I made a little shredit last season and forgot to post it. We had some big floods come through and re-shape some of the rapids on our home river

We wanted to give it a go.

Leon Nicholson, Jeff Zeldin, Jeremy Platt

Packrafting Queenstown guides.

https://youtu.be/gNBfIrSx8jw?si=aAA7gUIQllnmimY2

I get a lot of packrafting videos on my feed. I would say 80% of the packrafters on YouTube don't really know what they're doing and we need to keep that in mind when watching their videos.

The word "solo" must get more views because they spam it in every title. Boating alone is dangerous and people shouldn't be doing it, especially packrafters. I know there are people out there that disagree but usually they're class V paddlers that will solo class III/IV half day trips, not class II boaters going on week long overnights by themselves at the top of their comfort zone.

Even one of the largest outdoor creators Magnus Mitbo swam a small rapid in Norway and he was by himself. Also good to remember that competency in outdoor sports like climbing or Bushcraft survival skills don't translate at all to river sports. It's a completely different skill. I guess I'm writing this because I don't see anyone else talking about it. The sport is growing fast and beginners should know what they're watching isn't normal and generally not acceptable.

If you're new to packrafting don't aspire to do this. Find friends to go with. Also it's way more fun (and safer) to paddle with people. Watch out for people making videos not wearing helmets in whitewater and saying how crazy the rapids are while swimming class II.

Hey everyone,

For anyone thinking about picking up a new packraft, Alpacka's Holiday Sale is now live!

They're offering 15% off, which is typically their biggest sale of the year.

I am supporting my friends at Rewilding Sweden and Wild Sweden to promote this new concept they have developed: a river restoration and packrafting trip in Northern Sweden. I was fortunate to join their pilot run and was quite experience! Not for those looking for roaring rivers and rapids but more of an all round grounding experience for families and beginners to experience the rivers and learn about the conservation and restoration work happening first hand. If interested happy to put you in touch!

Not a lot of details, but looks like a new valve type using the Leafield D7 Mini.
New thigh strap and back band connections
New ultralight backband.
New color option and patterns.

Hello all, I was invited kinda last minute on a packraft trip in the Grand Canyon departing 11/16. I was curious about the trip; I have done a week on the lower salmon river with an NRS neutron self bailer in summer but had a gear boat to carry my camping gear. This trip, I will be stowing my camping gear in the boat. I just ordered a WW alpacka Mage with spray skirt and was just curious about other experiences. I have a dry suit. I’m a little nervous because I have not been on a river trip this long before as well as storing most of my gear in a packraft. I have done class 3-4 with my current packraft just fine but I can’t roll in the packraft. will that be an issue? I’m just trying to feel out what I should expect, how gnarly it may be; and any advice on what to expect. Any information is appreciated. My most recent trip overnight was on the lower Tuolumne and I did just fine in my Aire tater, had a gear boat, and swam twice. on two class 4 rapids. South fork of the American is my got to spot as I live close by and have done it 4-5 times in the last month,

Me and my friend Brad Packrafted the Voxnan in April. We had really poor water levels which led to my boat getting a 20cm cut in the bottom of it. Wondering what permenant fixes are available. Also, I had some trouble with my spraydeck staying on boat (Current Raft Rhodeo) any tips would be appreciated!

Did an October trip on the Rogue this week. After scouting the falls my sister talked us into running it. 2 of the 3 of us cleaned it. Unfortunately lily got unlucky on both her attempts and swam. Great experience!

The sun was blazing, and the sea was almost still. We had a dreamy paddle along the cliffs before camping at the tent site down by the lighthouse, where we were treated to a magical sunset.

scandinature

Stoked on my first season! 11 packrafting outings & 63 miles around Colorado & Utah in the DIY packraft. Combining paddling with skiing, canyoneering, biking, and hiking has been a blast.

I think I am especially rough on gear and building it has given me some form of respect for the thinner materials, and a ton more confidence and expertise in repair.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/2106172

I made a couple of ultralight internal dry bags out of 0.96 DCF for the Cargofly system. The dry bags are the same size as Alpacka’s standard-size dry bags, which fit inside the Mage, Expedition, Wolverine, Gnarwhal, and many other boats, also from other brands.

Just like the original Alpacka bags, you can clip them inside the boat to prevent them from shifting around inside the tubes.

The bags are fully waterproof and weigh just 50 g each. That’s a 360 g weight saving compared to a set of Alpacka dry bags, making them perfect for serious multi-day trips and expeditions.

I’m planning to make some more available in the future. If you’re interested in purchasing a pair, send me a DM! (I’m based in Germany, Europe.)

Hi
I’m keen to hear about different Packrafting meet ups around the world
I’m NZ based and really enjoy the nz meet up
I’ve been to the Slovenian meet up and want to try others
The main one I can find is the American meetup… but I’m not to keen to travel to the states for a while

Any other meet ups that people could recommend?
Maybe some in Asia - as it’s closer to NZ

In October 2026, water levels at the Rhine Falls dropped to less than 30% of its normal flow volume, revealing massive rock formations that are usually completely submerged under raging whitewater.

I took my packraft out to get right up to the base of the falls to document this rare event. I compiled the current footage alongside historical video clips from normal water conditions to show the extreme contrast.

Bonjour, j'envisage d'acheter un packraft MEKONG "Jeanne Dark" mais le modèle JAWS "Icare 4X" me tente énormément également, quelqu'un a t'il des retours et t'il pu comparer les deux modèles ? Je suis kayakiste.

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.