Packraft choices

Posted by Admin on 28. November 2011 05:26

For anyone else out there wrestling with packraft choices and Untamed New England 2012, you're not alone.  This email question came in from a team:

"Do you have any advice on the best places to rent or buy packrafts? Buying one new looks a little expensive."

Our reply was as follows:

"There's solo packrafts out there for $300-$1000, but that's a big investment.  You're a team of 3, and so I think you could get by with something as basic as this http://www.amazon.com/Sevylor-Fish-Hunter-Inflatable-4-Person/dp/B0032GM1QA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1322503400&sr=8-2 . . . yes, it's 25 pounds, but you could take turns carrying it or devote one pack to hauling the packraft for those legs when you're not on the water.  $150 isn't bad if it will cover all 3 of you, and you probably could get by with just 2 paddles (or maybe even 1 paddle, but be sure to try it out before the race!).  I know of another team looking at using one of these for $20/each per racer: http://www.amazon.com/Intex-Explorer-200-Boat-Set/dp/B000051ZHS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1322504049&sr=8-10. 

Like I said before, there isn't a ton of history to draw on with the packrafting; if you find a winning balance of price/capacity/durability please let us know!"