For the Packrafters

[Richpips]

Some interesting facts about deaths in the relatively new sport of packrafting.

https://thingstolucat.com/2019/08/15/pa ... talities/?

[thenorthwind]

I came across that whilst reading about Tom McKendrick's sad death. Makes pretty sobering reading, but important.

[ScotRoutes]

Andy at backcountry.scot has a phrase he often uses - "the water won't stop trying to kill you".

Lots of folk out there packrafting with no training and no experience.

As highlighted in that article, the mobility a packraft offers also results in folk going lightweight and choosing not to use drysuits. Few of the videos you'll see feature them at all. I've rarely used mine, though I'm seldom in conditions where it would be really necessary.

Entanglement is always an issue on moving water. A bike or rucksack strapped on increases this risk massively.

No PFD though? That's Darwinian.

[99percentchimp]

Thanks too for sharing that here Rich. Sobering stuff in there and I think it's likely the tip of a (?) small iceberg. But there is a lot of training now available and developing quick that is packraft specific.... esp with Andy at Backcountry Scotland and Jason at Tirio here in Wales.

It's an interesting, developing sport with people coming at it from loads of different backgrounds in other outdoor sports, consequently with different risk perceptions/assessments and mitigations. The collation of these fatalities is really important as a potential learning tool but as Luc identifies the 'near misses' need a place to be aired too so that we can all learn, first hand, from those that survived incidents. There are too many solo paddlers in the statistics in Lucs post and so the real causes are only being guessed at with, in many cases, kit issues identified as one key factor, as that is what is left at the scene.

I think that Canoe Wales here and the BCU are not so interested in the 'blow up crowd' but they would be a good place to collate issues (as Luc says with the APA website http://packrafting.org/forums/viewforum ... efcc912d1d) and learn from hard shell boaters too. We've been discussing how and where this might happen in the UK packrafting community, to help with developing good practice and disseminating any learnings.

[Jurassic]

I haven't used my packraft as much as I hoped I would but it does present a number of unique (safety) kit related issues. The main USP of packrafts is how portable they are so the temptation is to skimp on potentially vital safety kit that would be used without question in a hardshell boating environment. I have a drysuit and a two piece dry cag/pants that I use all the time for canoeing and kayaking but I've rarely used them for packrafting because they are heavy and bulky and would be uncomfortable and impractical to wear while hiking or biking for long periods so I have to try to mitigate that in other ways (thermal layers designed for immersion which take up less room than a dry suit and can be worn or packed as required, spare clothing to put on in case I do swim, also doubles as sleeping/camp wear). I also have an inflatable PFD that I bought specifically for packrafting as it packs down quite small but whenever I've done a longer back country trip I've always used my normal WW PFD as I'm too concerned that the blow up one might get punctured rendering it useless in the middle of nowhere. Throw bags and the like are also pretty bulky and heavy from a TLS standpoint.
My approach is to risk assess as much as possible (which I'm used to doing for the other water based sports I indulge in) and choose kit accordingly and also be prepared to not go if the conditions are questionable. The questions I ask myself are am I paddling WW or flat water? What is this risk of capsize/cold water immersion? If I do end up in the water how long am I going to be potentially in it? What is the water temperature likely to be? Am I alone or in company? What time of year is it and what's the forecast, strong winds are potentially dangerous on open water and heavy rain or prolonged dry spells alter things a lot in WW?
These questions are on top of the assumption that I have a degree of knowledge relating to useful packrafting skills (that I've built up through other paddle sports), I know how to paddle reasonably competently, how to eddy out, support strokes etc and have knowledge of WW safety and self rescue in large bodies of water (where getting out and sorting stuff out on the bank isn't an option).
Many of the impact factors in the incidents in the article relate directly to things that would be second nature to seasoned paddlers but I think most people with a degree of common sense and outdoorsy know how would be able to acquire the necessary skills with a little patience (or fast track by getting some instruction or mentoring from someone with more experience).
Common sense and don't run before you can walk? Sounds simple..........