Customer Reviews

Yakpads Gel-Filled Paddle Saddle

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been kayaking for almost 20 years but have always had trouble with numbness and leg pain after about 20 minutes of paddling. A few years ago I read about Yakpads in a side by side comparison with other seats and Yakpads was the winner by a mile. The seat is less than 1/2" thick so I was very surprised to hear how well it worked but I had to try the seat after the overwhelming results of the independent review. When I installed the seat I was a bit skeptical however the skepticism disappeared the first time I tried the seat. I was amazed at how it wiped out my pain and numbness issues. I have been using this seat for almost five years and it has held up great to a lot of hours of use.

I recently met one of the owners of the company at a Kayak Symposium and he described how the product works. He said that they designed the seat after having years of the same discomfort issues that I have had. He said that had three goals when they designed the seat. 1) it had to be thin so it did not lift the paddler's center of gravity, 2) it could not contain a liquid that would shift under the paddler and eventually leak, 3) it need to protect the nerves in the rump from getting irritated and causing the leg pain and numbness (sciatic nerve?) He said they put about 3 years of testing into the product before it went to market. They Gel that they use is not a liquid but it work like one. When you paddle you rotate on your rump bones and that is what causes the leg pains. These seats make you feel like you are floating in the seat yet I actually feel more connected to my boat when using the seat then without it.

I was surfing the web to buy another Yakpads seat and saw a really unfair review of the seat and I wanted to give my firsthand account of what a great product this is and how much it has help me to enjoy kayaking. I suggest trying it before you review it!!

Great pad, just as advertised. I use it on a motorcycle, not a kayak. Really helps with comfort on long trips!

I use this pad in one of my kayaks, and so far I like it. It is "held in place," if I can say that, by your body weight and a (mildly) no slip surface on its underside. It has three tiny loops (as pictured), but in my boat, at least, there really isn't any use for the loops. I was worried that it might slide around when I am paddling hard, but that hasn't happened. There isn't any way to adjust the size, so you should measure your kayak seat to see if this pad will work in your boat.

When I first felt this pad with my fingers, I doubted it would do much at all. But I was surprised. We bought this for our son's kayak seat - an older Necky with hard plastic seat. The day it arrived he had already left to go camping with Boy Scouts for the weekend. I had a huge sewing project and used it all weekend on my hard wood dining room chair. It really did work well. Again, I was totally surprised this thing worked, but it really did. My tail end didn't ache or hurt in any way after using for about 8 hours straight. My Necky kayak has a padded seat, but I think this will feel better than the padded seat and plan to order one for me too.

I have a good seat in my kayak, but after several hours even a good seat can become numbing. Tried the Yakpad and found that even after several hours the seat is still comfortable, probably thru better weight distribution (I'm 180 lbs.). I have not had the opportunity to try it for a longer period, but I'm fairly confident that the comfort would last as long as I can stand to row at any one stretch.Gel-filled Paddle Saddle

This seat is a great fit and comfortable in my Pelican Pursuit 100. It makes a big difference in the backside in long paddling excursions and drys quickly. I highly recommend this gel filled seat.

Seems excellent quality. I wish the mounting loops were a bit smaller. Other than that it looks great.

I bought this for the kayak. When we opened it, and looked at it, but didn't plan on going kayaking in December, so I placed it on the hard wooden office chair. And there is sits today. My wife found it too comfortable to let it go fishing. I snuck away with it last week, and used in on a canoe seat, and my legs never got numb, except from the cold.

I was looking for something to relieve the pain from my sciatic nerve while kayaking and this is the ticket. I used to only go for 45 minutes max without having to get out of the kayak and walk around; since buying this I have been able to go all day without any numbness or pain.

On May 15 I will leave on the Sunshine Paddle (sunshinepaddle.com) up the east coast of the USA and my seat was worn out...this pad will make my behind feel just pampered and fits my seat properly...thank you this is a great thing:)