Why Packraft? Bottom line. It's fun. Really fun

beginner course description​

These multi-day beginner packraft courses are for absolute beginners with little to no experience in single-person crafts on on rivers. To introduce you to the sport, we’ll spend half the day teaching you about your equipment, basic river reading and paddling skills. You’ll spend the other half of your day learning basic swiftwater rescue skills.

In the expedition courses, we are offering adventurers the opportunity to expand their backcountry skills by adding a boat to their repertoire. We teach the standard techniques from our Packraft Foundations–Paddling Skills courses, but we spend less time on self-rescue and aggressive swimming skills and drills. Instead we focus more on what it takes to accomplish a multi-day packraft adventure in the backcountry. This course is meant to introduce you to these skills, not to get you to master them. Check out our curriculum.

Learn to Packraft. Beginner Packrafitng Course-03243

level 1 PACKRAFT COURSE SCHEDULE

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In February 2010, Doom got a packraft…

Why packraft? For Doom it allowed faster, easier river and reservoir crossings in the Southwest and Alaska. Instead of dangerously carrying bikes across raging rivers too deep to navigate without a bike, he could just strap his disassembled bike to his boat and cruise across. Instead of detouring 100 miles around a giant water body on paved roads, he could just paddle across and catch the trail on the other side.

And with every outing, Doom got just a bit more intrigued by whitewater. Whitewater is fun. Really fun. Whether you choose to stick to the more mellow Class IIs or charge into the exciting world of Class IV, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of soaring through a big wave train or navigating a series of rocks. And surfing, catching and peeling out of eddies and other tricks of the trade… that’s a whole other ball game of goodness. Learning how to navigate a fast-moving river, especially through rapids, is like running a cool obstacle course.

Packrafts are also small and light, so good for those of us who don’t want to carry big loads any longer. I.e. if you’re older and you don’t want to carry around a 50-pound duckie or kayak, packrafts are the ticket. They generally weigh less than 10 pounds. And if you’re a badass, and you want something closer to a kayak, don’t worry, Alpacka has you covered. They make the Valkyrie:

“The Valkyrie is the kayaker’s packraft—the pinnacle of whitewater performance in an inflatable package. It features modern creekboat style and rocker with a patented planing hull for secondary stability and edge control. The V3 is the lowest volume and most responsive whitewater boat we’ve ever made. It’s easier to do everything: boof, roll, eddy, ferry, and all with style.” ~Alpacka Raft website

So, again, why packraft?

  • Packrafts can take you places you never imagined going with heavier, more traditional watercraft. 
  • They turn the blue lines on maps into trails, as Alpacka Raft founder and lead boat designer Sheri Tingey says, thus enabling you to travel further and wider.
  • You can combine packrafts with other sports—bikes, skis, unicycles, skateboards, whatever you want…
  • And they are fun. Damn fun. It’s hard not to have a good time. 

Have we convinced you yet? If so, check out our full course schedule 😉

La Venta River, Chiapas Mexico