# Worlds First Whitewater Packraft



## Randaddy

That is so sweet.


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## SuperSize

Wow, very nice. Any photos of the outfitting?


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## Gremlin

Name submitted and dreaming . . . . . .


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## cayo 2

Awesome!! Where is that first photo in the gallery ,the gorge with the wicked geology ?Looks like maybe some other shots of the Alsaseca and Cataract (or GC)?How big of a person would it fit? 6'4" 250 ish doable? Really cool ! Beats lugging 35 lb .duckies and kayaks around.Is there anywhere to demo one? Can you say Copper Canyon or back country Belize!Guess you guys have plenty of areas to explore in Wyo /Mont./Id.and Alaska.


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## lgwalker

cayo 2 said:


> Awesome!! Where is that first photo in the gallery ,the gorge with the wicked geology ?Looks like maybe some other shots of the Alsaseca and Cataract (or GC)?How big of a person would it fit? 6'4" 250 ish doable? Really cool ! Beats lugging 35 lb .duckies and kayaks around.Is there anywhere to demo one? Can you say Copper Canyon or back country Belize!Guess you guys have plenty of areas to explore in Wyo /Mont./Id.and Alaska.


I think the first photo is in Costa Rica. The muddy shot is GC. 

As far as 6'4" and 250ish I think it would still handle great. I would recommend sending them an email (Alpacka Raft LLC - The World's Finest Packrafts) and seeing if you couldn't maybe get one that was slightly longer. I'm not positive about demos either but that is a great questions as well. Where are you located?

I tried it out at Gauley Fest this past weekend and it worked awesome. I have included some pictures below:


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## jmacn

Finally! That thing looks awesome. I'm also curious if at 6'4" 205lbs it'll be long enough. Stoked to get in one & see. I also think I just won the naming contest. Fingers crossed!!


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## Schutzie

Does it have cup holders?


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## Gremlin

Schutzie said:


> Does it have cup holders?


That _would_ make it a raft and not an inflatable kayak!


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## elkhaven

Gremlin said:


> That _would_ make it a raft and not an inflatable kayak!


Actually according to the name it is a "raft" not a kayak... so it must come with beer holders.

And I'm certain I won the naming contest, simple yet descriptive and catchy :razz:


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## wyattroscoe

*Couple Answers*

*I'm also curious if at 6'4" 205lbs it'll be long enough. Stoked to get in one & see.*
The initial boats will be built specifically for your size. Because of the importance of this until the company has a full understanding of sizing you will be able to have boats made for you specific body type. 

*
Does it have cup holders?*
Think Koozies with the suction on them work really well if glued to the front deck!









*Any photos of the outfitting?*
I will try and get some out soon.



Excited to see where more people start taking these guys!


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## codycleve

looks awesome. I submitted my name. Pretty sure I just got a new boat..


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## Randaddy

Are you people kidding? My name is the winner for sure!


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## Mike Hartley

Cool looking boat but did I read that correctly? $1900 ?!?


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## Anchorless

$2k?

Ouch. I would definitely be in the market if the price were about half that....


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## Gremlin

I'm going to win one so I didn't bother to look at the price


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## elkhaven

I can't wait until I win this boat, partially to hear what names all you worthy losers came up with.


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## codycleve

we have probably all come up with the same name. all the while thinking we are being creative and catchy..


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## asleep.at.the.oars

How does it roll and play compared with a normal boat?
With some of the stuff people have done with existing Alpackas, I'm waiting for some amazing videos from people with better free time:responsibility quotients than myself.


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## upshitscreek

i stole me some new wallpaper....










cool pic. i wanna be there.


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## mikesee

asleep.at.the.oars said:


> How does it roll and play compared with a normal boat?
> With some of the stuff people have done with existing Alpackas, I'm waiting for some amazing videos from people with better free time:responsibility quotients than myself.


My $02 is that the point of a whitewater packraft is to get to non-roadside places. Any hardshell playboat excels at roadside play, but would suck to carry miles in to pluck a cherry of a first d.

Having said that, while the intent of these new Alpacka WW boats isn't play, I've seen them do effortless blunts, cartwheels, and both front and back loops. Full disclosure: the back loop was me, was 100% unintentional, and resulted in a swim...

If you already have a solid roll in a hardshell you'll quickly learn to adapt it to the packraft. I don't think they're quite as easy to roll as a hardshell, but my experience is really limited.

