The Origami Canoe

For city dwellers, owning a bulky canoe is a logistical nightmare. That’s why Belgium-based paddling enthusiasts Otto Van De Steene and Thomas Weyn created the Onak, a full-size vessel that can be unfolded from the form of a rolling suitcase in roughly 10 minutes. At 37 lb. (17 kg), it’s light enough to lug up a staircase. But it’s made of a multilayer composite plastic that’s strong enough to crack through an inch of ice. The first batch of the Kickstarter-funded canoes should be delivered by March 2017, and Van De Steene says he and Weyn have plans to push the “origami and waterproof” concept even further.

–Julia Zorthian