liveonearth | The Packraft TRAP (Reply)

I have just acquired a packraft. My first one. I’ve been lurking, curious about packrafts for years now, watching my friends, listening. I come at packrafting from a whitewater background. I’ve run rivers in every kind of craft. Kayaking and rowing remain my favorite ways to flow.

I see packrafting as a means to access rivers that require carrying my boat farther than I want to carry a hardshell. These days whitewater kayaks can easily weigh 50 pounds before I put float bags, a water bottle, a throwbag, hand paddles, first aid kit, and lunch in there. The packraft weighs 8 pounds, plus add in all that same stuff. Carrying my backpacking kit plus 14 pounds of boating gear is still going to be a load, but I am excited to do it. Nothing is more enticing than a new wilderness river.

I understand that lots of people come at packrafting from the opposite direction. It’s a forgiving craft in which to learn to paddle whitewater. More maneuverable than a raft, it gets you interacting with the river on that individual scale. For these folks it could easily be their favorite boat out of their whole quiver, because it offers the most independence.

The trap I see is the one I face. I have seen friends do it—transition to the packraft for self-support missions and then have a hard time getting back in the hardshell. For people who aren’t confident in their roll, or who flip over too much in a kayak, the papckraft is an obvious choice. You get to go on the river without such stress and worry.

The problem with removing that stress and worry is that it blunts your edge. Just as paddling a kayak with really good stability does. You stop sitting up and engaging your lower core, instead relying on the boat to provide balance. Eventually you merge with the blob that you are sitting on which might as well be a couch. Pass the popcorn.

My plan is to maintain my edge as long as possible. I paddle an edgy kayak that requires me to sit up and paddle actively. It flips me over really fast if I get lazy or inattentive. Thankfully my roll works, and this combat-roll practice is making it better. I’m not young, so the downslope is in sight, but for now I’m still getting better at kayaking.

I don’t intend to roll my packraft. I will try it, but not hard enough to hurt my shoulders. If I find it easy then I’ll do it, but no straining. I got a self bailer so I can just climb back in to self rescue. I’m hoping that with my whitewater skills I won’t flip over too much. We shall see if I fall into the packraft trap.