Two of my favorite trips from this summer, that happen to have been done in the yet-to-be-named Alpacka whitewater boat:

https://vimeo.com/104585571

and

https://vimeo.com/99797225

And finally: There were 5 of us out at Gauley Fest last weekend, paddling these boats. Our schedule was tight so we only got to do one lap on the New River Gorge and one on the Upper Gauley. None of us had ever been on either. We each had a flip and subsequent roll on the New, and one of our group got slapped sideways by the big lateral hit at the bottom of Sweet's, but easily rolled up in the aerated water below.

Point being, some will look to these new packrafts for probing unpaddled deep backcountry runs, others will use them to *easily* go places that are very difficult/expensive to take a kayak--like from the West Coast to Gauley Fest for a quick weekend romp.

Good times to be a boater.

MC


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## Don

*Upper Gauley*

I saw you guys come through Iron Ring on the Upper Gauley and everyone smoked it. They looked great and in total control. I saw a lot of kayakers and rafters having a much harder time during the same time period. Great looking river tool.


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## Nathan

I think these would be cool to try. How's the durability on manky stuff.


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## asleep.at.the.oars

MC - nice vids, thanks. Sounds like they are enjoyable to paddle once you've hiked them in (or stowed them in the overhead compartment...)


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## Cookie

And then there's this:Bakraft

For those of you who aren't going to win the naming contest....

AIRE's brand new prototype: self bailing, 6.5 lbs, and $800 cheaper than the alpacka. Initial reports on how it paddles are very, very good. Looks like it will have thigh straps, but looks more like a duckie (not sure if it'll be roll-able).

Edit: nevermind, here's video of someone rolling it: http://forrestmccarthy.blogspot.com/2014/09/bakraft-by-aire.html?m=1


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## cayo 2

I love Aire's boats ,but am skeptical that it " slices like a kayak" ..it is 42" wide and 13 " tubes that makes it a very wide ducky ..I could not get that vid ,but that guy must be really good at rolling to roll a boat that wide...maybe the shortness , tube curve, and outfitting offset that...


With these new ultra lightweight materials ,why not use old good designs with the new materials ,better outfitting,and scaled down a little.,.imagine a rollable or reenterable self bailing Force or Lynx (or Thrillseeker style ) that weighed 12-15 lbs .and rolled up more compact.


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## GratefulOne

yea im with you on that cayo!!! that's what im thinking!! would love an ultra light sotar /force...but that I didn't have to worry about popping it... or having to baby it.


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## mikesee

cayo 2 said:


> I love Aire's boats ,but am skeptical that it " slices like a kayak" ..it is 42" wide and 13 " tubes that makes it a very wide ducky ..I could not get that vid ,but that guy must be really good at rolling to roll a boat that wide...maybe the shortness , tube curve, and outfitting offset that...


I saw the video--he had a hard time getting it all the way over in a perfectly calm eddy, even though he flipped when already set up to roll. Hard to imagine a combat roll in aerated water, much less when in a hurry or when a solid setup just isn't going to happen.


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## wyattroscoe

asleep.at.the.oars said:


> How does it roll and play compared with a normal boat?
> With some of the stuff people have done with existing Alpackas, I'm waiting for some amazing videos from people with better free time:responsibility quotients than myself.


The boat is more difficult to roll than a normal kayak because of the width at your hips, but it is still very rollable.


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## mcguire

This thing looks great. My local run is the Ramsey run on the N.fork Stanislaus. Hard class 5, several portages and a 2 mile hike in. I run it at low water in my 10 year old wing IK. Throwing my name into the hat for a free one.

THE GLOBETROTTER oh yea!


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## codycleve

so the winner is supposed to be selected today... will it be anounced on the alpacka website. I'm curious what name won..


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## jmacn

I've been looking forward to finding out too. Pretty damn sure it's me.


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## elkhaven

so in the mean time lets here the names! Mine was packrat... I love it though a marketing team would probably shoot it down - some bs about image or something... 

Let's her 'em!!


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## wabashabi

Pocket Rocket


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## jmacn

Al Pucon


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## Don

*Names we don't no stinking names*

Alpaca Yak


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## elkhaven

Don said:


> Alpaca Yak


solid


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## codycleve

"first descent" as that is what would be achieved with the boat


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## boonekayak

Vicuna- the alpaca's wild ancestor


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## GratefulOne

I sent in a few cuz I didn't see any rules against it... I thought about Vicuna, or Guanaco but was afraid no one would know what they were...? lol

one of my submissions was very similar.... PackYak!


