With our initial prototype complete, TRAK set up headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, where we began producing our first hand-built model, the T-1600.

The T-1600 was the first model to make use of TRAK's heat welding technology - a technique that continues to be one of our specialties. In fact, our original heat welding machine is still in use today at our factory in the Philippines!

During this time, we also developed the design for our keder closure, as well as refined our first hydraulic jacks.

With hundreds of kayaks in production, TRAK began to launch itself into the global market through gear reviews, trade shows, and sponsorships.

As the only paddle craft in the world with adjustable rocker, the TRAK T-1600 garnered a lot of attention from gear junkies and professsional paddlers, alike.

Ken Whiting, Canadian champion paddler and voice of Paddle TV, was one of the first kayak pros to demonstrate the durability and versatility of the TRAK kayak. Here he is paddling the T-1600 through class III rapids on the Ottawa River in 2007.

By 2012, TRAK Kayaks had been tried and tested in every continent. From half-day surf sessions to multi-week expeditions, TRAK paddlers were proving that just because a kayak is foldable, doesn't mean it can't provide just as much fun and function as a hard-shell composite kayak.

Professional paddler, Jaime Sharp, developed a series of videos during this time, dubbed The TRAK Files. His efforts to push the limits of our early models were instrumental in helping us develop the TRAK 2.0.

Around 2015-16, ideas for improvements to TRAK's original design were starting to stack up, especially in regards to weight savings.

With more paddlers using TRAK kayaks to reach remote areas by air - or travel entirely without the use of vehicles - our team started drafting plans for a lighter, stronger, and even more versatile TRAK kayak. This project was launched and funded primarily through our kickstarter campaign, which raised over $1M in less than a year!

Just as we prepared to produce our first round of TRAK 2.0s in early 2018, our company was faced with aluminum shortages that took until 2019 to rectify. Several months later, after nearly catching up on backorders in early 2020, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc across the world, and multiple suppliers of TRAK’s raw materials either closed shop or increased their prices substantially. With many factories in east Asia closed for multiple months, it soon became impossible to produce TRAK 2.0s within our customers’ initial expected delivery window.

“There were so many factors outside our control that we took ultimate responsibility for," admits Nolin Veillard, founder of TRAK. "And while a lot of paddlers were very supportive of TRAK during those times, I know the situation resulted in a lot of disappointment and frustration, too.”

Keeping TRAK's vision alive in the years surrounding the pandemic took a tremendous amount of commitment amongst our team and key partners. Recognizing that TRAK would struggle to grow without consistent production and positive inventory, Nolin and his team rolled up their sleeves, doubled down, and put nearly everything into TRAK’s supply chain to meet the expectations of our customers.

“We're in a new era as a company, and that’s exciting. Fulfilling orders within days or weeks is fantastic. Now, taking care of our paddlers and assuring potential customers that our production challenges are behind us is our priority moving forward, ” says Caleb McIntyre, TRAK’s Chief Paddling Officer.

Today, TRAK remains a small, lean Canadian company with a passion for empowering limitless paddling - anywhere on Earth.

Our flagship product - the TRAK 2.0 - remains the most versatile and high performance folding kayak on the market, and the only paddle craft with adjustable rocker.

Thanks to the support our of customers, retailers, and loyal ambassador Pilots, we are proud to celebrate more than 20 years in the paddling industry!

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