Skip to main content

Trekking: The O Six Hundred kayak takes a cue from IKEA

Man isn’t meant to stay indoors — our weekly “Trekking” column can attest to that. It’s a column dedicated to the adventurer inside of all of us, the one pining to ditch the office humdrum for a quick surf session or seven-week jaunt in the Grand Tetons. One day we may highlight an ultra-light stove and the next a set of handmade canoe paddles. Life doesn’t just happen inside the workplace, so get outside and live it.

Recommended Videos

It’s sometimes difficult to improve on the fundamentals. The traditional Intuit design of the kayak hasn’t truly been tweaked since the Bronze Age, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t those looking to modernize the invention with present-day materials and an eye for ingenuity. Industrial designer Andrew Simpson and marketer Ben Cooper are two such examples, with O Six Hundred Kayak ($1,425) representing the culmination of the duo’s feats. It’s also one that fits together like a birch table from your local IKEA.

Related: Pack it in and out with the Oru Collapsible Kayak

Ben_Cooper_Andrew_Simpson_OSIXHUNDRED_KayakIntended for the recreational kayaker who wants an alternative to the robust offerings littering the market, the O Six Hundred is made with convenience in mind. The kayak’s primary frame is composed of 42 individual, marine-plywood ribs and a network of cedar spines that stretch out to imbue the vessel with added strength and durability. The modern materials even snap together without tools, meaning you can quickly assemble the kayak and string together the hoop pine with little more than your bare hands and a little patience. Once built, the O Six Hundred relies on Kevlar — a translucent carbon fabric — to effortlessly glide across the water. After all, whalebone and seal skin are in short supply.

The intuitive design allows the kayak to shed weight without sacrificing practicality. It weighs just over 22 pounds when assembled, and though it may not be the most fit for traversing whitewater rapids, is more than capable of tackling a quiet harbor or neighboring lake. Just don’t forget to pick up a paddle and life vest while you’re at it.

Check out the O Six Hundred kayak online for more details, or to make a purchase.

Topics
Brandon Widder
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brandon Widder is a journalist and a staff writer for the Manual and its brother site, Digital Trends, where he covers tech…
Predator: Badlands is giving Predator fans the movie they’ve always wanted
The movie is set to hit theaters in November, years after the debut of Prey.
Elle Fanning in Predator Badlands

After the success of Prey, there's some new energy in the Predator franchise. What's even better for Predator fans, though, is that the next installment seems designed to give them something they've always wanted. Namely, a movie that follows a predator's POV.

In the first trailer for Predator: Badlands, a predator named Dek is exiled from his clan, only to meet a humanoid-looking life-form played by Elle Fanning. The two of them team up to take on something that "can't be killed," and a long the way, we get some pretty incredible looks at the homeworld of the predators.

Read more
The next Hunger Games movie has found its lead actors
The movie will be set 24 years before the original Hunger Games.
Sunrise on the Reaping cover

Following the success of Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest book in the Hunger Games series, Deadline is reporting that the film adaptation that is set to release in 2026 has found its lead actors. Joseph Zada will play Haymitch in the film, while Whitney Peak will play Lenore Dove, Haymitch's romantic partner.

The film will be set 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 24 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games. The book follows Haymitch, the District 12 victor who mentors Katniss and Peeta, as he wins his own Games on their 50th anniversary.

Read more
The 9 best golf documentaries to watch this year
Here's a glimpse into the amazing history of golf, including how the sport has evolved
Tiger (HBO)

Depending on how you look at it, golf is either one of the simplest sports or one of the most complex. The objective is very easy to wrap your head around: This ball has got to wind up in a hole that's maybe a quarter mile away. Everything that happens after that, though, is where things get interesting. Of course, people who love golf love it for a wide array of reasons. Some people love the beautiful courses, while others love the stories behind their favorite players.
There are plenty of people who love golf but don't play it much themselves, and those are the people who this list is really for. Golf's full of amazing stories, and we've even gotten our fair share of great golf movies as a result. Sometimes, though, a documentary is an even better fit for a particular story set in the world of golf. As someone who doesn't play much golf but loves to watch it, these documentaries are right up my alley. They're the kinds of movies that can inspire and perplex you, and also remind you that at its best, golf is filled with legendary moments. These movies might not be on the shortlist for any awards, but that's only because sports documentaries are so recognized for how well they put stories together.
After careful consideration, we've brought you this list of the best golf documentaries you can stream now.

Full Swing (2023)

Read more