Boat People Kayak Cargo Trunk

We now have our new Boat People Inflatable Kayak Cargo Holds available. The one AIRE made was discontinued a while back. Image shown is not exact, call for details.

These “trunks” for your kayak are patterned after AIRE's mesh cargo holds, with three differences. One is that the only part of our bag that is pvc is the yellow portion (new photo coming soon). The lower part of the AIRE cargo hold that had been gray pvc is heavy cordura on ours. Second, ours are made in the USA, not imported. Third, we have added a very handy feature on our version, which is a pair of snap loops spaced about 16” apart on top of the bag. These can be used to help hold a two-piece spare kayak paddle in place, or to secure a top-off pump like a K-pump or wonderpump. You could also clip throwbags or water bottles to them, and there may be some other possibilities we haven't thought of yet.

If you carry a spare paddle with the blades and cargo hold up snug against the kayak's backrest (in other words, with the two ends of the paddle shaft sticking off the stern), you will probably only be able to use the rear snap loop. The front loop may not be able to go all the way around the paddle blades. It depends on how close the cargo hold is to the backrest, but if you can only use the rear snap-loop around the shaft portion of the paddle, then you will need a separate cam strap to go around the paddle blades. If you do this, there should be no chance of losing your spare in a flip.

The specs on our Cargo Hold are the same as the AIRE model. It's just under 30” long, 12” wide X 10” tall at the big end, tapering to 8” X 7” at the narrow end. The narrow end would be placed at the stern or bow of your boat. A Cargo Hold is not waterproof of course, since the top portion by the zipper is heavy duty mesh, and the cordura and stitching are also permeable. What people typically stow in these are things like small drybags and dry cases, rescue gear, tupperwared lunches, first aid kits, tent poles, canned drinks, and items in zip-lock bags. If you do want a waterproof cargo hold, your best bet is to look at our 85 and 60 liter Ortlieb Dry Duffels, found in our Drybag section.

Most paddlers with solo AIRE kayaks put these behind the seat, but there is no rule about that. Many people with models like the SuperLynx will place them up at the bow. It is also important to mention that these can be used on sit-on-top hardshell kayaks as well if the kayak has proper attachment hardware on the deck. Once in place, you can leave them there semi-permanently if you wish, or you can tote them around like a duffle. We would probably recommend removing them though if the kayak will not be in use for a while, as the bottom portion & underneath it can stay damp. Taking it out is as simple as unsnapping four 1" side release buckles. These are a very useful item and we have been selling them a long time now. We have never had a single customer unhappy with one, and in fact those that we've heard back from use the dickens out of their Cargo Holds and universally love them. We did raise these up 10% in price in July of this year because they are rather labor-intensive, but if you order one with a boat we will take off 10%.