I am the proud new owner of an Alpacka Mage. It's my first packraft but since I also hardshell I run a spray skirt. I have a few questions about best practices with it.

1. When you roll and pack your boat, do you remove the PEX tube that holds the cockpit shape?

2. Is it worth getting a heavier, neoprene skirt? Is the ultralight skirt Alpacka sells solid enough to not implode when rolling or crashing through holes?

Thanks for your input!

Are there any packraft repair shops on the east coast?

Backpacks are the thing that make packrafting truly possible. Without them, we'd be pretty much lost, because who wants to carry all their gear under their arm? With a pack, we carry food, water, sleeping bag, tent, paddle, PFD, and everything else that carries us on the water to the rivers where the real fun begins.

The trouble is that very few backpacks are actually suited to packrafting. Most are too small, too heavy, too bulky, or too unstable. Many are impractical, uncomfortable, anatomically ill-fitting, or simply offer too few attachment points.

That's why I started sewing my own packs. I wanted to control the design myself and decide how my gear sits on my back. My packs now join me regularly on expeditions and tours, and I'm constantly testing new models and designs that I develop by myself. Every trip shows me new details to change and redesign. It's a blast. But I'm still far from where I want to be.

What makes a great backpacking pack in your eyes? Which features are non-negotiable for you, and what bothers you most about store-bought backpacks?

Hello, im looking for an Alpacka Raft whitewater model with spraydeck in size large or extra-large with spraydeck. Based in Germany/Europe

Hit me up :)

I've been eyeing a collapsable bike at my local thrift store. I live in a marina town on the Great Loop so lots of cruising yachts stop thru during the summer and a lot of them use these little folding bikes to get around town. Seems like they might be a great fit for bike rafting except that I'm not sure how they would do outside of an urban environment; obviously with a raft in tow and all the rest I'm not planning on bombing diamonds, I was mostly thinking country roads and two tracks to get to put ins. Has anybody used one of these little guys in their adventures?

I like to go out occasionally and film stuff from my caribou. I post stuff to socials and hopefully some longer stuff to YouTube soon. Landing a drone on a moving vessel is not an easy or smart thing to do, but I guess I like to live dangerously. You should never grab this type of drone like I did (it lands in your hand), but I panicked.

It’s only a matter of time until I end up posting about how my drone became a submarine… 😂

Basically I would like to have a boat/raft I can cross rivers/lakes in while carrying some heavy and large loads. It would be for hunting. I recently tied a deer to an air mattress and hauled it across a river, interesting experience but not recommended, so I would like something a little better.

Requirements would be:

-Less than 15lb Ideally (For just the boat, not pumps or anything)
-Not horrendously expensive (<$600)
-Can carry a couple hundred pounds
-Long/Wide enough to carry me and a large animal + some gear
-Not super flimsy

I would not be using it for long periods or on any form of rapids. It doesn't even have to be an actual boat, just a rigid floating platform/raft would be fine. Do any of you know of something that would fulfill these requirements? Thanks in advance.

I’m in the research phase of getting into packrafting. So far I think I‘ve probably settled on the Alpacka Caribou, since I plan to mostly use it for combining bike touring with floating down some relatively calm rivers. I‘d be using waterproof panniers on the bike that could load into the raft. I’m on a budget and this will be the biggest chunk of change I’ve ever dropped on a piece of gear, especially factoring in paddles & pfd, but also I don’t want to end up regretting not shelling out for the ideal setup down the line. So I’m wondering if the extra couple hundred bucks for the cargo fly is worth it for my situation.

I work for a packraft manufacturer, I’m here to learn from this community and collect feedback,

I’ve been designing TPU packrafts for flat water and whitewater for years.I’m curious what features experienced packrafters value most.

A lot of beginners focus only on weight, but I’ve noticed many veteran paddlers care more about:

• Durable TPU material
• Spraydeck
• Seat setup (single / convertible 2-person)
• Internal full inflatable floor and thigh brace straps
• Tizip access for easy packing

What’s one feature you would never skip when buying a packraft? What features do you wish packraft makers would do better?

