# creeking in packrafts



## Scottsfire (Aug 8, 2008)

Pretty freakin cool............you guys make it look easy!


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## youngpaddler06 (Nov 17, 2007)

Hell ya!!!!


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

cold77 said:


> Is there a future in this?


how about:

YouTube - Bird Creek Packrafting


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## hartle (May 8, 2006)

whats wrong with kayaking?


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## Claytonious (Jan 17, 2008)

They seem like a shitty inflatable kayak to me. If someone came up with a good design for an IK that had a closed deck, I could see that catching on, much easier to travel with than a creekboat.


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

The whole point of these boats is that they weigh next to nothing (under 5 lbs.). They are made for people going on treks that need to make some big river crossings or want to do some down river travel on class I or II. Think about a week or two week trip through the bush in Alaska. The rivers up there are often to big to cross without a boat. It the 'Into the Wild' kid had one of these boats he would have been able to get out pretty easy. 

Alpacka Raft LLC - The World's Finest Packrafts


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## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

Glad to see they put a pad in for your ass, otherwise the hike out might be painful.


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## ZGjethro (Apr 10, 2008)

They seem pretty versatile and manueverable. The weight distribution places most of the paddler's weight at the stern and it looks like they rear endo too easily.


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## doublet (May 21, 2004)

This video is awesome. 

YouTube - Alpacka Raft creek decent

<5 pounds? Could be sweet for runs with a long hike in.


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## bob gnarley (Mar 23, 2007)

*Another great packrafting video*

this is by far, the best packrafting video yet.

YouTube - Salty Schnitzel - Alpacka Rafting


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Bad ass, remote running the shit, so off the wall people don't even understand why you'd use the new craft. Rad!


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## bob gnarley (Mar 23, 2007)

*alpacka raft*



lhowemt said:


> Bad ass, remote running the shit, so off the wall people don't even understand why you'd use the new craft. Rad!


You also might find this video interesting

YouTube - Lime Creamsickle


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## fred norquist (Apr 4, 2007)

i think its sweet... looks fun for sure


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## [email protected] (Apr 26, 2006)

That is some of the worst swimming I have seen, those guys got so many rock enemas that it wasn't even funny. I went to the website for those rafts and they make it sound like they are not made of that tough of stuff, anybody ever popped theirs?
-Tom


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> That is some of the worst swimming I have seen, those guys got so many rock enemas that it wasn't even funny. I went to the website for those rafts and they make it sound like they are not made of that tough of stuff, anybody ever popped theirs?
> -Tom


Yes. But usually on dry rocks.

Those creeking videos that Bob Gnarley posted are cool but mere humans can paddle too on Wilderness Classics:

YouTube - Talkeetna Canyon Weekend


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

*Swim:*

More interesting with sound.....

YouTube - Talkeetna Canyon Swim


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## bob gnarley (Mar 23, 2007)

*Fossil creekin*

Now here is something everyone can enjoy!

Packrafts are great for low volume creeks. The can withstand drops of 30'. I have never popped one. 

YouTube - Jedi Knight Battle


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

fred norquist said:


> i think its sweet... looks fun for sure


Article today in NYT about packrafts:

River Lite - Floats Great, Less Filling - NYTimes.com


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

One of my passengers on WW next weekend is bringing one of these, I will see if I can get any decent footage of the packraft in big water.

Seems like most of the footage was creeking, I want to see it in bigger stuff out of curiosity.


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

kazak4x4 said:


> Seems like most of the footage was creeking, I want to see it in bigger stuff out of curiosity.


YouTube - Grand Canyon Packrafting


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

bob gnarley said:


> Now here is something everyone can enjoy!
> 
> Packrafts are great for low volume creeks. They can withstand drops of 30'.


Mr. Gnarley, in the awesome videos you have posted, Lime, Dingford, Salt, Fossil, the boats have no dry skirts. How come? Did you grab a boat full of water and rip it off? Or does it rip off when you drop the 30 ftrs? 

and is it better to drop in a swamped boat, a dry boat, or something in between?


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

'' if someone came up with a good design for a decked IK ,that would catch on,much easier for travel than a creek boat"[ not quite verbatim].., go to Inflatable Kayak Video Incept Sally or google incept sally video.

How come even when I type out the full web address it STILL doesn't allow you to click on it for a direct link?GH ,help a computer illiterate please.

This boat is bad ass but expensive,been around for years.The video 'Full ON' had sweet footage of stomping class 5 ,dropping medium sized falls ,and even play boating way better than you'd expect.I WANT ONE BAD!Innova Traveler is a cheaper decked IK ,ok for intermediate stuff.

Those Alpacas are awesome but, I am skeptical of the durability.How easy are they to repair? You could have problems on big water ,eg the flimsy skirt implodes and it isn't self bailing.Sweet for some rivers/types of boating, but maybe not for others.


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

cayo 2 said:


> Those Alpacas are awesome but, I am skeptical of the durability.How easy are they to repair? You could have problems on big water ,eg the flimsy skirt implodes and it isn't self bailing.Sweet for some rivers/types of boating, but maybe not for others.


The decks may sometimes implode with really, really big water (and on drops over 20 feet also) but in my experience on the Grand Canyon and in Cataract Canyon had no implodes.

The boats repair real easily with duct tape. Just dry off the tube with your underwear or in the sun and tape it. It'll last for a season, and you can always patch it properly at home.


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## goldcamp (Aug 9, 2006)

The design didn't seem to make any sense being so back heavy. Then I saw one fully loaded with gear in the front and it looked alot more stable.


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

cayo 2 said:


> '' ]Inflatable Kayak Video Incept Sally[/url] or google incept sally video.


