It’s hard to pick a favorite whitewater boat, but I love inflatable kayaks. My number-one choice in IKs is the Aire Tributary Tomcat for anyone looking to buy an all-around boat that will get them through years of paddling in a wide variety of situations, from whitewater to flatwater.
I first saw a Tomcat Tandem when friends brought one along on a Green River trip in Desolation Canyon nearly 20 years ago, and I was immediately smitten. Anyone who jumped in that boat looked like they were having the best time on the river. When I paddled it myself, I figured out what the deal was: The Aire Tributary Tomcat is stable, responsive, and rugged enough to withstand brushes with rocks and other hazards without imploding.
As soon as I was back in civilization, I started shopping for my own Tomcat. I ended up buying one for myself (found it on sale), a second one years later from a Craigslist posting, and a third as a gift for one of my kids.
If you’re contemplating buying an inflatable kayak, put the Tomcat at the top of your list. Here’s why.
Where to buy
Quick links to the inflatable kayaks and accessories in this post.
Long track record in the market
The Aire Tributary Tomcat has been in production for at least 20 years, and it’s still widely available. That’s an amazing run for any whitewater boat. The Tomcat hasn’t changed much over the years because it strikes the perfect balance of qualities that make it the optimal all-around IK.
It can handle both whitewater and flatwater, it carries an adequate amount of gear, it’s impressively durable, and it’s fairly simple to repair. Start looking around on your next paddling trip, and you’ll see that there are as many Tomcats on the river as there are Subarus in Colorado—and many of the same vintage.
Affordable
For its overall quality and durability, I think the Tomcat is a great deal at less than $1000 for the solo and less than $1200 for the tandem. In the last 20 years, my main Tomcat has been on the water something like 30 days a season, which translates to about $2 a trip. And it’s brought a priceless amount of joy.
Even better, you might be able to score one used: One of the advantages of the Tomcat being on the market so long is that there are lots of them floating around, so be sure to check outfitters’ end-of-season gear sales and online gear swap sites.
Good for whitewater or flatwater
The Tomcat can take plenty of whitewater—my daughter Audrey (RiverBent co-founder) and I have paddled ours on Westwater Canyon, the Middle Fork of the Salmon, parts of the Grand Canyon, Browns Canyon on the Arkansas, and more. While it’s not as sporty and responsive as the NRS Star Viper (also a cool boat—check out our review post on the Star Viper), it handles Class III or IV whitewater just fine. It has a great drain system so it sheds waves quickly, you can easily move it around in whitewater (even when you’re paddling the tandem boat as a single paddler), and it tracks well.
One tip when paddling whitewater: Get a set of thigh straps to help you stay in the boat in big waves. Thigh straps allow you to lean out for a good strong brace. (Check out our post 11 Essential Inflatable Kayak Accessories for more info about thigh straps and other rigging to consider for IKs.)
Simple to transport and rig
The Tomcat is designed to be easy to set up and use, so it’s become the boat I reach for most often. The rigging has been refined over the years, so everything is just where you need it.
First off, it has a series of loops along the length of the boat where the tubes meet the floor, so you have endless options for strapping in gear. These loops come in handy for affixing the aforementioned thigh straps, which need to be positioned just right for each paddler. The abundant loops also allow you to position the backrest—which is essentially an inflatable thwart—anywhere in the boat. The Tomcat includes flip handles at the bow and stern so you can easily right the ship even in whitewater.
One note if you’re trying to decide between the Tomcat Tandem and the Solo: The Tandem is more versatile over time because you can also rig it as a solo boat (which means you can haul more gear), and it’s not unwieldy for a solo paddler.
The Tomcat is fast to inflate and deflate, so you can get on and off the water quickly. It has three total air chambers—the two side tubes and the floor—and can be inflated in less than 10 minutes with a K-Pump 100. It has D-rings on the bow and stern so you can easily get it rolled and cam-strapped into a relatively small package (it’s the perfect accessory for your Subaru hatchback).
Holds plenty of gear
So how much gear can the Tomcat Tandem handle? For a multi-day river trip where most of my camping gear is in a raft, I’ll typically have a K-Pump, a small dry bag, a spare paddle, and a water bottle in the IK with me. The Tomcat can handle all this with ease and not feel crowded. I’ve also often carried a small dry box (the NRS Boulder fits perfectly lengthwise in the Tomcat).
Durable and inexpensive to fix
The Tomcat can take a lot of abuse: Mine has been bumped on rocks, rolled up and shoved in with other gear, and paddled in extremely hot weather, and it’s rarely suffered any serious damage. (But don’t forget to bleed the valves frequently in hot weather.) The one time I’ve had to fix a Tomcat, it was about a $75 repair job by a professional.
Inflatable kayaks are a godsend for river runners who want some autonomy on the river, want to carry some gear, and sometimes want to paddle with a friend—in various levels of whitewater. Among inflatable kayaks, the Aire Tributary Tomcat deserves a hall-of-fame slot for nailing the sweet spot in affordability, durability, versatility, and sheer fun delivery.
