Anyone else hunt with a Packraft?

[BromBones]

I never hear much talk of these in the BC hunting community but they are pretty popular in Alaska for hike/fly in and float hunts.

I bought one of the Alpacka rafts last year (the explorer model). Weighs 6ish lbs all in (with 4pc carbon fiber paddle) and packs down about the size of a solo tent. Pretty sweet for fly in hunts where a lake crossing is needed, turns a shitty bushwack into a leisurely paddle across. I can go from fully packed up, to inflated and pack tied on in under 10 minutes. For the guys who like to do a tour in the mountains, river crossings that used to block your path are not an issue. Break out the raft, ferry across with all your gear, and carry on. Google some of the Alaska sites, guys are floating out an entire ram + gear with no issues & ferrying moose quarters across lakes/rivers.

Did a few of the rivers in Reg 6 last year, they will wind through class 3 water if you can paddle. Class 2 is not an issue. Took it on a fly-in hunt last year and it's pretty frickin handy. Also did the Brown Bear - Swan Lake - Upper Kispiox route with it. Got caught on Swan when it whipped up nasty and with my 80lb dog, 40 lb pack and myself (210 lbs) and it was fine. I got soaked but never worried about losing it. This year I'm getting a spray skirt installed though.

They are very tough considering the light weight. You can fit a thermarest pro-lite in the bottom or cut a cheapy blue foam sleeping pad to fit. Adds flotation and keeps you warmer.

Something to consider for serious backpack hunters or where a raft is needed but space/weight is limited. They are pricey but once you see how useful they are, you'll be hooked.

[northernguy]

I wondered about the Alpacka rafts. The weight is a major consideration for me because I have limited weight/space in the back of my plane. The Alpacka raft seems like a very versatile piece of gear. The spray skirt seems like a mandatory option from what I have read. Let us know how it works out for you.

Thanks for the information! Ya just made it way harder for me to not spend money !

[longstonec]

Friend of mine uses one all the time for exploring and ski touring, recently got himself his hunting licence so he is good to go!

Watch "Eastern Risings" movie if you can find it. The use them for traveling some rivers in Russia.

[longstonec]

I have thought it would be far more useful for solo floating some rivers for fishing. Need two trucks right now to do with pontoon boats.

[Brew]

These are cool little boats. Thanks for posting this.

[boxhitch]

So these are better than a $100 Sevylor ?

see also bigskyinflatables.com/
luv this vid http://www.youfish.tv/water-master-i...0c0352c72.html

[GOLDEN TOP SNIPER]

i like it . i want one . more money . i need more . . lol

[Trekker]

Ive been on the fence for a while on these. I like the look of the PR-49 from pristine ventures. Not quite as light as the alpackas, but it has a 850 pound capacity rating. Could be a useful tool to get back into some good sheep country.

[Maxx]

I never hear much talk of these in the BC hunting community but they are pretty popular in Alaska for hike/fly in and float hunts.

I bought one of the Alpacka rafts last year (the explorer model). Weighs 6ish lbs all in (with 4pc carbon fiber paddle) and packs down about the size of a solo tent. Pretty sweet for fly in hunts where a lake crossing is needed, turns a shitty bushwack into a leisurely paddle across. I can go from fully packed up, to inflated and pack tied on in under 10 minutes. For the guys who like to do a tour in the mountains, river crossings that used to block your path are not an issue. Break out the raft, ferry across with all your gear, and carry on. Google some of the Alaska sites, guys are floating out an entire ram + gear with no issues & ferrying moose quarters across lakes/rivers.

Did a few of the rivers in Reg 6 last year, they will wind through class 3 water if you can paddle. Class 2 is not an issue. Took it on a fly-in hunt last year and it's pretty frickin handy. Also did the Brown Bear - Swan Lake - Upper Kispiox route with it. Got caught on Swan when it whipped up nasty and with my 80lb dog, 40 lb pack and myself (210 lbs) and it was fine. I got soaked but never worried about losing it. This year I'm getting a spray skirt installed though.

They are very tough considering the light weight. You can fit a thermarest pro-lite in the bottom or cut a cheapy blue foam sleeping pad to fit. Adds flotation and keeps you warmer.

Something to consider for serious backpack hunters or where a raft is needed but space/weight is limited. They are pricey but once you see how useful they are, you'll be hooked.

Great info, thanks for sharing. Which explorer model did you buy? There seems to be 3 on their site with explorer in their name?

[Everett]

Always thought they are pretty neat though we decided to go with a pak canoe instead http://pakboats.com/