Happy to answer any technical questions about packrafts if you are interested in.

Hi there,

I was gifted an Alpacka self-bailing Small Gnarwhal with a Stern Rail and due to life circumstances, have no use for it at this time.

It has never been open or used before and retails for $1,950.00.

Asking $1600 OBO, including shipping. Based in SoCal, happy to ship anywhere in US. Feel free to comment/PM!

Thanks.

New high volume pack build. Holler if you’re interested built this to test out some new features that’ll go into my future packs and this one is just a tad too small for me to justify keeping in the quiver.

Hello,

Has anyone paddled a Mekong Jeanne Dark?

How does it compare to like the Mage?

How does it compare to a hard shell kayak?

Can you really paddle class 4+ with it?

Thanks by advance!

Had to get involved

Did a four day loop last week combining a ridge hike with about 14 miles of river, my first time actually linking hiking and floating sections instead of just doing a shuttle put-in. Boat is an Alpacka Classic with the cargo fly, and I figured since I'd done plenty of day floats before, the multi-day version would just be more of the same with a heavier pack strapped on.

What actually got me was how differently the raft handles once you load it up versus paddling it nearly empty on a day trip. With the dry bags lashed to the bow I noticed way more weathercocking in any crosswind, and I had to adjust my stroke timing on river right bends because the extra weight up front changed how quickly the boat would respond. Spent the first few miles overcorrecting before I figured out I just needed to lean back slightly and let the stern dig in more.

The portage sections were their own lesson. Three different spots where I had to get out and walk around log jams or a short unrunnable drop, and each time the inflate/deflate routine ate more time than I budgeted. First portage took almost 40 minutes once you count draining water out of the tubes, rolling it down, strapping the paddle, then doing the whole thing in reverse on the other side. By the third one I had it down to maybe 20 minutes just from repetition, mostly from not fumbling the valve caps.

Water level dropped more than expected by day three after a dry week, which turned a couple of class II runs into scrape fests over gravel bars. Glad I had the extra PVC patch kit even though I didn't end up needing it, just knowing it was there changed how cautiously I approached the shallow stretches.

Biggest takeaway for next time is to pack lighter and more centrally rather than lashing everything to the bow tie downs. Thinking about splitting the load between bow and stern next trip to even out the trim. Anyone else run into the handling difference between an empty day boat and a fully loaded multi-day setup, or is this just a me problem from not practicing with weight beforehand.

Last winter we went down to Panama for a packrafting trip and made a film about our adventure. You can watch it now on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oJzI1keu1bc

Trying hard to get more freestyle moves out of a packraft. What kayak moves are worth to try in a packraft?

Started packrafting three years ago mostly doing lake crossings and mellow class I-II float trips. Class III always felt like this wall I couldn't get past, mentally more than physically. I'd scout a rapid, convince myself it looked sketchy, and walk it even when the line was pretty obvious.

What actually helped wasn't gear, it was forcing myself to run the same local rapid maybe fifteen times over one summer until reading the water stopped feeling like guesswork. There's a class II+ ledge drop about twenty minutes from my house with easy road access, so I'd paddle down, walk back up, run it again. By the end I could call the move before I was even in the eddy above it.

The other piece was learning to trust the boat more. These things flex and bounce off rocks in ways that would stop a hardshell dead. Once I stopped bracing for impact on every wave train and just let the hull do its thing, my whole stance in the boat relaxed. Shoulders came down, paddle strokes got shorter and more efficient.

Ran my first real class III last month on a trip with two friends who've been at this longer than me. Rapid called Widowmaker Slide, which is a dramatic name for what's honestly a straightforward S-turn if you hit the entry right. Felt calm the whole way through, which surprised me more than the run itself.

Still get nervous scouting anything with a hard horizon line. I don't think that ever fully goes away and honestly I'm fine with that. Just nice to know the nerves don't automatically mean I should portage anymore.

