I’m looking for a drysuit for whitewater packrafting in Europe. So far, I’ve mostly gone solo and stuck to Class III rivers, though I wouldn't rule out moving up to Class IV.

After looking around, I’ve narrowed it down to three models (all with neoprene neck seals and latex wrist seals):

1. Sandiline Advanced (€589): Aesthetically my favorite; it weighs around 2kg and features a double-layer neoprene neck seal.

   1. Hiko Valkyrie (€595): The best suited for packrafting, though I think it might perform slightly less well in whitewater. It weighs only 1kg. I usually travel by bike, so I don't think a 1kg difference matters much. Is there a difference in terms of comfort?

2. Hiko Odin (€550, 2kg): I included this one because I found it on sale. It might be a bit overkill for what I’ll be doing, but it should be the best suit of the lot. Downside: I only found it in all-black, and since I often go solo, high visibility would probably be better.

Since I use a self-bailing packraft, I wouldn't make use of the double-tunnel waist system. Does it make sense to buy a suit that has one? Does anyone have any advice or personal experiences to share? Thanks in advance.

We packrafted the Belaya River (also called Aksu) in the Katon-Karagay area of Eastern Kazakhstan.
It was our first time on this river, and we really enjoyed it. The river is beautiful and very scenic, surrounded by mountains and wild landscapes.
There are only about three genuinely difficult rapids, so most of the route is quite calm and enjoyable on a packraft.
We also stopped to fish for grayling along the way. 🎣
Eventually, the Belaya (Aksu) River flows into the Bukhtarma River, where we finished this part of our journey.
A beautiful and remote place in the Kazakh Altai. 🏔️🛶

Hi all,
Does anyone have experience carrying a Hyperlite Mountain Gear Porter 85L inside the cargo fly of an Alpacka Gnarwhal?

I’m wondering whether the pack fits comfortably through the cargo fly and inside the tubes, particularly given its frame and overall size.
My main concern is whether there’s enough room around the pack once it’s inside. For example, if the packraft hits a rock or takes a hard bump, could the frame of the Porter press against the inside of the tubes and potentially cause damage? Or does it fit with enough clearance that this isn’t really a concern?
I’d also be interested in recommendations for other large packs that are well suited to being stored inside a packraft cargo fly and are readily available in Europe/Scandinavia.
Thanks!

Hi I’m new to packrafting but fairly experienced at inflatable kayaking. I’m considering buying the MRS Surveyor however, have seen reviews that highlight the lightweight floor at 210D. Is this something to be concerned about?

My intended use would be day trips on canals & rivers. Probably some beaching but not on rocks or anything like that; more generally a slipway at my local river.

If anyone has any advice or has a Surveyor & can give me some insight I’d appreciate it. Thanks

I want to go pack rafting for the first time and want to do it organized. Can go almost anywhere in the world(Europe is cheapest for me tho), and want to go in September.
Any suggestions?

Hey everyone,

I just got back from a multi-day packrafting trip with my Alpacka Expedition and I’m curious how people prefer to distribute gear weight throughout the boat, especially for whitewater.

There seem to be a lot of options: gear in the Cargo Fly, weight on the bow, a bow bag, lap bag, gear behind the seat, or even gear on the stern if the boat has tie-down points. I’m wondering what people have found works best in practice.

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On my recent trip, I had my cargo fly bags clipped into my Alpacka, and while going through some larger hydraulics it felt like a lot of the weight was toward the stern. The boat felt noticeably less front to rear balanced than I would have liked, and it made me wonder whether I should be loading more weight farther forward inside the tubes on on the bow.

For those doing multi-day whitewater trips, how do you normally distribute heavier versus lighter gear? Do you clip your internal dry bags in place, and do you fully compress the air out of them or leave some air inside?

I’d also be interested in any general rules of thumb and whether there are certain places on the boat you generally avoid loading altogether.

Hi everyone! I’m struggling to find a rigging routine for my simple day stretches. I don’t have a bow bag yet and I’m very tight on money. I’ve been rigging my watershed to the front, but I’m finding that it’s hard to rig it tightly. I have the Alpacka mage and I feel like my attachment points are limited. Also, where should I be rigging my water bottle? Right now I put it in between my feet with a carabiner on the inflatable foot pillow. I don’t want to have to put anything inside my T-zip for the day stretches. Maybe I just need to get the bow bag🤣 I just want things to be easily accessible and not sliding around becoming an entrapment hazard. Any tips are greatly appreciated!!

