Bound For Nowhere

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How to Pack for Packrafting

Mary Krogh

If we haven't made it abundantly clear, we've fallen head over heals for packrafting because of the world of possibilities when you have a boat that can go virtually anywhere! In this video/post I take you through the basic gear and how to pack for packrafting. Though this will focus on packing for a packrafting trip that requires you to backpack in, it’ll be helpful for anyone wanting to learn gear basics.

This blog post and video were made in partnership with our friends over at REI. We’re proud to have them as a sponsor as we’ve been REI members since 2011 and it’s our favorite place to pick up all the gear and advice we need for our adventures!

Please note: The links provided in this blog post are affiliate links. If you end up purchasing some of these pieces of gear we get a very small portion of the sales. Thank you as always for supporting us and our life on the road, it gives us the opportunity to share so extensively with you all!

Even though this post is focused around packrafting that requires you to backpack in, I won’t be going over the backpacking supplies in this post. Not too long ago we shared a video and gear list that details our backpacking gear and how we pack for that kind of trip. So if that is something you’re also wanting to learn about head over to that post via the below button.

Warning: Backpacking with packraft gear is not a light endeavor. Our goal is always to have our packs be as light as possible, however as soon as the packraft equipment is added you are saying goodbye to a light pack. To give you an idea when we’re just backpacking our base weight is less than 25 lbs. With packrafts and all their accessories it's easy to end up with a pack around 40lbs. Just be warned ;)

Owen and I each have the Alpacka Wolverine raft with whitewater decking. Though we’ve only recently dipped our toes into the sport these boats are far more capable than we’re ready to take on with our skillset at this moment in time. Because packrafts are a pretty big investment we bought boats that were capable enough for some “goal” trips we have in the future so we don’t out grow our boats too quickly. In total each of our boats, including whitewater accessories weighs in at 8.9lb and packs down small enough to rest on the top of our packs. Our specific boats have a max weight capacity of 350lb for both the paddler and cargo. At the time I’m writing this we’re 4 big trips in with our packrafts and only seem to fall in love with them more each time we get on the water.

There are a few main packraft companies out there that make packrafts: Alpacka, Kokopeli, and Aquaglide and they all offer a wide range of boats that are capable of a wide range of water conditions. As for what boat is right for you there are a few main things that you will want to keep in mind:

  • Your desired/goal trips

  • Your size

  • Will you need to store gear inside of the boat*


*This question is particularly important. If you are wanting to start doing multiple day river trips, your answer to this question will be yes. To sustain multiple days on the water you will need to carry more gear than is safe to tie to the bow of your boat. Also are you interested in white water while carrying even just a days worth of gear? You too will want to store gear in the boat to give you better maneuverability on the water.

Then if you determine you do want to be able to store gear in your boat, you will need to purchase a raft that has a zipper allowing you to access that space.

It’s really amazing how these rafts work. Before inflating you open the raft up via a zipper, slip your gear in, secure it into place, close the zipper up and inflate your boat around it. This allows you to get your gear off the bow of your boat and it will give you better visibility and make it more maneuverable in technical water. It makes a massive difference!

As for which boat is best for you and your needs? Well that is something only you can answer. I recommend reaching out to the fine folks over at REI because they can use their experience to help guide you based on your experience level, desired trips, and your size. 

For paddles we have the Aqua Bound four piece Shred paddles in fiberglass and the weigh 38.5 oz each. 

There are a few things that you will want to keeping mind when looking for a paddle for yourself. These things are as follows:

  • Material. Fiberglass or Carbon Fiber

  • Number of pieces the paddle breaks down to be

  • Width of the paddle

Material: Fiberglass is not going to be as light as carbon fiber but if far more forgiving. We went with fiberglass because we’re still learning boat control we didn’t want to worry about breaking a paddle if we push off the bottom or rocks. Carbon fiber is far lighter but is much more fragile.

Number of pieces: I recommend a four piece paddle for backpacking with a packraft because it will allow you to navigate dense foliage while hiking without getting caught on everything. Owen’s paddle recently got stuck together and the poor things got caught on… everything. 

Width of Paddle: This will greatly be determined by the width of your boat. Once you know your boat width I recommend speaking to a gear professional because they can steer you in the right direction based on your raft of choice and skill level!

Dry bags are obviously extremely import for packrafting because everything you bring with you that you don’t want to get wet will need to get stored in one. If you plan to store your gear inside of your raft, you will want to be sure that you get two of the same size dry bag and pack them with evenly distributed weight between the two dry bags. This is to be sure that the boat is even and balanced on the water which will intimately give you better maneuverability.

Boats that have interior storage sometimes come with tie downs to be sure the gear stays in place when you navigate river features. If your boat doesn’t come with them you may want to consider adding them.

Here are the things that I recommend storing in dry bags when you are out on the water: clothes, food, sleeping bag, tent, essentially anything you don’t want to be wet. Be sure to do a test pack of your gear into the dry bag and your boat ahead of time to be sure everything fits! If you ever need to pack sharp objects, such as trekking poles, cover the sharp ends with something, before slipping them inside the raft to avoid a puncture.

