JohnClimber wrote: ↑Thu Dec 03, 2020 10:54 pm
But if there was a perfect TPU pack raft which was light weight, with a small pack size, that can carry camping gear and maybe a bike too.
If the price was more affordable (that the current main stream ones, but better quality that the Chinese imports) would you be tempted on buying one to extend your adventures?
What would you need to get you to even try one?
Thanks for your help
Alpacka Yak (classic series) user for 6 years.
- Cruiser deck (Velcro)
- Cargo fly (rear zip, was non standard back then)
- light weight seat
Added a few tie downs and stuff some pieces of foam into it when running white water (mostly class II, sometimes III, very rarely IV), strip it down more trips with lots of hiking (say > 50 % of the moving time).
For me, this type of raft is about as ideal as it gets. Very versatile. As said, it can quickly be stripped down for more hiking biased trips (say 6 - 7 days hiking with 2 - 3 days rafting). The cruiser deck helps much staying warm when cruising down an easy river in changeable weather up north and can be opened without landing when the sun comes out and works well upto class III. Here, the hydraulics start to become forceful enough to blow the deck open (velcro won't hold) in my cases. Running a class III river I get that regularly, like 2 - 3 x a day. Obviously the boat fills with water and I need to go ashore, bail it out and re-enter the fun. Not too dramatic, but the spray deck mates will be waiting in an eddy. Even when the deck didn't blow, quite a lot of water came into the boat. So the practical limit of the cruiser deck comes much earlier than that of the raft itself.
Since my packrafting lately has consisted more of public transport, a little walk (.5 - 2 h), rafting for most of the day followed by another short walk and public transport back home, a raft like the Alpacka Gnarwhal would suit my paddling better. More focus on the raft then on the pack.
Sooner or later I'll be going back up north for a multiweek packrafting trip in the wilderness where the Yak will, once again, be spot on.
I'm seeing the classic series of Alpacka and similar boats (Anfibio's own and others) as a good entry point, a starting point for want-to-become-rafters with no rafting background or WW kayaking background.
Then, as for myself, some evolve in paddling and may be looking for the type of Gnarwhal rafts.
- proper spray deck to go with a skirt
- larger seat
- thigh strap
- larger aft. These things make it heavier, more capable on WW, more engagement with the raft and thus more responsive. Or some have a kayaking background (solid boats like creekers, river runners) and they more likely find a type of raft like the Wolverine with smaller diameter tubes (Alpacka, again, for the sake that I only know their line up and differences in boats) interesting. Those coming from WW kayaking not only have the paddling experience, but are also used to carrying solid boats around and will happily go on trips with slightly heavier raft like those just mentioned, fully fitted WW rafts.
Whilst training with a kayaking/rafting/canoeing centre, I went down class III and IV with my Yak and found I was soon able to paddle stuff that overwhelmed myself, but also my Yak. The centre had Gnarwhals for rentals and when I gave one a go, I felt much more connected, more in control and the proper spraydeck stayed always put. On lighter rafts, removable thigh straps can be retrofitted quite easily, same with a better seat and some foam to wedge yourself into.
The Gnarwhal already comes with such options, which also can be removed or replaced to make it lighter, further blurrying the line between a WW raft and a hikers raft. The Gnarwhal also gets you easier out of holes thanks to the larger volume aft.
Personally, I'd stop when it comes to a proper spray deck for trips with a fair amount of hiking. The proper deck adds a lot of weight and takes away some versatility, but I see it as a must for big volume water.
The zipped in spraydeck, which Alpacka replaced the cruiser deck (velcro) with, might be a good balance, but I'd probably take the higher flexibility and lower weight of a cruiser style deck as a criteria when buying a first raft with less focus on WW.
That's two types for the uses I see for myself and most of the other boaters I met.
Then there's the type of load boats, which seem quite popular too. Capable on big rivers too, but more focussed on getting bike/hunt down a river. Or, as for a friend, to go fishing on a lake. Alpacka's version is called the Caribou I think.
Not my type of boat.
Whilst I can imagine to go on cycling trips where a raft is needed to get across a body of water, I don't fancy going on a bike ride, raft with the bike and ride it again. Faff and paddling with a bike... meh. But many others seem to love this type of trip, so there definately is quite some interest there. Never tried such a raft but can imagine they handle significantly better with a bike then the types I mentioned before.
Then there's boats more similar to an open canoe like the MSR Barracuda R2. I see quite some folks out (easy rivers, lakes with kids) on similae boats;
- PVC
- simpler
- 1/10 - 1/5 of the price of a Barracuda R2. Often these boaters don't quite need the packability of a TPU skin, nor its lightness and functionality and performance, but I guess if the prices were lower and the availability higher (PVC canoed can be bought in even an electronics shop in Switzerland in spring), they'd probably see more customers.
To me, getting a Gnarwhal feels not neccessary enough to justify the price, despite me checking every half year or so and I don't want to retrofit my Yak and cut down on its versatility, so I'm carrying on as before. With a cheaper, but equally capable raft like a Gnarwhal, I'd think twice.
I too think a well chosen bundle with a raft, compact and light PFD and 4 piece paddle would lower the entry hurdle.
Add in some other gear, training and trips and see the sellers bank account explode