First of all, this is my second Tribe kayak. This one feels wider in the saddle due to extra leg room thanks to a narrower side molding. Kayak rides nice, very stable, cuts through the water with ease. Love the new seat design. I did just buy an extra pad for bottom of seat as it could be a little more supportive on to saddle area.

Very sturdy and spacious, definitely worth the wait for shipping!

I was looking for a new kayak that was comfortable and fast. The Tribe 9.5 was highly rated in both areas, but I'm disappointed on both counts.

As for comfort, the straps were constantly in the way and rubbing against the back of my arms. I wrapped the straps around the lower seat back rail to correct that problem. The seat bottom doesn't provide much cushion for long trips. The seat gets rave reviews for comfort, but I'm not a fan.

As for fast, it isn't. It has a pretty high profile and catches a lot of wind, so I tend to waste a lot of energy fighting the wind. I'm a medium sized female. This kayak may work better for a larger, heavier person.

Lastly, shipping. The kayak arrived in a clear plastic bag and was missing the seat back. The delivery guys said that they had to put it back in the plastic bag when they loaded it on their truck, so no telling what happened to the seat back. I contacted Perception customer service directly, and they shipped a replacement quickly.

Absolutely in love with it!

First, delivery was on time, very smooth, and no damage to the kayak. Well done, Amazon!

Second, I've taken the kayak out once (on a big river) and it was easy to handle, even when paddling back up river. The back of the seat is very comfortable but there is virtually no padding in the seat. After 45 min on the water my tailbone was hurting and ached for days - I will be ordering a better seat to sit on. Otherwise I'm happy so far with this purchase.