DREAMING OF A MULTI-DAY JOURNEY with days spent soaking up the sun, cooling off in clear water and watching the sunset from idyllic campsites? Look no further, packrafting may just be the sport for you! It can be a rewarding way to experience wilderness, an excellent medium for travel, and a wonderful way to get to know people—lifelong friendships are forged on the river. Every packrafting trip is unique, but they’re all as good as life gets.
Like many, I came to packrafting from a whitewater-kayaking background, although this isn’t a requirement by any means. For me, the difference between the two is that whitewater kayaking is all about the rapid—the quest to paddle ever-harder, more challenging river runs. Packrafting, on the other hand, is more about the journey—enjoying remote multi-day trips in comfort and style.
Packrafting can also be much quicker to learn. In comparison to kayaks, packrafts generally take a grade off any rapid (up to a point) and if you do swim, the packraft acts as a flotation aid rather than a water-filled anchor. Packrafting is also a gamechanger when it comes to remote rivers. Many NZ rivers that were once only the domain of those with enough coin to fly in, or Australian rivers with bush too thick to drag a kayak through or were too far from the nearest road, can now be reached on foot with a packraft in your backpack. A world of opportunities has opened up.
Whether you’re craving a cruisy, feet-up float down a mellow local run, or a wild, multi-day adventure on a remote, churning Grade 4 river, you’ll need a range of skills and equipment to be successful and to stay safe. Here’s some info to get you
