20.4.2008

Being a 26 year veteran of the toobing wars I believe that I am in a unique position to review this product. I usually go toobing anywhere between 12 and 50 times a year with 30 - 40 trips in a year being average. For years I have used the standard black truck inner tube, usually a 9.00/20 or a 10.00/20. I like the black tubes because the hole in the centre is more suited for my adult size rear end.Until I found this tube last year, I had never seen a vinyl tube that had a hole larger than about 12 inches. This caused me to sit up too much in the tube and made my back hurt. It also made it hard to paddle. The hole in this tube, the Intex River Run, is proportioned more like a regular rubber tube.The great thing is that you can blow it up at the river yourself and when the trip is finished the tube has a screw out quick release valve that deflates the tube in about 30 seconds. With the black tubes you have to stop at a gas station and blow them up, then cram them into the car or tie them onto your car for the final leg of the trip to the river. Black tubes also take a long time to deflate. In addition the black rubber tubes will give you "tube rash" under your arms from rubbing on them while paddling and they get very hot in the sun. This vinyl tube stays cool in the sun and has a mesh bottom that makes it great for kids. If you do not like the mesh bottom you can cut it out without damaging the tube. I left mine in.Black tubes also dry rot after only one season and inflate unevenly. I have seen vinyl tubes in service for years. I bought one of these tubes last year to try it out and I loved it. However, after the summer started and I got to try it for real, they were sold out everywhere. This year I am buying several more. A great purchase for any toober.Update to my original review, August 12, 2011.Three years after my initial review I still rate this product ***** (5 Stars). I now own seven of these tubes. With proper care these tubes can last two or more years, maybe longer but I use them at least weekly during the warm months in LA (that's Lower Alabama) which lasts from April till October and two years is about what I am comfortable with.I have had three spring a leak after heavy use and two I was able to repair with the included repair kit. One was popped by a sharp stick and was not salvageable, the hole was about two inches.These tubes are very comfortable, allow you to get in the water and stay cool, great for kids of all sizes (the mesh bottom will not let a kid slide out), and they do not heat up in the sun.One note, I have seen this toob marketed as the River Run, the River Run I, and the River Run II. I cannot tell the difference other than the name, they all have mesh bottoms, cup holders, side handles, an inflatable headrest, and ropes around the outside. Go figure. Overall, the best tube I have ever seen for flat-water floating, I have heard of people using them for going over whitewater but I have no experience with that. For a pool, lake or slow river it cannot be beat.

23.3.2011

I HAD A GREAT TIME IN THIS TUBEI was also admittedly drunk, but whatevs. The river was hella low, and i got stuck on some rocks several times, but this tube was like "AWW NAW HELL NAW" and i just scootched right over top of all them rocks and sticks and nonsense. The cupholders and handles were perfect for my can o' wine and my Nalgene o' Bootlegger. Not gonna lie, I threw up in the river, but I don't blame the tube. A few people had other brands of tubes, and their tubes popped, but luckily, i had brought an extra one of these already inflated. Ironically, these were the same people who were dissin on these vinyl tubes because "canvas wrapped is sooooo much better." WHERE IS YOUR CANVAS GOD NOW??I don't know where the tubes are now,

14.7.2014

After reading the many reviews and seeing these as well as the River Rats (also Intex) at various lakes and rivers, I decided to pick one up. I also picked up the River Run 2 for 2 adults. The River Run is a high quality medium duty River or lake tube. The build is thicker and tougher than a regular swimming pool tube and you notice this right away.The other thing you notice right away is the size. This thing is big for one person. I am 5'7" and when I lay in it, my hands can barely touch the water. When in a lake and drifting, it would be nice to be able to steer a bit with your hands in the water. So for me, maneuverability is just not there. If you want to just float, it is great.Unlike the River Rat,

15.9.2017

I purchased two of these inflatable tubes for a weekend houseboat trip on Lake Shasta. My only regret is that I did not purchase four of them. This was a last minute decision/purchase. I ordered them on Sept. 3; received Sept 6; and left for the houseboat Sept. 8. In my youth, I loved water sports but at my age, you will not catch me on a set of water skis or anything else that gets pulled behind a boat - those days are over for me. So I was thinking the only way I might enjoy the water is to lazily float around on a tube. So this is how I fell in love with these tubes: we got our houseboat and headed towards a cove. The lake water temp was in the upper 70's and the outdoor temp was high 90's.

1.6.2012

I got this tube for use during river floats because it was about the same price as the cheaply made ones I found at Wal-Mart and Farm & Fleet. I thought that based on the reviews and the price, I may as well give it a shot. Boy, was I impressed! This tube is unbeatable at this price.First off, the tube itself is very durable. The material feels thick, and the tube just feels very tough. The river was a little low when I went and at some parts, it got down to only about 3" deep. I am a 210 pound guy and it didn't drag! Although it didn't drag on the river bottom, it occasionally hit logs and branches that were in the water. I know it is durable because not a thing happened to it when it hit these branches and logs.

