NRS Outlaw II Inflatable Kayak

Discontinued. Your best bet is to look at the new Rocky Mountain IK-156 when it becomes available later in 2021. We will leave the description below for now, but NRS has dropped both the tandem and solo Outlaw from their line-up. This is not really a tragedy in our minds since both models, and particularly the tandem, were under-engineered in weight capacity from the day they were on the chalkboard. The drop-stitch floors were nice if someone wanted to paddle-board their kayak, but they were not thick enough to displace the boat's draft. Ergo, a wet ride for two normal adults. Your best alternative if you do not plan to stand up in your kayak would be to look at the Tributary tandem Tomcat, which is in the same price range. The original info follows-

Specs for NRS Outlaw II Inflatable Kayak

Some specs for the NRS Outlaw II are about the same as the older discontinued NRS Bandit tandem, like the tube diameter (10.5") and the length (12'2"). However, two important details have changed along with the material. One is that the width has increased from about three feet wide on the Bandit, to a more portly 39". More stable, but the trend to make wider, more user friendly boats doesn't really help with hull speed. We have not paddled one just yet, so time will tell. A more important difference between this model and the discontinued Bandit tandem is that the new Outlaw drop stitch floor, while being stiffer, is only 4" thick. This combined with the none too large side tubes means the weight capacity has decreased compared to the Bandit II. This means that two larger paddlers will have a swampy ride. For more modest size people, the lower center of gravity will help, but we would suggest keeping the total payload to around 280 pounds or less, preferably with neither occupant being over 150. Tandem whitewater IK's really need to have floors that are mounted fairly high, and that are at least 5" thick to keep the floor top higher than the water level outside the boat. Otherwise, the self-bailing feature won't function.

The Outlaw II weighs around 34 to 35 pounds, whereas the old Bandit II was about 28, but 34 pounds is still very light compared to most whitewater tandems. The warranty is three years, and the color choice is between blue and dark orange. NRS says the tube fabric is 39 ounce per yard, which seems crazy high for an inflatable kayak, so we think this may be an error. The backrests remain the same rigid inflatable design of the 2011 & 2012 Bandits. They give you firm support in whitewater, though they are not ideal for upper back comfort. Our experience with the Bandits was that the inflatable backrests were good on day trips, but for multi-day excursions we wanted to use something like one of our Backsavers or a Crazy Creek-style chair in front of the inflatable thwart. Or, one can simply use a large drybag laying horizontal or standing vertical as a backrest.

Not to be overly nit-picky, but the Outlaw solo & tandem don't bail quite as fast as the Bandits did, because the bail holes are mostly pinched off by the edge of the drop-stitch floor.

NRS Outlaw II Inflatable Kayak Chambers

The Outlaw tandem has the standard three chambers plus the two thwarts, and uses Leafield's easily changeable C-7 valve. There are four small D-rings (one pair each near the bow and the stern), a lift handle at each end, and the base fabric is 1000 denier. The backrests are removable and/or repositionable via straps running though pairs of bail holes. This must be done with the floor deflated. The rocker at both ends is about the same as the Bandit series had, around 16".

NRS Outlaw II Inflatable Kayak Price is GOOD NEWS

Last, the good news is that the price is one of the lowest you can find on a tandem river kayak. If you get a chance to paddle one of these before we do let us know what you think, and let us know too how much weight you had in the boat.

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