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## yakkeranna

the llamanator!


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## GratefulOne

I just hope a buzzard wins so we can all celebrate.... if its not someone on the buzz we will know the contest was rigged....


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## Docennig

"Tupac"
because a friend once said I'll be fine as long as I'm not as lame as my puns...


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## asleep.at.the.oars

Fu

Because they already have a Gnu, and you can put it in a suitcase to fly south with.


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## brendodendo

Mohair.


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## Gremlin

Nymph


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## Randaddy

It's going to be called the Randaddy. Small, tough, and different.


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## Gnome79

The Mobius Trip


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## yesimapirate

Have they announced the winner?


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## codycleve

I dont think so.. I think they are waiting for my birthday to let me know I won.. So results should be out on friday.. lol cant think of a better gift..


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## paulk

It's going to be called the randaddy. Bound to flip more often than not but easy to throw around if you need to.


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## jmacn

All Legend, All Gangster, Alpacka
Introducing...
"The Al Pucon"


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## yesimapirate

The Al PACino?


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## jmacn

The website says they're still deciding. Winner to be announced soon. Hopefully they'll reveal the honorable mentions that were in the final running...


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## Gnome79

Alpackalypse...not bad. Jason King a buzzard?


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## Gnome79

Correction. Justin King.


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## mikesee

Not my vid, just sharing the stoke.

Big Wheel Building: Effing awesome.


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## Cookie

That's a pretty rad video Mike!


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## mikesee

Oh, and...

Big Wheel Building: Packrafting the Grand.

Just a quickie of packrafts running many of the rapids in the Grand. 

We had two Alpackalypse's on the trip--all of the POV was taken from within one of 'em.


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## jmacn

Alpackalypse Outfitting video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-LLwfoG3B4


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## Bigdrops

When I saw this thread I sent it to my friend Justin because he knows a lot of words and he loves to use them. He called me up after he found out he won and told me he had inspiration from a local Oregon Apocalypse beer. Now he's getting psyched to do some big Grand Canyon canyoneering routes with his new Alpacalypse. 
Justin is not a Buzzard, and earlier this year when Rocky Contos was recruiting boatmen from the buzz for the big Peru river trip, I wanted to go so bad but could not. So I called Justin and told him about the trip after one thing lead to another he landed himself in the captains seat of a gear boat. I will try to get him to sign up, he would be an excellent buzzard.


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## bob gnarley

*If there are any doubts...*

The capability of these boats is amazing. Here is a link to a quick video of packrafting the Little White Salmon river in Washington State.

https://vimeo.com/114492255

These are solid boats, we ran everything including spirit falls without trouble! It is a fun little creek boat.


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## mikesee

bob gnarley said:


> These are solid boats, we ran everything including spirit falls without trouble! It is a fun little creek boat.


Awesome vid.

Here's another, from an October trip down the Grand:

Alpackalypse in Action: Grand Canyon on Vimeo


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## -k-

Miksee fix your link. I dig your vids. Can't wait to see how you handle those standing waves.


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## mikesee

-k- said:


> Miksee fix your link. I dig your vids. Can't wait to see how you handle those standing waves.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


It works for me?

Alpackalypse in Action: Grand Canyon on Vimeo

Not my vid, but I am in it a handful of times.


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## -k-

Must be a mobile disruption


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## mervo

Great vid, great looking trip. Thanks for sharing. 

The Alpackalypse shall be mine this season, oh yes, it shall be mine.


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## Down River Equipment

We do have one of the prototype BakRafts on display in our retail store.


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## mikesee

Down River Equipment said:


> We do have one of the prototype BakRafts on display in our retail store.


Don't leave it in the window, exposed to direct sunlight. Apparently they weren't designed for that.


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## Gnome79

Just wondering...why would you rally one of these boats over a hardshell if you're not doing a multi day trip? 


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## Gluck

*Why Not a Hardshell*

Erm... My own reasons for liking these boats for non-multi-day floats, based on the kinds of things we do with them:

*Because the hike in is totally pleasant

*Because bikes make better shuttle vehicles

*Because they are more stable and forgiving

*Because they self-rescue easily and quickly

*Because they are light to portage


This assumes an attraction toward more remote runs, a single motor-vehicle, and my own (questionable) skill level. Your results may vary.


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## laterwagged

Just came across this today...not sure if folks had already seen this.

All New BAKraft | AIRE


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