Peters
Ease of Transport and Set Up
Three Boston valves adorn the right side, left side, and floor of the Montana. They're simple and relatively easy to use, even if their double leash system sometimes gets in the way, and when open for deflation, they may also admit sand into the hull of the kayak. A drainage hole on one end mostly keeps the boat from filling with water as you rip down the river. What we like most is that the entire boat is covered in water-resistant fabric, helping it to dry much faster in the sun than most others.
Weighing 32 pounds, the Montana is an average weight for a single boat. Without any cumbersome storage bag, it simply folds up and has a strap that goes around the whole thing. This should be simple, but in practice, we found it very difficult to consistently get this boat folded in just the right way to actually stay folded once the strap was secured and we were carrying it back to the car. When inflated, it has bow and stern carry handles attached to the end covers. Unfortunately, a poorly designed set of metal ring buckles holding these covers over the ends of the boat easily slide through each other when you try to pick it up, letting the cover pull right off the end of the craft.
We don't love the strap that holds this packed kayak together and prefer to carry it already inflated.
Credit: Jason Peters
Comfort
The Montana isn't a pleasure cruise. If you're hunting for a boat to paddle languidly across the pond, this is not your ideal watercraft. Performing similar to a sit-on-top boat, sitting in the Montana makes you feel high out of the water. Its open design feels like less of a cockpit and more of a platform. It has short bungees across the front for attaching a small dry bag with key essentials, and that's about it. The foot brace is moderately adjustable, with three possible placements. The backrest is adjustable, and the rest of the boat is fairly simple and devoid of specific features.
A small foot brace adds a little to this simple kayak.
Credit: Jason Peters
Construction Quality
Made entirely of 840D water-resistant, UV-resistant nylon, the Montana is reasonably durable. It doesn't have the same beefy thickness and feel as the many tarpaulin-bottomed boats we tested, but it's still pretty good. It also comes with a small repair patch, just in case. Of course, if you are heading down a moderately swift set of rapids and happen to pop either side of this boat, it will be very difficult to paddle back to shore in just half a boat.
Perhaps not the most elegant, this sit on top kayak is made from water resistant fabric.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Should You Buy the Airhead Montana?
With an enticing price tag, the Montana has the potential to be a great value boat — for the right type of paddler. If you want a leisurely watercraft to casually paddle on a calm lake, this maneuverable, open-design boat with limited storage is not the best choice. But if you're hoping to hit some quick-moving rivers and want a boat that can handle a few low-grade rapids, the Montana brings solid value to this arena.
What Other Kayaks Should You Consider?
If you prefer a boat that tracks well for your flatwater adventures, the Advanced Elements AdvancedFrame is an exceptional inflatable that costs not a whole lot more. If you like the sit-on-top design and have the budget for it, the Bote Deus Aero is an excellent option that feels like paddling a throne. The Aquaglide Deschutes 110 strikes a middle ground with an open cockpit design and a casual, enjoyable paddle experience for a decent price.
—
Maggie Nichols
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