Crystal is a full time Van Lifer, Full-time adventurers and with her husband Brian, they share van life hacks, travel tips, adventure ideas, and inspiration for how you can live on the road. We sent Crystal and Brian the Tahe Beach LP2 Inflatable Kayak and they put it to the test on a trip to Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. This Guide offers tips, tricks, and why its worth fitting an inflatable kayak into your own Van life or RV lifestyle. You will hear Crystal’s Top 5 reasons to choose the Tahe Beach LP2 Inflatable Kayak for your Van Life Adventures. To the interview.
First – tell us about why you started Van Life?
Crystal – travel coordinator & wellness-on-the-road affiecienado
I’m a serial entrepreneur and long-time vegan. My health was a disaster for about 20 years before I found a healer that introduced me to food as medicine. I went from being a chronic dieter with multiple eating disorders along with a long list of health issues to reversing all my conditions naturally and starting an online health-based business showing others how they could do the same. My goal while I was ‘sick’ was to travel around the world and experience as much of life as possible while here on Earth. So that is exactly what I’m doing now.
Brian. – chief video editor & van driver
I’ve been a traveling audio engineer, tour, and production manager for about 20 years. After the tour industry went downhill in 2020 it gave me the opportunity to think about how I could put all my skills together and find new ways to make money. When we realized I wouldn’t be touring again anytime soon, Crystal and I decided we’d just “make me a job”. And that’s exactly what we did.
We believe in the power every single person has to create a life of adventure and live life outside the box.
Vanhalla Adventures (website & youtube channel) is here to help you get into van life. Now to the inflatable kayaking interview…
Where do you put the kayak to store it?
The Tahe Beach LP2 Inflatable Kayak is the perfect size to fit under bed “in the garage”. It could also fit in Thule storage up top.
How long did the Inflatable Kayak take to pump up?
About 3 minutes
Would you take it on a hike?
With this inflatable kayak, we would attempt a 1-2 mile hike but only with the destination being to a lake. We wouldnt pack anything else. We wouldn’t take this one on an overnight camping trip. I’m excited to try other kayaks to see how it compares.
How would you rate the size of the backpack?
Space is everything. This one was super compact and nicer quality then I thought. Its even better out of the box as it takes less space in the garage. Everything including the pump and the paddles fit in the backpack.
What surprised you about the inflatable kayak?
Its way comfier and cuter than I thought. The color matches our brand! It was also super easy to set up and break down! There are only 3 valves. (Boston Valves)
What were the drawbacks (if any) about the kayak?
There was only enough room for a day pack / food. Its not a kayak for overnight trips.
How do you decide what to keep in your van?
I like the concept of “worthyness of space”.
- Does it improve your quality of life?
- What things can add value to a “quick” adventure?
Nothing in the van can conflict with these values, from clothes to coffee cups. Plus we’re from the Northwest and we love on the water adventures, so we will use it a ton in our adventures.
Airkayaks note: we are uploading bag / backpack sizes to all of our kayak listings to you will be able to determine if the bag size will work for your storage requirements. We stock kayaks that roll down to the size of a roll of paper towels and we aim to have something for everyone.
How do you decide what gear is “worthy” of space in your van life?
- Easy to use
- An integral part of van life is the temporary and short nature that you are in each place. Time spent is value so make it easy.
- Easy to set up
- If its too complicated you wont use it
- Maximizing the lifestyle impact per cubic foot of storage
- We only aim to keep things that are essential, or we actually love. I’ve removed clothing, coffee cups, and all sorts of things because we had something else that was more beneficial to our lives to add to the van.
5 Reasons to chose the Tahe Beach LP2 Inflatable Kayak for your Van Life
- Super easy to store
- Comes with everything you need, pump, bag and paddles (and it all fits in the backpack)
- Seats are C. O. M. F. O. R. T. A. B. L. E. In fact the whole kayak was very comfortable
- Light enough for me to carry and pack by myself
- This is the “Goldilocks” inflatable kayak for me, (and I think other van lifers) its easy to use, the right size, built well, and offers spur of the moment fun when you are near the water.