Jim,
I have used a kayak for a couple years now and find it indispensable. Three years ago my grandfather gave me the very nice gift of a brand new Old Time kayak (a dark green fishing model). He want for me to have something to remember him by as he was on his way out of this life. But I digress.
This kayak has been on numerous fishing trips and river excisions, including a week long float on the Current River. It has never failed me and I have been extremely impressed with it. My dad grew up spending every available moment out doors and had always thought that nothing could beat a John boat for fishing and he didn’t believe in kayaks until he tried it out for himself. He then went and purchased two more kayaks for himself. The kayaks, I believe, would be very useful in the case of SHTF. They are very maneuverable and with their shallow draft and ability to carry fairly heavy loads, I seriously consider mine a viable alternative to a land-based vehicle.
One important difference of a kayak to say, a John boat is the size of such a craft. You could easily pull it up under brush to camp on the side of the river. It will also float up the tributaries and creeks as we have here in the Wabash/Ohio River valley. Now I know that anywhere east of the Mississippi River will just not suffice when the SHTF. So I have laid out travel plans involving the waterways to a certain somewhere in Montana. It does involve portaging but with the kayaks having a manageable weight that does not bother me. I have figured that with all gear it would be a tight fit, but with the ability to use the john-boat or construct rafts this is for the most part unimportant. Thanks, – Jacob M.