Customer Reviews

Intex River Run I

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a 26 year veteran of the toobing wars I believe that I am in a unique position to review this product. I usually go toobing anywhere between 12 and 50 times a year with 30 - 40 trips in a year being average. For years I have used the standard black truck inner tube, usually a 9.00/20 or a 10.00/20. I like the black tubes because the hole in the centre is more suited for my adult size rear end.

Until I found this tube last year, I had never seen a vinyl tube that had a hole larger than about 12 inches. This caused me to sit up too much in the tube and made my back hurt. It also made it hard to paddle. The hole in this tube, the Intex River Run, is proportioned more like a regular rubber tube. The great thing is that you can blow it up at the river yourself and when the trip is finished the tube has a screw out quick release valve that deflates the tube in about 30 seconds. With the black tubes you have to stop at a gas station and blow them up, then cram them into the car or tie them onto your car for the final leg of the trip to the river. Black tubes also take a long time to deflate. In addition the black rubber tubes will give you "tube rash" under your arms from rubbing on them while paddling and they get very hot in the sun. This vinyl tube stays cool in the sun and has a mesh bottom that makes it great for kids. If you do not like the mesh bottom you can cut it out without damaging the tube. I left mine in.

Black tubes also dry rot after only one season and inflate unevenly. I have seen vinyl tubes in service for years. I bought one of these tubes last year to try it out and I loved it. However, after the summer started and I got to try it for real, they were sold out everywhere. This year I am buying several more. A great purchase for any toober.

Update to my original review, August 12, 2011.

Three years after my initial review I still rate this product ***** (5 Stars). I now own seven of these tubes. With proper care these tubes can last two or more years, maybe longer but I use them at least weekly during the warm months in LA (that's Lower Alabama) which lasts from April till October and two years is about what I am comfortable with.

I have had three spring a leak after heavy use and two I was able to repair with the included repair kit. One was popped by a sharp stick and was not salvageable, the hole was about two inches.

These tubes are very comfortable, allow you to get in the water and stay cool, great for kids of all sizes (the mesh bottom will not let a kid slide out), and they do not heat up in the sun.

One note, I have seen this toob marketed as the River Run, the River Run I, and the River Run II. I cannot tell the difference other than the name, they all have mesh bottoms, cup holders, side handles, an inflatable headrest, and ropes around the outside. Go figure. Overall, the best tube I have ever seen for flat-water floating, I have heard of people using them for going over whitewater but I have no experience with that. For a pool, lake or slow river it cannot be beat.

I bought 15 of these tubes a couple of years back- very solid- I use these tubes on a pretty rough river where we knock in to rocks, trees, sticks, and who knows. I have also dragged these tubes over cement and gravel and they hold up great. We have only had one leak.

These are great floats for the river or whatever. They are durable and can hold people up to like 400 lbs or so....Recommend them highly but if you buy at the beginning of summer you can get them for half the price at Walmart or Acadamy (no S&H).

I HAD A GREAT TIME IN THIS TUBE
I was also admittedly drunk, but whatevs. The river was hella low, and i got stuck on some rocks several times, but this tube was like "AWW NAW HELL NAW" and i just scootched right over top of all them rocks and sticks and nonsense. The cupholders and handles were perfect for my can o' wine and my Nalgene o' Bootlegger. Not gonna lie, I threw up in the river, but I don't blame the tube. A few people had other brands of tubes, and their tubes popped, but luckily, i had brought an extra one of these already inflated. Ironically, these were the same people who were dissin on these vinyl tubes because "canvas wrapped is sooooo much better." WHERE IS YOUR CANVAS GOD NOW??

I don't know where the tubes are now, i think they might have gotten thrown into a bonfire, but if i ever feel like pukin in a river again, this will be my method of flotation. It inflated and deflated super fast, but it was bulky to carry back to the pick-up point.

Final word -- If you need a tube: BUY THIS JENK RIGHT HERE

As an aquabug, I was searching the net and ready to drop a big dime on some tubes. Having read other reviews, I took the leap and ordered these vinyl tubes in leiu of butyl rubber tubes with covers......And there are indeed some pricey ones out there....I consider myself to be an expert when it comes to floats .....as we float in the bay every day. I go so far as to say that we consider tubes as "boats"...only of the wet variety.....Bottom Line??? Ther are some twisted sisters at Intex. They really obsessed over these tubes..probably to a manic degree.....In All The Right Ways....Rugged? YES! and are they ever perfect. Reallyreally... After telling some buddies at work how we use them; they got Jealous. We partly deflate the tubes.....put on swim fins.......grab a few poles with our favorite lures......and fin around the bay casting for Jack, trout, and reds....Actually bought a half dozen of them so the Boys and their buddies can enjoy them too...

Thanks Amazon and Intex...a really great product

I purchased this tube to use on the river. It was very durable and worked great, even when crashing into rocks and logs-oops!

Great tube for riding down a river. Very comfortable. Seems durable enough. Definetly is better than your standard innertube. If you like this one you'll love the "Trek n Tube"

Rafting down the Deerfield river in Western Mass, all my fellow rafters were jealous of my raft b/c of the cupholders. I would venture to say this is the best raft to buy for this sort of thing.

I had high hopes for this float after reading the positive reviews, but the first time I took it out on the water a seam split and it deflated quickly. I had blown it up the night before and sat on it to ensure it held air, so I was surprised the next day when the seam split. I didn't over-inflate it nor did I jump on it so the split seam stemmed from a manufacturer's error. The float came with a small repair patch but since it was my first time using the float I didn't bring it with me. I haven't used the float since using the repair kit, but hope it will hold and no other seams split on me. If you purchase this item, please bring your repair kit.

My girlfriend has taken this tube down the Delaware River on several trips and she loves it! So far it has been very durable bouncing off the rocks and going down the rapids at foul rift.