Storage, setup and the number of people it carries are three things to consider. I have a kayak and a reinforced rubber raft. The kayak I transport on top of my tow car for local travel to fishing spots when I am just going by myself. For longer trips out west with my wife or GS I don't want to take 2 or 3 kayaks so I keep and travel with a 3 man rubber raft. It is a lot easier to set up and blows up in less than 10 mins. I store it in the baggage storage compartment with the rest of my fishing stuff. Used it in rivers and lake across the US and Canada up to Alaska. It is a lot more stable for fishing than my kayak and much easier to store and transport.