Back home last summer, bitten by the pack-raft bug, I decided to test another model. The Trail Boat from Sevylor (www.sevylor.com) costs just $75.99. It is made of durable nylon PU and PVC, and it rolls up into an included bag.
The Trail Boat is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the Alpacka rafts. It is much cheaper feeling, and its components — including an iffy roll-top dry bag and two silly hand paddles — are not worthy of anything more than a gentle stream.
But the Sevylor raft itself is fine. I have used the Trail Boat a dozen times in water up to class II. It holds its own and paddles straight. Like the Alpacka, with a regular kayaking paddle the Trail Boat can catch eddies and drop through whitewater chutes.
(Note: I was informed last fall that Sevylor is discontinuing the Trail Boat. For now, it is still for sale online.)
Like the Alpacka, the Sevylor rolls up small and can be squeezed in a backpack. It weighs less than five pounds. For a pack-rafter on a budget, the Trail Boat is a worthy solution and an inexpensive entry into a neat new outdoors sport.