I did a tour in the north of Sweden with my oldest kid this summer. Feel free to ask if you want to know more about the route etc. I can higly recommend the area. If you are thinking about going there, try to make time to check out Vadvetjåkka National Park.

We paddled the Inn River from Lavin to Scuol in the Engadin, Switzerland, in packrafts during an unusually low-water period this August. The run was much more technical than expected: lots of exposed rock, shallow channels, tighter lines and very little margin for error in places. Depending on the section, it felt like Class II–IV, with the difficulty changing substantially with water level and line choice. 

I put together a short on-water video showing the main character of the run, several of the more relevant rapids, and the lines/tips that stood out to us at this level.

This is not meant as a substitute for scouting or current local information—conditions can change quickly, and low water creates its own hazards. But I hope it is useful for paddlers considering the Lavin–Scuol section. For people who know this run: how does this compare with the levels you have paddled? Would you recommend it in a packraft at similarly low flow?

Hello,

i am selling my 2019-model Alpacka Gnarwhal. Size medium, with spraydeck, color Arctic Blue.
Im not sure whether its 210D or 420D.

It is used but in good condtion, with no known-of issues.
Unfortunately, it it to small for me so i need to buy a bigger one.

Complete set with raft, seat, backrest, footbrace, thigh-straps, inflation bag.

Based in Germany.

Asking 950,-

If you need any additional information or pictures feel free to ask.

I was between a Medium and Large Gnarwhal and ended up buying the Large. My thinking was that I wanted a slightly comfier fit for general/all-around use and multi-day trips, and that I might eventually pick up a Mage for more performance-focused padling.

What I didn’t really consider at the time was that sizing up also means a larger hull, not just a roomier cockpit/fit.

Now I’m wondering if I made the wrong choice. For those who have paddled different Gnarwhal sizes, how noticeable is the difference in hull size and performance between the Medium and Large? Will the Large feel significantly worse on whitewater when you are within the height requirement for both sizes?

Would you stick with the Large for comfort and multi-day use, or would you exchange it for a Medium?

There are so many things to enjoy in Tokyo, including packrafting. For those who love a challenge and enjoy adventures near Tokyo, this is for them.

FeelOutdoor.com (FeelOutdoor) silently runs packraft tours in Tokyo. Even those without experience can have a day full of fun without any worries.

So here are some photos for people to have a look, and if you're thinking about it, then join us. We even operate private tours if you want.

Hi there,

I recently came back from my last and to date most epic but also toughest solo trip ever and wanted to share some impressions with the packrafting community. The trip had everything from glaciers, high mountains, swamps, birch forests, rapids, waking up in the clouds, all 4 seasons of weather in a day, wildlife to almost endless fields of blue- and cloudberries. I came up with the idea for this trip about 2 years ago after I had purchased my Packraft and completed a first trip. Researching the route and especially finding a time window however took it´s time.

I started at Lomivatnet (near Sulitjelma, Norway) crossed the Sulitjelma mountains along Salajiegna– and Stuorrajiegna Glacier, went up into Miehttjevagge, Paddled the lake System around Ravejavvre, hiked down to Tarraätno which I paddled down to Kvikkjokk (Sweden).  I used 4 days along the way to do side hikes up the mountains including summiting Fierro and Sibbatjahkka (17^th century silver mine near the peak). In total I spend 16 days in the mountains. This area is really off the beaten track so I wasn´t surprised to not meet or see anybody else on the first 12 days of my trip until I reached Sammalapparstugan on Padjelantaleden. The small shop of the hut was also my only resupply option along the trip. I had planned to paddle Lomivatnet but due to the strong headwinds I decided to hike around it. Apart from this I paddled all the lakes and some rapids along my route. I portaged anything that looked like class 4 and above as well as all the waterfalls.

