Pack Rafts

Stuff that goes in your Chinook but isnt really part of your Chinook.
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deppstein
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Pack Rafts

Post by deppstein »

In response to question posed by Blue-Go, I am posting a couple of pics showing the Alpacka Raft Classic (and inflation accessories) that I now carry with me while traveling in the Rig. We have purchased two of these Alpacka Rafts (see enclosed pic) and it has been a game-changer in terms of ease of getting out on the water. Prior to getting these high-quality pack boats, we carried either a canoe or two kayaks on roof racks that I had fashioned out of Thule equipment fitted to the side rails. That set-up worked (sturdy enough), but it was a pain-in-the-ass to get the boats up and down, which served as a deterrent to actually getting out on the water. The Alpacka Rafts have changed all that. They pack down to the size of a small tent and weigh about 8 pounds each. We store them in a dry bag mounted on the back ladder (see attached pic). The two rafts, and life jackets all fit into the Red NRS Bill's Bag shown in pic). Paddles are stored behind the dry bags, secured to the ladder. To inflate the rafts, I use my DeWalt 21v cordless shop blower...uses same battery back as my portable drill, and to keep my wife happy, I also purchased a cordless vac that runs off same system. Can use the 1000 watt inverter that is direct wired to house batteries to charge things anytime. The rafts themselves are incredibly well made, and can handle up to class III whitewater pretty well. Their sweet spot would be a class II river. On lakes, they are OK...useful for getting out, but they do not track very well on flatwater and paddling them on a lake they are more like inflatable duckies than the swans they are in moving water.
But, the 5 minutes it takes from dry bag to water is totally worth it! And, given their size and weight, we can do things like self-shuttle by placing our ebikes downstream from a river campsite, drive back, paddle down, and ride bikes with rafts back to campsite. Now that's what I call a good day!
You can inflate the rafts using the inflation bag provided, but I use the DeWalt Blower...see pics for the attachment I made for this purpose...flexible hose, some hose clamps, and the Alpacka connector that comes with the boats (Blue, our boats are 2019, with new valve). We still love our kevlar/glass Mad River Canoe and kayaks, but they are now home-based boats.
Pics of the rafts and dry bag storage are attached to this message. The blower assemble will follow in separate post (I think we can only send 3 pics at a time).
Questions, let me know.
David
Attachments
alpacka classic.jpg
dry bag storage.jpg
deppstein
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Re: Pack Rafts

Post by deppstein »

And here are the pics of my inflation system.
David
Attachments
alpacka hose fitting.jpg
blower hose.jpg
IMG_2690.jpg
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Scott
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Re: Pack Rafts

Post by Scott »

Thanks for the post, David. That's a sweet setup. I just went to the sporting goods trader the other day for that exact boat but they were out of stock. I'm still using my 45 lb Sevlor... And a kick pump.🤣
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Scott
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Re: Pack Rafts

Post by Scott »

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Not class 2. Or class anything. But any river is fine with me. I could see six feet deep!
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deppstein
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Re: Pack Rafts

Post by deppstein »

Yes indeed! Any day on a river is a good day. For 30 years, my buddies and I would take a remote river trip annually somewhere in North America--float plane in, paddle the river for six/seven days without seeing another sole. It was a HOOT (some pics attached)...These days, its more like duckies on a pond--here's my wife trying out the Alpacka for the first time on the Charles River near Boston. Oh well, like I said, any day on a river is a good day.
David
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IMG_1774.jpg
Bloodvein.jpg
Pigeon Canyon 2.jpg
chin_k
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Re: Pack Rafts

Post by chin_k »

That is fantastic, Dave! Not much of a water person here, however. I think my bones are made out of lead. :(
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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