Lake Kayak Is Super-Light, Folds Up Origami-Style in Under Two Minutes

Called Lake, it’s the invention of California-based Oru, a company that has been around for a decade. It started its journey into the kayaking world with its first model, which was designed by founder Anton Willis who wasn’t satisfied with how much space its fiberglass kayak occupied at the time.

Inspired by origami, he came up with a new kayak design. Now, 10 years later, the company's products are attracting many people’s interest. And for a good reason – they are practical and time-saving.

The team put their experience accumulated over the years into the latest kayak, and the result is nothing short of impressive. The Lake takes what’s good from the original Oru kayak and makes it even better. The company says that it’s the lightest and smallest product that they offer.

The Lake weighs just 18 lbs (8 kg), and it can be set up “in an unbelievable 1-2 minutes”. It measures 9 ft (2.7 meters) in length and it has a 2.6 ft (0.81 meters) wide cockpit. It can fold up like origami just as fast as it can be assembled, allowing the user to fit up to three of these things inside a normal-sized car trunk.

But don’t be fooled by its origami-like body. The Lake is incredibly durable. It’s made of a UV-treated plastic called Oruplast, which the company claims to be rated to 20,000 folds. It also has a weight capacity of 250 lbs (113 kg).

Since it has a large cockpit and it doesn’t feature any bulkheads, this kayak is suited for calm, flat waters. Currently, the Lake is the subject of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. And although the campaign still has 36 days to go (at the time of writing), Oru has already surpassed its initial goal of $50,000, raising over $400,000.

The ultra-light folding kayak can be pre-ordered for $499. If all goes well, the Lake is expected to meet its owners later this year in August.