Backcountry Packraft Rentals is one of Four Corners Guides’s favorite industry partners. We love working with Matt. He’s consistent and reliable.
How to Rent a Packraft & Gear? Easy, Just Ask Matt Harrington
In the early 2010s Matt Harrington hiked 40 miles to an “amazing” fly fishing river. After getting out, he learned of packrafts and realized he could have floated half of that. Not long after that he bought a couple packrafts and did the same adventure, but this time paddling 48 miles out. That trip changed his life. He decided to start a packraft rental business in 2015.
“My happy place is two or three days into a six-day trip on a packraft,” he explains. “That’s when all the stresses of the modern world just fade away. The business has allowed me to have a more flexible schedule and lifestyle generally. Before kids that meant more big adventures, now it means being able to spend more time with them.”
But why a packraft rental business?
To start, his previous life in customer service at a hotel set him up to answer questions and book rentals over the phone. But more than that, at the time the shipping model of rentals was the only option in the USA.
“I thought I saw a couple things that could be improved upon, and it seemed like packrafting might be on the rise,” he adds. “Plus, it was also a business I could run from a more rural location.” Matt lives two hours from a Costco.
He gave it a try, and it worked.
There are challenges, of course. Lots of them, from managing shipping times to scheduling pickups to managing rental inventory to making sure renters know what is expected of them in terms of timing. “There’s a lot that goes into making sure gear arrives on time.”
But overall, the business has been quite successful. As the capabilities of the boats have increased, the variety of trips have expanded from cross-country to whitewater, hunting, fishing and bikerafting. “This has lead to an increase in numbers of people wanting to try packrafting,” he says. “Packrafters are really becoming a community of their own.”
So What’s On the Roster for Gear for 2026?
Due to numerous requests, Matt purchased a variety of Mages for 2026. Alpacka’s new, performance whitewater boat is one heck of a boat. Read our review here. He also has these Alpacka Raft models: the Expedition, Gnarwhal, Scout, Forager, Rendezvous, Tango and the Mule. You can also rent drysuits, PFDs, paddles, helmets and pretty much anything else you might need. It’s an affordable and straightforward way to rent packrafting gear. Matt is efficient and timely. FCG clients regularly utilize his rentals.
Also watch out for his autumn sales. This year he’s listing the first batch of 10 packrafts for sale around November 1st and then a batch of 10 each month until he’s out. Subscribe to his mailing list @wildsideoutdoorsllc.com to be apprised of these listings.
How does shipping work?
Matt ships the gear in a box with a prepaid label on the inside, you ship it back in the same box using the prepaid label. You pay for round trip shipping upfront so all you have to do is get the labeled box to a UPS location.
What Days Do Clients Pay For?
You only pay for full days in possession, so if your rental starts on a Friday and ends Sunday, you’ll receive the raft no later than Thursday and you’ll ship it back Monday. You don’t have to calculate shipping days.
For more information, visit Backcountry Packraft Rentals on Facebook, Instagram or visit his website. You can also call Matt @ (406) 272-6468
