Anyone seen this before on an Alpacka?
Brand new raft (alpacka Mule 420D) , only been out once. I noticed several areas where the floor seam meets the side tube in the seating area. The edge looks delaminated/white compared to the rest.
Does this look normal ? It’s not leaking or anything right now.
Just wondering if I should reach out to Alpacka.
I have permits for four people to do a 2 week trip in Alaska and Yukon this July.
1 Day of Sea kayaking (Commercially guided through millers landing),
7 days of backpacking/packrafting (Not guided) in Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon this July. The packrafting itself is a 2 day mellow float. The backpacking portion is ~5 to 7 miles a day, with some big elevation gain on some days (3000' max in one day).
Our #3 and #4 can no longer go, so we have two spots open. Right now its just me and my SIL.
Message me if your interested.
Airbnb's and campsites already paid for. You would just need to cover your own consumables, your sea kayaking ticket (already reserved), your flights and pitch in for gas.
As the title says I bought a Gnarmule green with some yellow, WW deck, 3 point thigh straps, tzip and 420d. Thinking of getting a custom orange bow bag i saw in a post. Trying to go for a fall foliage color theme. Anyone else just buy their packraft or just get it in the mail?
Did two runs this weekend and on the first day, the class 3 section I've ran a handful of times before, I took an inexplicably bad line and went for swim. Due to my "dense" build (pretty much a silverback gorilla) I upgraded my PFD to the Astral Indus a few days earlier and thank goodness I did. Got sucked into couple holes and had to fight hard to keep my head above water for long stretch. It was instant survival mode and made no effort to locate raft or paddle.
Once I was in calmer waters I was so exhausted it was difficult to swim to shore. Got my bearings and saw local whitewater company raft had my boat and paddle. They patiently waited until I caught breath and made way over and thanked them profusely.
Anyway, today I ran the river again (portaged the class 3 this time) but the whole run was miserable due to nerves. Even the small class twos might as well been class V monsters in my head and I found myself freezing rather than paddling through my lines.
Last time I had a bad swim it took a few weeks before I did some easy runs but the confidence did not return before winter came. After being months away from river I was anxious to get back out there and been tearing it up every weekend, but now I'm worried I won't get my mojo back.
How do you shake off a bad day on the water?
I’m new to packrafts and overall pretty beginner to watercrafts. My girlfriend and I going to be spending 4 months in Alaska traveling and have lots of future travel plans where the portability/packability of a packraft makes a ton of sense. Our main use cases is flat water/chill rivers.
I really like the idea of the stability of the forager. Being able to relax/lounge in it, get camera gear out, and overall “secure” feeling is very appealing.
However, the flat water efficiency of the rendezvous is also appealing. We don’t plan to crush huge miles just cause or trips longer than a few nights, but being able to get to a cool place is important to us without a ton more effort fighting the boat. I also like the non self bailing floor of the rendezvous for staying dry.
At the end of the day I have no experience in either or really at all, so I’m unable to quantify these differences in stability, comfort, cold water ability, efficiency. It’s an expensive purchase for us so want to make sure we’re picking right here!
Thanks!
Been getting into paddling more in general, I got a paddleboard a couple of years ago and then was looking at a raft and I ended up also seeing this packraft and was intrigued, I ended up getting it for $500 directly from NRS.
The tizip seems to work fine.
I have a good paddling PFD and I'll use my paddleboard/kayak paddle for this. Anything else I need?
I am relatively new to packrafting and considering visiting a stillwater destination on a lake.
I have seen some photos of the area recently and there is a bunch of driftwood sitting at the waterline.
Is this a no-go for packrafts? I am concerned about puncturing the raft. If anyone has any experience in this type of conditions or advice it would be much appreciated!
Hey all, I am working on some outdoor gear designs for a brand I’m trying to start. One thing I hate about dry bags is that they’re always roll up so your gear is covered at the bottom, you also role up half the storage you have and they are just odd and bulky.
I am designing a waterproof bag that’s rated for IPX7 and it’s a 20L with a full zipper that allows you to access all gear easier. It also has a chest strap to carry and rolls up small when not in use. It would roughly cost you $55 USD. Is this something you would buy or no?
I attached a rendering of my product for more clarification and to get a better understanding of what might be useful or BS. Bag includes a rubber mech side pocket for quick stashing, reflective strip, large zipper tabs for ease in cold environments, D ring clips for the chest strap & tie down points, and a light interior for better visibility in the dark.
Please know the images are not perfectly accurate as I used AI to generate the photos (I'm not rich enough to pay somebody to make me a mock up lol).
I really appreciate all the feedback!
Looking to buy my first packraft and stuck between the Alpacka Caribou and MRS Surveyor. I'm 5'11" and will mostly be using it for fly fishing, alpine lakes, and floating mellow rivers between wade fishing spots. Weight and packability matter. Maybe a multi-day river trip someday, but realistically more day use.
Seems like the size and weight are close enough between the two that I keep going back and forth. My hesitation with the Surveyor is the thin floor fabric since I'll be dragging this onto rocky shorelines a lot. My hesitation with the Caribou is no skeg, which feels like it matters when you stop paddling on a lake to throw a cast to a fish.
Anyone used either of these for fishing specifically and have any thoughts? Thanks!
Hey everyone,
Just picked up the Decathlon Itiwit PR 500 packraft and I'm really enjoying it so far.
The only annoying issue I'm having is that the inflatable seat keeps sliding forward while paddling. It has that adjustable strap with hooks on the bottom that attaches to the floor loops, but even when I tighten it as much as possible, the seat still creeps forward (especially when the floor is a bit wet or I'm putting power into my strokes).
Has anyone else with the PR 500 (or similar Itiwit models) found a good fix for this?
So far I've tried:
What worked for you? Any mods, extra straps, Velcro, carabiners, or other tricks? I'm open to simple DIY solutions that don't ruin the boat.
Thanks in advance! Really want to get this dialed in for longer trips. 🚣♂️
I’m doing a ten day paddle on a class I-II river in Alaska. I’m an experienced whitewater paddler. I’m trying to decide on an extra paddle to take along. Anybody out there have any suggestions for a lightweight setup? Thanks in advance.
Looking to get two for gear, seems like most run 80-100 USD each. Found this pair for 70 USD for the small size (42L). Best deal I've found so far-- any recommendations out there? Planning on mostly chill rivers and lakes, no whitewater.
Looking at a new gravel bike, and while I’ve had my Alpacka Gnu for a loooong time, I’ve never been a biker before. But I’ve been doing several 20-50 mile rides lately, and am curious to integrate packrafting.
I don’t know that a folding bike would be the best for my normal riding, but wondering about the potential of a full bike?