You may also want to carry an extra dry bag as backup or for strapping to the bow of your boat to hold the things that you’ll need for the day once the rest of your gear is inside your inflated raft!

Bow bags are made to fit to the nose of your boat and are water tight and would serve the same purpose as the dry bag I mentioned above. Having a specific bow bag can make all the difference in the world to have easy access to the things that we kept out for the day without having to deal with the roll top design of a standard dry bag. These bow bags are also great for casual floats because you can store things like a camera, your wallet, and keys in them.

I recommend carrying a few straps for tying things down to your boat with. This could be anything from your pack, shoes, gear to your pack while hiking, tying your boat to a tree when you go a shore. There are a lot of things that you can do with them and they are great to keep a few extras on hand. We have used some minimal straps as well as para cord, but I recommend the more robust NRS straps as they don’t get as tangled and are a lot faster to strap things to your boat with.

This may be a no brainer but… Don’t go packrafting without a personal floatation device! Packrafting and the conditions of the water are often unpredictable so being sure that you have all the necessary safety gear will ensure your safety out on the water. We have the NRS Ninja PFD. We like it because it’s pretty compact as far as PFDs are concerned. I also like that it has a pocket on the front where I keep a small tube of sunscreen and chapstick. I also love that it has a convenient place for a safety knife!

Carrying a safety knife is important in the event that you flip and need to cut yourself free of your raft or any straps you could be tangled in. This is obviously a situation that you want to avoid, but it’s best to be prepared for the worst. Again packrafting can be unpredictable and this will ensure that you can get out of your raft in the unlikely event you need to. 

Throw Bag:

A throw bag is a piece of rescue equipment used to toss to anyone swimming down river after capsizing their raft in a rescue situation, for gear retrieval and for climbing during portages. This is the type of equipment you carry hoping to never need to use it. 

Owen and I personally don’t have one yet, as the majority of our trips have been on slow moving water or we’ve been with someone who had one. We plan to pick up the NRS Compact Rescue Throw in the near future!

Repair Kit

DON’T go on a water based trip without the tools to repair your boat! At the end of the day these boats are only functional if they can’t hold their air. If a puncture of any kind happens, you’re out of a boat. Repair kits are lightweight and take up almost no space and should never be left behind…

Tenacious Tape, Tenacious Tape mini patches, and Aquaseal Adhesive

Zipper Lube

If your boat has a zipper allowing you to store gear inside of the boat, also be sure to bring plenty of zipper lube. The health and function of that zipper is imperative to keeping your boat working properly. You need to clean, dry and lubricate the zipper after every trip and periodically when you’re on a trip if you’re opening your boat a lot. A little goes a long way.

Zipper Lube, Zipper Lube Kit, Zipper Lube Wipes which are good for use on trips.

Helmet

Helmets are a really important piece of equipment to add when you start getting into heavy white water. We personally don’t have kayaking helmets but this is mostly because we haven’t leveled up to that kind of paddling quite yet. When we do, we’ll be getting helmets!

Clothing is one of the major differences between packing for a standard backpacking trip and one that incorporates packrafting. The clothes you will need to pack will greatly vary based on where you will be rafting. If you are in a cold climate with really cold water you may want to look into a dry suit. Thus far Owen and I have only planned trips in climates and water that is warm so we have not needed drysuits yet. Below I will give you a quick breakdown of what my clothes packing list looks like for mild conditions.

I pack two different sets of clothes: my rafting clothes and my camp clothes. For my rafting clothes, I try to stay covered as much as possible because the sun is strong out on the water and pack things that are quick drying that I don’t mind getting wet! I will link to some of the specific pieces that I really like, but this list will give you an idea of what you need to cover your bases:

For my camp clothes, this is a set that I try to keep dry at all times! This allows me to change into dry clothes when we get off the river at the end of the day.

Lotion(s):

Bring way more lotion than you think you will need. Getting in and out of cold river water will quickly leave your skin unbelievably dry. Be generous with how much lotion you bring on a water based trips. Also don’t forget to bring ample sunscreen and bug spray!

Packrafting Handbook:

If you want to learn more about the art of packrafting I STRONGLY urge that you pick up a copy of the Packrafting handbook! It is a great tool to help you learn as you start getting into the sport. It covers everything from how to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk, trip planning, boat control, and how to react when things go wrong!

Now, how you pack all of this is actually entirely up to you and your pack. There are so many different packs out there in different shapes and sizes… so the likelihood of my advice, actually being helpful, is slim. Instead I strongly suggest you do a few “test packs” as it will help you figure out the best way to get all this loaded into your bag. Now 4-5 trips in I finally feel like I have a system down!

Well that brings us to the end of our gear list and advice! We hope this was helpful for you! If you have any questions about any of the gear mentioned in this post or the video please feel free to add them to the comments as we’d love to help in any way we can! We appreciate all of your enthusiasm about packrafting!

Paddle safe and we will see ya down the river!

MAK