It’s friday evening, you shut down your laptop, ready to go home and hit the sofa with a bag of crisps? Seriously? Is that all you can think of? Outside, there’s so much waiting to energise you – not just saturated fats. Our tip: microadventures! Micro what? In short: a microadventure happens in an instant and transports you from a familiar environment into a new world. No teleporter needed. No Iceland, Wild West, or South African safari. With the right mindset, the best microadventures start right at your doorstep and are spontaneous, simple, cheap, exciting, fun, quirky – and different for everyone.
Speaking of quirky: this year we borrowed the Oru folding kayak and tested it extensively: we loaded it on cargo bikes, explored the Marne in Paris, took it along on our rooftop tent comparison test in the Karwendel mountains, and paddled the Enz around our headquarters. The Oru Inlet folding kayak is already cool on its own: it’s light, it folds up, and can be taken anywhere. We had so much fun with it that we wanted to take it to the next level. The only downside when kayaking on a river is that someone has to pick you up when you’re done. This limits freedom and spontaneity. We thought there must be a way around it, so we tested an awesome combination: a folding kayak and a Brompton folding bike. Our verdict: quirky? Yes! Awesome? Absolutely!
Origami for Adventurers: the Brompton Folding Bike T-Line and the Oru Inlet Folding Kayak
Wait a minute: how does the Brompton folding bike fit into a folding kayak and how do we get home? The answer is: folding technique. A bit like an origami, but without the paper. The Brompton T Line folding bike weighs just under 9 kg and costs $ 5,525. The bike is ready to go in under a minute and is ideal for packing in the car or taking on the train folded. It’s very compact and super easy to transport. Perfect for quickly taking it along – in our case, of course, in a kayak.
The second foldable object is the Oru Inlet folding kayak, which, once you get the hang of it, can be assembled and disassembled in just 3 minutes and carried like a backpack. The folding kayak weighs around 9 kg and comes in a bundle with a paddle and backpack, retailing at $ 1,200.
The combination of these two folding wonders opened up unexpected possibilities. Both can be easily taken on a microadventure. Does it work? Better than expected! Our editor-in-chief’s favourite combo: Brompton folding bike and Oru Inlet in his classic car, off to the Black Forest. First cruising on roads, then paddling on lakes and rivers – and cycling back to the car! Could it get any better?
How cool is it that within 5 minutes you can completely change your mode of transport, switch from leg power to arm power, and have no limits – except your own muscle strength?
City, Country, River – The Game with the Brompton Folding Bike
So let’s start again: finish work, shut down the laptop… hop on your Brompton folding bike and search for the nearest water way . Packed with us: the folding kayak on our back. The rules of the game are clear: head off, adventure on – and, well, find some water. If you don’t have any nearby, grab your car or just take a train. The game variations are limitless. Once we reach the river, we ride along the bank until we find a suitable spot to switch from the folding bike to the folding kayak. So, unfold the kayak, fold up the Brompton, and get on the boat. How long does it take? The first few times around 10 minutes, with some practice you can have the Brompton folded and the Oru ready for the water in 5 minutes. For some, a bathroom break takes longer… The amazing thing: the Brompton folding bike seems made for the Oru folding kayak. You can save your Tetris skills for other occasions because there’s enough room behind the seat to store the bike and a little bit more gear.
How to Microadventure
Don’t. Be. So. Perfect! To leave everyday life behind, many make the same mistake over and over: leisure time is meticulously planned, with checklists, weather apps, bags, and suddenly you’re more stressed than before and just want to stay on the sofa. Not only does this kill the fun but is also very dumb: real adventures can only happen when you don’t plan them. So: be spontaneous, grab your inner couch potato by the ears, call a few friends, pack your bike, in this case your folding kayak, and just hit the road, Jack! A few unplanned hours in the evening or a weekend can work wonders, whether you’re doing a spontaneous overnighter in the Black Forest like our colleagues Antonia and Rob or a 72-hour road trip with a rooftop tent to just have a good time.
Transformers Say Hello – Switching from Bike to Boat and Back
An adventure where everything runs smoothly isn’t an adventure! Stinging nettles, wet feet, and then this: just in the water, Rob spots the sign: “No boats beyond this point!” Something you couldn’t see from the launch point. Why build steps into the water then? But further downstream everything runs smoothly again. The landscape drifts by, the boat gently throws small waves, and there’s so much to discover. It takes less than half an hour for us to realise: everyday life and work? They’re just a distant memory. Our heads clear, a sweet sense of peace washes over our soul, and with each paddle stroke, we celebrate the mantra of finding ourselves. Ambitious canoeists shoot past us, rocking our folding kayak but not our inner balance.
The sun sets, and our growling stomachs lead us to a perfect docking spot. We moor at a boat rental dock and convert the kayak back into a backpack and the Brompton into a bike for the ride home. A cinematic scene where we could easily have filmed the 7th Transformers movie. Again, we say: how awesome is that?
The Perfect Triathlon: Brompton Folding Bike T-Line, Oru Inlet Folding Kayak and Fries – That’s How Simple Adventure Can Be!
Brompton folding bike and Oru Inlet folding kayak – a game changer beyond stress and performance pressure. The combination is so much more than the individual disciplines and adds maximum freedom and flexibility to the microadventure. But the best part is the fun we had. So: leave the couch and crisps behind, play a little origami, and just head out into the wild, it’s worth it!
Words: Susanne Feddersen, Robin Ulbrich Photos: Mike Hunger, Antonia Feder
