Oru Beach LT Sport Kayak Review

Two dream paddles and one absolute slog. That’s what it took to turn me from a canoe curmudgeon into the sort of guy who now keeps a foldable origami kayak in my trunk at all times. (Just substitute the Subaru Outback you’re picturing for a 4Runner, and add a dash of melanin.)

The newly revised Oru Beach LT Sport is to thank here. The Beach LT has been a standard-bearer in the foldable kayak scene for many years, but the Sport version adds on additional fishing and filming capabilities, a more secure closure system, and an even more comfortable seat.

After months of living a stone’s throw from a steep trail up to an alpine lake, I was finally able to pack in a kayak to explore it. Even with an SUV jammed full for a move, I packed and paddled down one of the world’s most iconic slot canyons. And though it required hours of trudging the boat through mire and mudbanks, I was the only photographer to get within snapping distance of scores of shorebirds nesting on islands in a low reservoir.

So, how has the Beach Sport held up? Well, some compromises are unavoidable — but it’s damned hard to spot them this far down the river from everyone still stuck at the launch.

In short: Oru’s newest version of its Beach Sport LT is a capable remix. Its integrated accessory rail system, new zipper closure system, and blacked-out looks all make it one of the best foldable kayaks the brand has produced to date. However, the extra weight, awkward dimensions, and lower capacity still limit the Sport. This kayak is more of an adventure enthusiast than an adventurer extraordinaire.

Looking for a new kayak? Check out GearJunkie’s Best Kayaks Buyer’s Guide to see how the Beach LT Sport measures up.

Oru Kayak Beach LT Sport: Review

The Oru Beach LT has been around for a while. So, what’s the big update? Let’s start at the top, literally. The deck of the old Beach was made of foldover pieces, which clasped into place with buckles and cinch straps. The new LT Sport, however, cuts the extra material and is secured more rigidly by two joining “zippers” — plastic channels that slide down rails attached to each flap.

The new topside also comes with tensioning deck lines that secure the fairings on the bow and stern edges of the yak. In addition to being highly reflective, these straps make for an easy place to stow paddles when taking a break — and can serve as workable, albeit less-than-ideal places to strap down some supplies.

The Sport also comes stock with Oru’s gel seat, a big upgrade in comfort compared to the standard seat cushion — doubly important since the Sport’s filming and fishing friendliness makes it tempting for longer paddles. 

The big selling point of the Sport is its integrated accessory rails. While they can be a mixed bag (more on that later), these rails add more rigidity to the yak and allow paddlers to affix mounts for fishing rods, phone holders, and action camera mounts.

Granted, I may be a bit biased: I always travel with a bunch of camera equipment and a fishing rod. I have a talent for breaking things. So, increased rigidity and mounting options make the Sport quite the upgrade for me — one I couldn’t wait to get in the water.

Storability Status

Before paddling comes packing. On that front, the Beach Sport offers all the advantages you’d expect. The combination of 33” height and 29” length means that storing the Sport in a hatchback trunk might require collapsing the backseats. In a sedan, the backseats themselves might be the best bet.

Hiking the Sport is a mixed bag. Oru sells separately and includes a backpack in various bundles. It’s comfortable for moderate portages. After all, the Sport is under 30 pounds. 

However, I’d argue that those aiming for multiday trips will get the most out of the Sport with an external frame backpack — especially ones with wider frames, à la Mystery Ranch or Seek Outside.

Twenty-eight pounds isn’t much, but with an overnight or multiday loadout, it can add up — especially given the long, tall dimensions. On a solo backpack fishing trip to an alpine lake, my Seek Outside Goshawk 6300 was able to comfortably sandwich the Sport between a robust frame and a 100L pack that easily swallowed camera, paddling, fishing, and camping gear. 

Were the dimensions of the yak awkward to carry? Absolutely. But for those looking to leverage the Sport’s stowability — whether with an external frame pack or Oru’s own bag — the Sport is genuinely hikeable even over longer portages. 

Unfold and Go

Origami yaks do save space, but they don’t usually save money. What about time and effort? Well, my sub-10-minute setup time would seem to say yes. 

My first setup was a different story. The bow and stern aren’t that clearly marked, but after constructing a few times, it gets clear enough. The zippers can also be a bit difficult to place — as you slide them toward the cockpit, you have to pinch the rails for the zippers to be able to move and seat.

Oru does include lubricant for the zippers’ channels. Nevertheless, it still can take a fair bit of grip strength to slide the zippers all the way up the rails. In my first installation, I slightly damaged the rails — not enough to matter, but enough for it to be a long-term concern. 

Nevertheless, despite the zippers occasionally being temperamental, after a few times, most people should easily be able to get the Sport up and river running in 10-15 minutes. Leaving items like the back and footrest straps dialed in where you want them further streamlines the setup.

Compared to inflatable kayaks, the Sport is also fast and easy to clean, inspect (if you’re in areas where hitchhiking mollusks are a concern), and dry. Stacked up against similarly sized inflatables and hard shells, the Sport will easily have you in the water and off the launch in half the time.

It was exactly because of this that I made it first, one morning, into a certain iconic, typically crowded, and thus unnamed here slot canyon in Northern Arizona — beating out guide teams working together to set up hard shells. Instead of the din of dozens of chattering tourists, the Sport bought me miles of slipping through towering sandstone walls in silence.

Paddle Performance

The Beach LT Sport’s hull is pretty sensible. It’s wide and moderately flat, save for a taper toward the bow and stern. The Oru also has a very slight rocker. In other words, it’s all tracking and stability — an understandable target for a folding kayak primarily aimed at still water.

