Anyone here pack anything for the water when you're headed out camping or exploring? Inflatable paddleboard, oragami kayak, rigid inflatable of some sort? Lotta places water adjacent.

I carry an Alpacka packraft on occasion. I can fit a hardshell river kayak inside too, but not much else.

I carry one of these in a float locker, 28 lbs. It’s a Pakboat Saranac, I can assemble it in about 15 minutes.

Pakboat was on my radar. The alpacka I will look up. Thanks y'all.

I'm taking a packraft with me to Alaska this summer. The small ones are well under 10 pounds, some down around 5!

I too am an alpacka packrsft fan. I have an expedition boat but have used the lightweight refuge as well as the heavier gnarwhal. They are all great.

Alpaka Classic in my Super Cub at Icy Bay, Alaska

tedwaltman wrote:

Is that a dry suit, Ted? Or just your parka? I can't imagine inadvertently ending up in that water.

We had dry suits but, due to calm water, no wind and staying relatively close to shore, we didn’t wear them. Maybe not the smartest decision….picture shows difficulty of navigating around ice as far as one could see…we eventually carried rafts to another point a mile+ away to get away from the worst of the bergs

Pic is my friend Mike…

I have the Alpacka Caribou, which is really light (less than 5 lbs!) but also designed to carry a bike or other gear up front. It's light and packable enough that I basically always bring it with me. Haven't done anything super adventurous with it yet, but it's really fun to float down lazy stretches of rivers in it.

I have been using one of these for 5 years now. Only about $200 and works fine.

It's called- INTEX Excursion Pro Inflatable Kayak Series

Greg Miller posted this vid a while back. Here's the link with the timestamp where he and his daughter float the Minam in their Alpackas. 10:25 if the timestamp doesn't take you there.

https://youtu.be/rs2_ldXQ9L8?t=625

I built a pair of DIY Packraft kits. One raft, 4 piece paddle, PFT and seat fit in a small back pack and are well under 10 lbs each. Easy to fit in the plane, on the bike or hike with

Two bikes, two rafts, tent and plenty of camping gear, unloading from a fun summer weekend trip.


Two rafts rolled up side by side. The slightly larger one has a thicker bottom.

Well I can add 2U5-Shearer to my list of places to visit. Looks gorgeous from his video.

Hi All,

I almost always bring a boat...and a BF 2.3 Honda motor if motors are permitted. I like to fish and a motor allows me to explore the "entire" lake and still get back before dark to cook what I caught. I have several boats...all inflatables. I have a TU206 with utility doors, so I can carry a lot.

I've used a mono-Fish Cat, Sevlor inflatable canoe, two-person dingy style with a seat (which when in the bag, only takes up the room of only one seat and a 16-foot Sea Eagle paddleboard-bottom expedition boat with a canopy which has such a small draft that I can get into virtually any cove. I've found that most inflatables (without a motor) are great until the afternoon winds come up and you're trying to get back to shore. I fly a lot of back-country and part of my criteria is a stream or lake to fish. I always bring a patch kit as well and have needed to use it.

Lastly, based on the comments in this forum, I've decided to find a partner for my plane. I am replacing the engine (which means a zero time engine and prop) and since I do many sports in addition to flying, it makes sense to have one. The bennies are...I am attuned to back-country, having lectured on it at SNF and OSH for 18 years, so off pavement is a passion and part of the package. I also have every piece of camping gear imaginable for back-country and happy to share it with my plane-partner. I had a partner for 3 years (out of the 25 years I've owned the aircraft) and it was great until he moved onto a twin which made sense for him.

Photos of the boats are attached. If you have any questions, email me directly. [email protected]. I've been back-country flying for a quite a while and have spent entire summers cruising all the back-country airstrips in the West, so I'm happy to pass on any info that might be of help. I'll be giving seminars on back-country flying this year at SNF and OSH, so pop in and say Hi!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15-ozmQ ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1prTFLr ... sp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pjgPBY ... n6V1u/view?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gQTzeS ... sp=sharing

Took it on a few trips. It was fine for short paddles.

I have a Sea eagle! It's pretty nice! Fits great in the 205

GroundLooper wrote:

Took it on a few trips. It was fine for short paddles.

That looks more secure than most of the canoe tie down macramés we see when our rentals return….