Kayak-Like 'Pack Raft' Built To Run Serious Whitewater

Pack rafts have opened up an entire new way of traveling through the wilderness. The compact, inflatable vessels nestle easily into a backpack to be inflated when water is encountered.

Along the way, we’ve slapped our skis, bikes, backpacks and other toys across their bow to get to the other side of rivers and lakes. But they have their limits, which usually washout around class III whitewater…until now.

With smaller tubes, a foot brace, knee cups and inflatable hip pads, Alpacka’s new boat, dubbed the Alpackalypse, has a kayak-like fit that provides both speed and control. And by the looks of it, it is capable of navigating water most of us will never paddle.

“This is not a kayak, nor is it a standard pack raft you may be used to,” notes Alpacka.

The company explains that it is designed for “skilled boaters in challenging backcountry adventures” and that it is intended to be used as a boat to be brought into the wilderness when a traditional hard-shell kayak is impractical.

The hybrid design has a tough 400-denier Vectran fabric for stiffness and durability that the company claims creates a responsive and capable craft.

It also has a system to stow gear inside the tubes, which lowers the center of gravity and leaves the bow free of gear for running technical whitewater.

Incredibly, this 7’9” whitewater-capable craft weighs in at just 10lbs, 1oz., and it fits into a 17“x11” cylinder.

The Alpackalypse is available now for $1,900.