Alpacka Raft Caribou: A Small Boat with Big Possibilities

My custom Alpacka Raft Caribou (get it here) showed up last week, and I immediately had to get it on the water. For options, I had a small section of the Cascade River open, and the East Bay on Lake Superior was free of pack ice. I picked the East Bay, and I’m glad I did because the conditions were wild with ice formations reaching up to a blue bird sky from Lake Superior’s crystal blue water. It was perfect for a first paddle. It also offered a good preview of how this might work on future bikepacking trips.

What is the Alpacka Raft Caribou?

The Caribou is a lightweight, multi-purpose packraft designed for flat water and light water (Class I–II). It’s built to be stable and capable of carrying loads like bikes and backpacks. It’s 94.5 inches long (240 cm) and 37.5 inches wide (95.25 cm).

I ordered the LW 210d fabric in a custom color combo, with a custom backband and side handles. Those additions added a little weight, but it still comes in at 5.9 pounds for the Open model with a Cargo Fly. The listed weight is 5.5 pounds without those extras.

The Cargo Fly is a zipper that opens into the interior of the raft, allowing you to store gear inside the tubes while on the water.

To inflate the Caribou, you fill a large fabric bag with air and then squeeze that air into the boat.

Packrafting

The idea of a packraft is simple: a small, lightweight, collapsible boat that you can carry in a backpack or on a bike, then deploy when you reach water. I picked this one specifically for bikepacking trips.

There are models designed for everything from whitewater to more traditional touring. Some have self-bailing floors, some have spray decks, and others—like this one—are open, more like a canoe in that any water that gets in stays there until you bail it out.

If you want to learn more, The Packraft Handbook is an excellent resource.

First Look at the Caribou

Since this was my first real time in a packraft (other than a Klymit LiteWater Dinghy), I wasn’t sure what to expect. I left my main camera at home and immediately regretted it once I saw the conditions.

The first step was inflation. I had practiced twice at home, but on the beach the raft kept deflating. After a little frustration, I realized I was turning the valve the wrong direction, which let air escape when the cap wasn’t closed. Once I fixed that, inflation went smoothly. I may mark the raft with an arrow showing which way to turn the valve to open and close, so I don’t mess up again.

Most instructions recommend tempering the boat after inflation. That means putting it in cold water so the air inside cools and pressure drops, then topping it off again. Because the air and water were both cold, I didn’t notice much pressure change after a minute in the water.

Once I got on the water, my feet reached the front of the boat with the backband tensioned, which worked well for bracing. I didn’t get custom thigh straps, but with my knees against the tubes and my feet forward, I felt connected to the raft and in control. It also felt comfortable for my two-hour paddle.

After posting a few photos online, I got the question of how it compares to a canoe or kayak. It doesn’t really feel like either. If anything, it reminds me of a short, very stable whitewater kayak on flat water; it’s quick to respond, but always needing input to stay on track or prevent spinning.

So, what’s it like to paddle?

It’s somewhat slow, which I expected from a boat under 9 feet long. Paddling forward, it didn’t wander as much as I thought it might. That’s probably because I used a high-angle stroke with a 210 cm Werner Cyprus.

When I stopped paddling, it tended to spin. In 5 to 7 knot winds, it was easily pushed around. Most of the East Bay was calm, but once I paddled out from behind the point, I found 1-foot waves. The raft followed the shape of the waves and rode over them easily. It felt exactly like what I expected I’d be paddling.

And it was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to getting it on moving water.

Conclusion

I can’t wait to spend more time with this raft and see where it takes me. What excites me most isn’t just the boat, but what it opens up. It means I don’t have to be without a boat when I travel.

I keep thinking about past trips and times when I wished I had something like this. Having it with me in the car would have allowed a quick paddle on the Snake River in the Tetons, a lake in the Black Hills, or the Little Missouri in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The potential of places I’ve already been now feels different, because they could include easily included an adventure on the water.

There are a lot of possibilities, and I’m excited to explore them.

If you’re interested in checking out an Alpacka Raft Caribou, here’s the link.