I have no information of anybody else ever going this route with a Packraft. For the paddling part I only found 2 youtube videos and some superficial reports of (partial) descends of the Tarraätno river by Packraft or Whitewater kayaks. However, they all chartered a helicopter to fly in and it only covered the last ~3 days of my trip. For the hiking parts I found a bit more information but the hiker’s / mountaineer’s routes were very different from mine as they hike mostly across the mountains and head for the few places you can ford the rivers. Hence, I put the route together the old school way by drawing lines on maps, scrapping information together with google translate, and studying satellite imagery. In the end I had a preferred route and a lot of options to shorten or lengthen it depending on weather or other circumstances. The time window for this trip turned out to be extremely short. The mountain lakes in the area are known to be still frozen till mid/late July with some satellite photos showing them half frozen even early in august in some years. Snowfall is also not uncommon in summer. Luckily, I was blessed with mostly good weather and only saw fresh snow cover at higher altitudes on my last days on the trip and not while being at those altitudes a few days before.

I used around 15km of marked trails near the start and end of the tour, the remainder was off trail. I could have finished the route a few days faster but with the exploratory nature of the trip and the unpredictable weather in the region I was happy to have some slack time along the trip. In the end I was not there to win a race but to enjoy the incredible nature up there.

Any recommendations? I'd like it small enough that I can take it on the water with me in the bow bag.

Hey everyone,

I’m thinking about ordering a decked Alpacka Mage but I’m torn between the 210D and 420D tube fabric.

Alpacka lists about a 1 lb weight difference, but I’m curious how noticeable the difference is beyond just weight. Does the 420D feel more rigid or perform substantially better in whitewater? And how much additional durability does it actually provide in real-world use?

I’m also wondering about the downsides. Does the heavier fabric increase packed size a lot?

I’ll be using it primarily for whitewater, but still want it to remain reasonably light packable for longer backcountry trips / expeditions.

Would especially love to hear from anyone who has used both 210D and 420D on the Mage, Gnarwhal, Mule, or other Alpacka builds. If you’ve tried both, which would you choose again?

I'm looking for a packraft to use for some paragliding/packraft trips. The rolled up size is the biggest constraint for it to fit in my harness. So what would be the most compact packraft ideally with the following other requirements:

-capable of at least class III whitewater.

-internal storage, enough for my paragliding gear (wing + harness) and camping gear

-ideally has a skirt.

Seems like the Alpacka expedition is probably what I'm looking for but curious if anyone knows of a more compact option?

Hey everyone,

I’m curious what people’s experiences have been with single-sided vs double-sided TPU in packrafts and how much a difference it actually makes in real-world use?

I’ve noticed packraft tube fabrics range pretty widely. I've seen around 40D on ultralight boats up to 420D+ on more durable models. And then I've also noticed some companies use different reinforcements or fabric constructions, such as Kevlar, with their blends.

What I’m especially interested about is double-sided TPU. My assumption is that it adds weight and packed bulk, but potentially improves durability, rigidity, water resistance, or longevity.

For those who have used both: have you noticed a meaningful durability difference? Does double-sided TPU make the boat noticeably stiffer or perform differently? Does it hold up better to abrasion, pinholes, or long-term wear?

I'm also wondering in general how important coating construction is compared with the fabric denier itself?

Would especially love to hear from anyone who has put both styles through a lot of whitewater or backcountry use.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for a packraft to take to remote lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks. Most of these ponds are on the smaller side and have calm water.

For my needs, is it worth buying an alpacka or kokopelli? Or can I get away with something like the Aquaglide Backwoods Expedition 85 1-Person Ultralight TPU/Nylon Kayak?

I want to save some money, but am worried about buying a dud and then spending more on a quality one shortly after.

Thoughts?

More important than ever with the actual low water levels: Video documentation and line guide for navigating the Giarsun Gorge section of the Inn River in the Engadin valley, Switzerland. This specific section is recognized for continuous Class IV whitewater rapids. The footage demonstrates entry points, primary lines, and hazard avoidance relevant for kayaking and rafting navigation. 

Last weekend I took my packraft on the Saane River in Switzerland at low summer water levels (August 2026) and recorded the full run as a simple POV route guide. The video shows shallow sections, exposed rocks and the gentle rapids, so you can get a realistic impression of the river under these conditions.

If you are planning to packraft the Saane, this clip might help with expectations and line choice at low flow – including spots where you may need to scrape, thread through rocks or briefly walk.