 Wow that Sally looks and acts like a hardshell. It looks to far outperform an Alpacka....What does it weigh? Can you inflate it without a foot pump? It looks like an ideal boat for a travelling kayaker....

Can you stomach one more packrafting vid? 
Promise no more this year....


Not as cool as Bob Gnarley's vids, but those guys are the real thing...most of us are just a bunch of hacks having fun and over-35-hacks at that.

YouTube - Revolution 09


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## kazak4x4 (May 25, 2009)

We took a packraft down WW last weekend. The guy made it to Funnel falls, a lateral worked him hard. We fished him out only by Surprise.

YouTube - Packrafting Westwater


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

Incept K30X Explore (Sally) inflatable kayak
Price: $1550.00 
*Dimensions and Weight:*










Length 3.0m or 9' 10"
Tube diameter 0.23m+ or 9"+ (tubes are tapered)
Weight 13 kgs or 29 pounds
Rolled up volume approximately 60 litres or 2.3 cubic feet
 *







*
Incept White Water Inflatable Kayak K30X :: Inflatable Kayaks :: Kayaks :: Products :: PaddlerZone Kayak Shop and School, Christchurch, New Zealand


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## ZGjethro (Apr 10, 2008)

The Sally boat looks pretty awesome compared to the pack rafts in terms of paddling. Is there any gear storage space?


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

ZGjethro said:


> The Sally boat looks pretty awesome compared to the pack rafts in terms of paddling. Is there any gear storage space?


The site says something about a rear storage compartment. Is 30 lbs much lighter than a normal kayak? A WS Fuse 56 weighs 33lbs. On the inflatable side NRS has IK's that weigh 20lbs (Bandit I).


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## ZGjethro (Apr 10, 2008)

I think the average creek boat is about 40 lbs, but they are cumbersome. I am intrigued by both of these boat types.


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## Mike Hartley (May 1, 2006)

ZGjethro said:


> The Sally boat looks pretty awesome compared to the pack rafts in terms of paddling. Is there any gear storage space?


Yea there's some storage space in the Sally. If you went REALLY light you might be able to do an overnighter. I've paddled one but not with any gear in it. And true, the NRS bandit is lighter but there is no comparison between the Sally and any other IK out there, at least that I've tried. It's a pretty high performance rig without the bailing issues of a regular IK and very easy to roll. It's such a specialized boat though that I seriously doubt that you'll ever see many of them out on a river.


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

four of us did a three day fly-in/fly-out trip where we paddled Class III and some side creeks of Class IV with Alpackas. It cost us $300 each

We had to weigh 800 pounds total, with boats, food, safety and cold weather gear. If we couldn't make it, the price would have doubled to $600 each -- we would have needed a second plane.

That's where a five pound boat is really worth its weight over the 20 pound boat.


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## willieWAO (Jun 14, 2005)

Ah, indeed it would appear as if the light weight of the alpacka + its versatility is dominate. Im thinking about taking one of these to Costa Rica, biking in to remote rivers, and machete-chopping around whatever i cant paddle...


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

willieWAO said:


> Ah, indeed it would appear as if the light weight of the alpacka + its versatility is dominate. Im thinking about taking one of these to Costa Rica, biking in to remote rivers, and machete-chopping around whatever i cant paddle...


You got it.

You can even boat with the bike on the bow up to Class III -- flipping and swimming with a bike on the bow is sucky, especially if your paddle get jammed up in the fork.

Back in the 90s three guys road mtn bikes down whitmore wash from N rim, loaded up their bikes on their packrafts (5 pounds) and paddled down to diamond creek, then took out and road up to the S rim. Stories in a book someweher.

Highly illegal, yea.


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## cadster (May 1, 2005)

A tube seems like the cheap option for going light.

See: YouTube - filmingtherockies's Channel


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

raftus said:


> Incept K30X Explore (Sally) inflatable kayak
> Price: $1550.00
> *Dimensions and Weight:*
> 
> ...


In the words on BrianK, that thing is a death trap.


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## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

Why is it a death trap ?Other than some extremely fluky circumstance where it puntures and wrapped on you,you can roll or wet exit just like a kayak.

It isn't much lighter,but is more compact.The main benefit of it is that you can travel as easily as a ducky but have creek boat performance,or very close.A lot of kayakers look down on duckies ,but alot of countries have no gear available and planes won't take them or charge an arm and a leg.You could have the highest performance easily portable boat.The same general idea applies to these PACKRAFTS compared to duckies or rafts;; you compromise performance for ease of transport.I am sure they are still fun and get you into places you'd never boat otherwise. 

I would like to use an Alpaca to descend into the gorge below Hidden Valley Falls on Roaring Creek Belize,the tallest waterfall in Central America.There is a seldom used trail always described as '' treacherous" that goes to the river from the viewing area.It would be awesome to paddle up to the base of a 1600 ftr. where few have ever been and no one has ever boated.The river doesn't look too tough from there down, but I'd bet on some hidden surprises,world class wildlife viewing,and caves,eventually class 2 down where there is access.That boat is tailor made for stuff like that.


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## cold77 (Nov 16, 2008)

cayo 2 said:


> I would like to use an Alpaca to descend into the gorge below Hidden Valley Falls on Roaring Creek Belize,the tallest waterfall in Central America.There is a seldom used trail always described as '' treacherous" that goes to the river from the viewing area.It would be awesome to paddle up to the base of a 1600 ftr. where few have ever been and no one has ever boated.The river doesn't look too tough from there down, but I'd bet on some hidden surprises,world class wildlife viewing,and caves,eventually class 2 down where there is access.That boat is tailor made for stuff like that.


Cool idea cayo!...adventure is where it's at with a packraft....

I heard the guy with the roll in his packraft is going to NZ with a hardshell and a packraft, both.


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