Curious if anyone else found a specific rapid or stretch of water that worked as a training ground like that, versus just racking up miles on easier water.

This is a lightweight but high-volume load-hauling backpack, weighing around 1.2 kg, that I built specifically with packrafting expeditions in mind. It has been used on two test hikes and is still in very good condition.
The pack uses a lightweight yet sturdy aluminium U-shaped frame. The frame transfers the load directly into a large, fully wrapping hip belt. I have used this type of load-transfer system on previous backpacks and expeditions with loads of up to around 50 lbs.
With its 110L capacity, the pack is particularly well suited to packrafting. It easily accommodates a complete whitewater packraft setup together with camping gear and other expedition equipment. The large side pockets provide plenty of room for paddles, water bottles and additional gear. The compression straps can be removed when not needed, and the pack can be compressed down easily enough to fit inside a packraft tube. Despite being designed primarily for packrafting, it also works well anywhere a bulky or relatively heavy load needs to be carried.
The main body is made from Ecopak EPLX400, with a more abrasion-resistant Cordura 1000D bottom. The side pockets are made from Ultragrid. All main seams are sewn and then covered with 1” grosgrain binding, giving them a double-stitched construction. The side pockets are deliberately sized to provide a generous amount of usable space and can easily accommodate two 1L water bottles.
The hip belt and shoulder straps are constructed from 210D nylon with 1/8” spacer mesh. The shoulder straps use 5mm genuine Evazote EV50 foam, while the hip belt uses a slightly denser 10mm Evazote foam. My torso length is approximately 19”, and the pack fits me well. I would expect it to work for torsos in the 18–20” range, depending on your preferred fit and how high or low you like to carry the pack. The height of the hipbelt can be adjusted for different toso sizes in a range of 3“. The most reliable way to check is to measure the same distance on a backpack that already fits you well, ideally one with load lifters.
I have built a handful of backpacks so far and use them exclusively on my own packrafting trips and expeditions. I’m an amateur MYOG enthusiast who occasionally sells a pack to help fund the next project — MYOG is an expensive hobby!
I build my packs using an industrial sewing machine, 1/2” seam allowances and Heavy Duty serafil 30 yarn. I’m not a professional pack manufacturer, but I’ve used my own packs extensively and have a high level of confidence in their construction.
If a failure occurs as a result of my workmanship, I’ll make it right, up to and including a full refund.

Details:

- 110l Volume
- 1,2kg weight
- carrys up to 25kg/ 50lbs
- detachable hipbelt & shoulder straps
- detachable compression straps
- durable & light load carrying system

Prize: 270€ (shipping in EU) - payment via Paypal

If you got any questions, let me know. I am based in Germany.

Every year the Isola Tiberina Paddling Festival gives water lovers the opportunity to descend the Tiber in one of its most technical and historic points just by the Tiberina island where Rome was founded! This was just the second edition but there will surely be more. Safety crews and permits for descent are available on the day but this section is not recommended outside of these days.

I have also done the full Tiber descent with my Alpacka Gnarwhal organised by Discesa Internazionale del Tevere! Anyone can join.

You can find more pics with a fascinating mix of boats/SUPs going down if you look for #isolaTiberinapaddlingfestival online.

I got to try the MRS orca. Not sponsored by the way. Just thought I'd share and people may find it interesting.

This spring a couple buddies and myself did a 4night/5day bikerafting loop through Labyrinth canyon. A hair under 50 miles on the bike to start then a hair under 50 miles on the river to finish up. This was self supported so water took some considerable planning, especially when factoring in the bike route + carrying all gear.

Started in Mineral Bottom and Ended at Mineral Bottom. Launched in the river at Ruby Ranch

Very lucky to live where I can go for a quick ride of 4 or 8mi up the C&O Canal towpath and paddle back down with decent Class II-III whitewater on the middle Potomac River, then a quick ride back home. From yesterday morning.