The flat bottom offers considerable primary stability. For fishing and photography, this makes sense. Whether reaching around for tackle or shooting photos from a tripod — easily supported by the generous cockpit — the Beach never felt tippy. With little rocker, it also tracks quite decently.

This makes it a beginner-friendly kayak. However, the relatively flat hull shape offers only moderate secondary, or tilted, stability. Between the length, flat bottom, and greater flex inherent to a folding kayak, it’s challenging to do finer maneuvers on moving water in the Sport.

While paddling through simple rapids — something the Sport isn’t designed for — I had a bit of trouble doing basic maneuvers like turning into eddies. So, despite its hikeability and stability, taking the Sport out on rivers will demand calm, shallow, non-technical areas to paddle.

The lack of rocker is sensible as well. Given the Sport’s low weight and greater flex compared to a hard shell, without a relatively straight hull, it would wander side to side. As it is, I’d still consider the skeg attachment a must-have for anyone taking the Sport on large or flowing waters.

Paddling through lakes and reservoirs, I was surprised by how fast the Sport could scoot. I expected more flex. On shallow river runs, I was surprised by how well the Sport handled scraping over (smooth) rocks. Where I did run into some discomfort was in the canyonlands.

Setting out in the morning, I hardly noticed the current as I carved through the water. On the way back, contending with a combination of wakes and a stiff wind kicking up, the Sport’s flattish, low-rocker hull had me bobbing over chop rather than slicing through it. So, on waterways prone to heavy traffic or gusty winds, paddle with caution.

Comfort, Construction, and Capability

The generous cockpit, adjustable footrest, and upgraded gel seat made it pretty hard to be uncomfortable in the Beach Sport. On day trips, especially in calm waters, accessing gear was a breeze. Even with the splash deck, and camera and fishing gear on board, I had plenty of room to stow and grab whatever I needed.

My most notable issue comfort-wise was that leaning back too much would occasionally pop the bottom portion of the backrest out of place slightly. However, with the seat’s tensioning straps firmly anchoring it from reclining too far, this barely rated as an inconvenience.

For longer trips, the Sport’s open cockpit is mixed in terms of gear storage. The best place for stowing gear is immediately behind the seat. Spaces before and after the hull’s crosswise tensioning strap offer enough room to fit two 25-35L dry bags. Anything stored farther forward would have to either sit about your lap or be maneuvered around the footrest. 

The Sport’s deck lines can stow a paddle, but without the crosshatching and elastic cordage of some of its bigger siblings, like the Bay and Coast XT, they aren’t ideal for strapping down gear.

This leaves the bulkheads for more secure storage. However, the room there is limited. They also offer no way to access gear without landing and partially disassembling the kayak. Lastly, using the bulkheads for storage makes running the Sport with float bags (not a necessity for most paddling, but a useful safety measure in open water or on more technical waterways) nigh on impossible.

Accessories and Annoyances

Oru tends to include some nice details: The lining wrapping over all of the edges of corrugated plastic in the cockpit is the sort of nice touch missing from some competitors’ folding kayaks. It prevented my clumsy self from scratching or scraping my hands or torso.

Granted, given the width of both my preferred grip and the Sport’s cockpit, I did find myself occasionally thwacking my hands against the attachment rails. That’s a personal problem. Less personal is the general positioning of the Sport’s accessory rails for paddling. 

As spacious as the Beach Sport’s cockpit is, the attachment rails don’t extend far enough forward to put the mounts out of range of impact with a paddle. This was typically only an issue when I was paddling at speed. Additionally, it’s less of an issue with items like the GoPro and cup holder mounts.  

Fair enough. Oru is adding a new feature to an existing kayak. Nevertheless, the occasional impact with my fishing rod was enough to stow it any time I wanted to paddle fast. I’d also be concerned with the possibility of knocking my phone free if I used the phone mount attachment when paddling with a purpose. 

Those weren’t the only easily detached accessories. After leaving my Sport at a landing while hiking, all it took was one person moving my kayak a few feet to break the skeg off entirely. Oru’s decision to secure the splash deck with a bunch of small Velcro tabs also makes for a less secure connection. After only a few paddles, I need to go to a hobby store and get longer Velcro strips to replace a few tabs I’ve lost.

Conclusion: Value and Verdict

The Beach LT Sport can handle the overwhelming majority of what most people getting an origami kayak want to do with it. It’s not too long for moderately skinny water, and the hull design makes it friendly, fast, and straight-tracking for nontechnical paddling. Midwesterners and Southerners outside of alligator country, rejoice.

It’s also genuinely among the most hikeable takedown kayaks in its size bracket on the market. Canyon paddlers, alpine lake anglers, and trout chasers in Western waters will all appreciate that.

For anglers and camera enthusiasts, the Sport is an automatic upgrade over its predecessor. For others, the standard Beach LT might be the better value, if only because it saves money that can be used for some of Oru’s other accessories.

I can check it onto a plane or hop on an Amtrak and take it for a paddle down some of the country’s most picturesque rivers without a road trip. For my money, as a fan of fishing trips and photography, the Beach LT Sport does 85% of what I want out of a kayak — and I hike it up mountains and down miles of bogs. 

That should say a lot — but so will time. We’ll see how it holds up to my abuse in the long term. In the meantime, I’m going to take a kayak on a commuter train, hike it to an underpass across a park, and go paddle through the heart of downtown Chicago before winter hits — because, with the Sport, I can do that.