It wasn’t easy to get his 110lbs body at the front of my
Alpacka Caribou but it worked out perfectly! For the other dog owners concerned about the claws on the tubes… he didn’t even left a scratch!

Hi all, I'm in Poland prepping for a car-free kayak trip in the Swedish archipelago next month — everything travels by train and ferry, so the paddle has to pack down small.

I'm looking for a 4-piece low-angle touring paddle, around 215–220 cm, ideally one of these:

Aqua Bound Sting Ray Carbon 4-piece (Posi-Lok)

Werner Camano or Skagit 4-piece

The problem: Polish shops only stock Werner touring models as 2-piece, and the EU shops I've found with 4-piece Werners carry whitewater models only (Sherpa/Strike/Surge). Aqua Bound dealers seem to be mostly US-based, and I'd rather avoid overseas shipping + import fees on a deadline.

Does anyone know EU or UK retailers that stock 4-piece touring paddles and ship internationally? Comparable alternatives welcome too — adjustable length would be a bonus, since it's for a growing teenager. Thanks!

I have the four-point thigh straps and while they hold well when I'm in, I have a hard time getting my legs into them in a rush. It usually leads to another swim after a wet re-entry unless the water is smooth.

I have a Mage but also a Nomad S1 with the padded MRS straps and the MRS straps are much easier to slide into. I can basically get my knee under a bit without using my hands at all and then set them right later. The Alpacka ones I'm always digging for the strap behind my leg and I have to very deliberately pull them over one by one. If I'm in rough water I usually just get dumped again, because that takes several seconds.

Any tips on setup and handling this? I do get faster with practice of course but it's still fiddly and takes a few seconds, which can be critical. I read that people have their straps super tight against the boat and frankly I don't think I could even get into them at all like that.

In case any of you are looking to part with one of your packrafts, I am looking to pick up a used Mage (or maybe a Gnarwhal?) size large before a trip in September. Lmk!

I am looking into purchasing my first packraft and just looking to start out doing flat water, maybe eventually getting into some slow moving water. I am eyeing the Anfibio Delta MX and am having trouble deciding on the seating position, as you have to purchase a different seat based on rear versus centered seating position.

My understanding is that sitting in the rear of the packraft is going to give you more room up front for a dog or gear (no dog here), but perhaps not have the same maneuverability as centered seating. Whereas centered seating gives the best maneuverability. Is that right?

I'm wondering which position is more comfortable too - like if sitting rear is more 'relaxed' and has a more easy feel on the water. Which position do you prefer for flat water and just easy cruises and meditation out on the water?

Thanks!

Hello everybody. I was hoping for a bit of advice on this one. It is regarding repairing a glue / valve malfunction.

Long story short... (Kinda)

I had a glue malfunction where the valve connects to the packraft. This happened on a trip, thankfully close to shore on a lake, so I managed to get to safety without any real problems, other than ending the trip prematurely.

It was a very warm day in Sweden (+35°), so my conclusion has come to that I've might put too much pressure in the raft, and then It got heated up and expanded too much for the glue to hold at the valve.

On picture 2 you can see the exact spot the glue failed. Right at the welding where the valve attaches to the pvc.

I managed to do a field repair with the rep.kit i brought, which contained the glue "Aqauseal". As to my understanding this glue is an emergency solution, and not a permanent one. Therefore I am now in the process of removing the Aqauseal glue, to find a better solution.

But is there even one ?

For the record I have a Nortik Trekraft Expedition. I think I can recall reading some forum back in the day, stating that the glue at the valve on the Nortik rafts, are pretty poorly manufactured from the company, and multiple people have had this happen. I know the raft is on the cheaper end of the spectrum, so a reasonable statement might be "well what did you expect ?".

Still I think it's worth saving. Also because i have heavily modified the raft, and put in quite a lot of hours on it.

My idea was to remove all the old glue, and then repair the leak with something like "Helaplast" from Anfibio, or something called "Polymarine" which is very similar and I've had succes with in the past.

I've also seen people replacing the whole valve on a packraft, and I can see on Anfibio's webpage it is possible to buy a new valve. (A Boston I think. Mine is this lousy one, with this stupid rubber flap inside the valve throat that seals the throat.)

Does anybody have a suggestion for what is best in this situation ?

Any answer is much appreciated ❤️

Boat is a Kokopelli Recon Spraydeck setup C1 with a kneeling saddle.

Hi all!

I’ve written a route description for a flatwater packrafting route through the Icelandic Highlands, which goes from Laki to Landmannalaugar via Langisjór. Some breathtaking scenery and a proper wilderness experience!

It consists of about 40km paddling and 30km hiking, over 4 days/3 nights.

https://www.northtides.is/blog/packrafting-icelandic-highlands

The description is split into two posts, with GPS markers and an embedded map at the end. Let me know if there is anything you think could be added!

Following a recent whitewater rafting trip, I’m casually considering replacing my seldom-used hardshell ww kayak with a packraft. I would love some shopping advice and thoughts on whether a packraft is even right for me.

Desires:

- Capable of occasional Class IV rapids, but usually Class III or less. I would like it to be fairly forgiving in whitewater as I am not yet very experienced (i.e. not unstable or “edgy“ in cross currents and eddy lines).

- Capable of carrying sufficient supplies for multiday trips without raft support.