18.9.2012

I purchased 6 of these for a yearly camping trip that involves a slow and fairly shallow lazy river day after trying many different products over the years (everyone has always had different products in the past with varying degrees of success and a few colossal failures). We were all very impressed with these--they seem durable (as we bottomed out on rocks and branches many times without issue), the mesh on the bottom is great for keeping a few things with you. The cup holders are iffy--they are a great idea, but we brought bottles of water and the cup holders aren't quite deep enough to keep them VERY secure--we'll probably by the tag-along cooler for next year. The ropes are a great idea,

4.8.2010

Purchased two River Run tubes from amazon at $24each in early July. I had never been tubing before and the river was a little low in spots, fast in others. We were on the Delaware in PA to NJ (what amounted to a 7 hour float!)with a few rapids, lots of rocks, trees and branches. These tubes were the best - the head rest was perfect and was good to lean against while paddling backwards (or to add a little extra flotation to help keep your butt off the bottom of the river where it was low), the white color kept them from getting hot, the handles are well placed. Loved the mesh in the bottom! I did not know any better that you could re-enter a tube from the bottom up,

16.9.2016

You can't beat Intex's river tubes. My friends and I have been going tubing several times a year on a typically calm but rocky stretch of river. We average between 5 and 30 river miles a year for the past several years. Multiply that by 4-6 Intex tubes, and this is a lot of river time. They do get punctured from time to time, but it's never the end of the world - bring a vinyl patch kit, and if one tube seems to be leaking, haul everyone up on a rock, spend 20 minutes on the patch, slap some duct tape over the top of it for extra waterproofing and you're good to go. Most patches we do this way hold out not just for the rest of the trip,

5.9.2011

I bought these to take a summer trip down the river. My family used boats last year and had much difficulty because the river level was so low. A couple of us used old fashioned Tire tubes and while it was an ok experience, it was a little miserable trying to hold ourselves up the whole time. When we went home this year the river was low again but there were no problems at all. It only took a couple of minutes to get them blown up. They are easy to travel to the site because of the handles. We really enjoyed these because they were large enough for anyone to get in it. The mesh bottom saved our bottoms many times. It also held us in so we could maneuver around to sit up and supported us when we just layed back to relax.

21.3.2016

This is a good-sized tube with comfortable hand-holds, and the rope around the perimeter is useful. The backrest is unnecessary and gets in the way in my opinion. The material on this tube is pretty tough-- it is not going to survive a ride through rapids and it will not fare as well over fallen logs and sticks as a tractor inner tube will, but then again it is more comfortable than a tractor inner tube. The tube's mesh bottom means your bottom will be cooled by the river water and any water splashed or drinks spilled into the tube will wash away. I prefer an open-bottomed tube myself but we bought this for an elderly relative who wanted to continue to enjoy a lazy float down the river but who had a tendency to fall through open-bottomed tubes.

26.7.2015

This is a great raft, especially for group trips because they easily connect to each other. I definitely recommend getting a pump to go along with it, but because there are two valve options (one way to fill up plus a quick release), it is easy enough to blow into too, but would take a long time. I bought 3 rafts and my friends bought 3 more plus the rectangle cooler (also by Intex, river run series) for a floating trip on the Russian River and they were all great, except that one of the ones I bought had a defect in the valve portion and as a result had a slow leak throughout our 7 hour floating trip. It wasn't a huge deal because we were on a really slow moving river and I periodically re-inflated it by mouth to keep it full,

8.6.2013

This river tube is fantastic. I bought two of them at a time. After unwrapping it, the smell of fresh rubber surrounded me and I knew it was meant to be. Blowing it up without an pump does leave you dizzy and gasping for breath, but that's part of the excitement, isn't it?The exterior is a smooth, good smelling, durable rubber/plastic that holds up to the rowdiest tubing adventures.Works great as a living room chair when placed on the floor in front of the family radio.The net seating conforms to you, and hugs you tightly so you don't take a spill.The cup holders are a bit small and don't stretch much, but they hold only a beer bottle very well.The back rest. My goodness the back rest.

20.8.2020

My friends and I have gone tubing every weekend this summer as it's an easy thing to do without talking to or seeing anyone else (especially when using your own tube and going to lesser-known spots). I got this one-seater, but can also say the two-seater with built-in cooler is fantastic. We connect them all together and enjoy our drinks and snacks and conversation in the sun. The tubes have netting under the seat, which makes staying in them really easy and safe for kids. The inflatable pillows make them comfy for lounging. I wish they were a bit more comfortable for laying on your stomach, but we can't have everything and that's ok. The rubber bottom is really durable.

11.7.2011

I have only used the tube once so far (a lot of rain where I live this summer) but I must say I am really happy with how it's working out. I bought a cheap hand pump at a sporting goods store so the thing is so easy to inflate. I tubed with friends who had inferior products and they were much lower in the water and their buns were getting very cold. I was lifted higher above the water and was extremely comfortable. The mesh bottom keeps your butt out of the water a little more, too. At first I didn't want the mesh bottom because I like to be able to slide down through the hole into the water but now that I've experienced the mesh bottom I'm really glad it came included.

25.7.2016

The quality of this tube is on par with some $30 tubes I have owned. The tube comes with two clips so you can connect other tubes or a floating cooler. While this is a nice idea, the clips don't hold together very well (probably a safety feature). A small rapid or about 5 lbs of force will disconnect them. The cup holders on the other hand, are very convenient and held my cans snugly. The webbing could be simply cut out if that's your thing but I like it in place to hold a few drinks and keep them cool. The handles are hollow and I fear they may rip with heavy use but, I have used this tube only twice since I have purchased it so, time will tell. Make sure you pump this tube up at least a few hours before you use it.

Intex River Run I (58825) - Reviews

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