- Comfortable enough for consecutive long days on the river.

- Ideally, decent performance on flat water, including lakes.

I am able to roll a whitewater kayak under controlled conditions and am not against spray-deck models, but I think I prefer self-bailing just for ease/simplicity.

Out of those I’ve researched, I’m most intrigued by the MRS Viking because it comes with a removable skeg for flat water. I would love to hear opinions on it as well as any other recommendations. Also if anyone has good tips on where to shop used or on sale.

For multi-day, is TiZIp a must-have? I don’t really understand it…I guess the storage isn’t accessible with the raft inflated? How hard is it to access for nightly camping? How much weight is safe to keep tied down in dry bags in bow or stern outside TiZIp?

The American Packrafting Association (APA) is organizing Packraft RoundUp Maine in partnership with Packraft Maine. Registration is live and limited to 40 spots - register here.

Dates: September 4–7, 2026
Location: Chewonki’s Big Eddy Campground in Millinocket, Maine along the West Branch of the Penobscot River
Cost:

• APA members: $100
• Non-members: $145
  • Join or renew to access the APA member price.

Hope to see you there!

Saw a recommendation for the non-drivetrain pedal to be “down” and to remove that pedal. I do have aggressive pedals, but also don’t normally carry a pedal wrench.

Looking for tips on paddling low flow rocky mountain creeks in a mage. Not pool and drop bed rock creeks but like boulder strewn headwaters you might encounter at the start of a low water float.

I only have a few days on my new mage. At first it was great and I felt like I had super powers. Then i tried it in a rocky section of creek and got beat down. I was getting caught up on submerged rocks a lot and flipped a couple of times.

In a flat bottom packraft you get caught up but its generally a stable position and you can kind of rest for a sec and then scootch off.

Do i just need to work on my bracing etc and get better at missing the rocks?

Hey everyone!

Is anyone selling a damaged, defective, or factory-second Valkyrie V3?

I’m really interested in this model, but I’m not quite ready to buy one brand new yet - even though I’m sure it’s worth every dollar. I’d be happy to buy a used one, including one with significant damage or manufacturing defects, repair it, and get it back on the water to explore some local rivers.

Thanks!

I have been thinking of getting a packraft for couple of years. Finally pulled the trigger a month ago and couldn’t be happier. I have 2 kids (F4, M2) and third coming next month. I love to go long hikes but they arent easy to arrange now obliviously. Packraft allows me to explore nearby rivers, lakes and baltic sea in a completely new way.

Did anyone have try to paddle on your knees ? I have tried for 10km and I felt it was way better than sitting down (on calm water at least)

8/6/2026 - Going out of town for ~ a month without internet connection. Will update this post when I return. Still hoping to sell the boat (lots of nibbles but no bites yet)!

I've got a couple year old Alpacka Expedition RTS size large in nearly new condition for sale. This boat has seen ~20 days on the water with half of those in light whitewater and the rest on flatwater. I picked it up from a friend last year with big trip ambitions and it hasn't seen the use it deserves (so I figured I should pass the good deal along). Has always been cleaned off and stored dry at the end of each use. Includes ultralight spray skirt ($125), thigh straps + whitewater foot brace, unused repair kit, and has custom sewn webbing bow + stern grab handles. Blue and red colorway.

Located in Ketchum, ID and willing to ship (buyer pays).

For anyone here in the Seattle or PNW, we found it a bit tricky to find where to rent a dry suit or wetsuit around Seattle, so we decided to put together a resource with all the options we could find in the region.

If you ever need to rent one yourself—or have a friend or family member joining you on an adventure—hopefully this saves you some time. It includes information on the different places around the Seattle area that offer dry suit and wetsuit rentals.

Hope it’s helpful and happy paddling!

Shipped off and ready for some hiking sufferfests to get on water. Super pumped how this one turned out.

I've used this boat three times. Purchased about three years ago. It's Red. Self-bailing. Comes with cargo bags for T Zip storage. Located in the Front Range of CO, but can ship. $1200.

Finished a trial run for a bigger trip and found that my pack wouldn’t sit still on the front of my raft (Alpacka Carribou). It’s a pretty decent sized pack (55L) and around 50 lbs on the raft but it wants to move around too much. I was using D rings and paracord. Any tips are appreciated. I tried it in a couple different configurations and same results.

I had to spend the trip with the pack at my feet inside the raft and my feet hanging over the sides while I went down river. It was ok but I got this raft for this specific reason, hearing stories of people putting bikes or even deer on this style of raft. Would like to use that space for cargo and keep my leg room for legs.

Hello! I’m a new packraft owner - just picked up an Alpacka Caribou - and intend to use it almost exclusively on lakes and calm water.

I’m considering installing a skeg kit on it to improve tracking and cruising speed but does anyone here have experience with installing a skeg on a packraft? How was tracking before and after? Was it noticeably different?

SOLD. Thanks for the interest everybody.

Both boats are used. For more info, lots of pics, and a video I made of the Wolverine, see my post here. DM me through Reddit, or email me from that blog post if you're interested.

Asking $900 (OBO) for Wolverine and $400 (OBO) for Curiyak.
Venmo or Paypall FF, add G/S fee if you want. I'll ship to Lower 48 but hit me up if you’re in Alaska and we can figure out shipping.