Supai Adventure or Flyweight Flytepacker?

[Brian Johns]

I am interested in durability of materials and fishing. I realize neither of these boats will run rivers – at least not rapids – but want to know the primary differences. The manufacturers have less information than Forest 'McCarthy's blog so …. What say BPL?

[John S.]

You can't buy either boat new right now, only the canyon flatwater 2 in seconds. The flytepacker is being redesigned to have a skin that covers the boat.

Also consider the Klymit LiteWater Dinghy or the same boat in lighter fabric at Ruta Locura. For fishing, I'd probably be shooting for the cheapest ; ).

http://www.klymit.com/index.php/litewater-dinghy-lwd.html
http://rutalocura.com/LWD.html
http://www.theactivetimes.com/boat-your-bag-packrafting

[Brian Johns]

John, I got that update from Flyweight, and it seems like they have something in the works, so I am really excited. I was looking at the Ruta Locura – it's a bit lighter – but not sure of the design and far less reviews on the subject other than the bits of praise re: weight that the earlier, heavier Klymit boat received.

[Chris S]

We briefly tried out a Flatwater the other day – from a wilderness hiking rather than a fishing PoV.
Not seen one but for fishing I suspect the unusually wide Flytepacker may be better suited.

As for the Supai – well made and at 670g it's lighter than my trousers.
The coated polyester fabric looks less tough than Alpacka PU, but AFAICT the lightest Alpacka weighs 2.5 x and costs $200 more. . My Yak weighed 4.5 x as much but is so much more fun to paddle but with careful handling a Supai would last.

Biggest problem we found is the Flatwater II a bit too small to feel secure in and you get that short boat yawing which makes it less compatible with faster Alpackas.
I felt I was too heavy to even try getting in (freezing temps, Scottish loch); my 80kg mate + 10kg pack felt quite nervous when a breeze came through and he had to paddle very gently.

Would love to see an XXL, Yak-sized Supai packraft, perhaps with thicker floor fabric and a wear-pad under the bow. It would still be amazingly light and be better suited to trans Highland trekking.

Full review with video: http://apaddleinmypack.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/supai-flatwater-canyon-ii-packraft-review/

Chris S

[peter vacco]

nice :

it looks the dimensions of the sevylor trailboat, something i have many river miles in.
with the small front tube they float (sevylor) level, but tend to ship a Lot of water over the bow in any kind of wave'y situation. in response to the orig query at the top : not a very relaxing ride down a river, but dandy for getting across one.

for the weight though.. wow !

how fragile remains to be seen. Alpacka's are tough. that is a well proven fact of life. the concept of toughness changes between when you are on the net, and when you high-centered on a rock in the middle of running water. somehow, it's just not the same …

you could really float some very cool places on flat water in this thing. and at a few pounds with paddles and repair kit .. it opens up some new options.

in the gallery at supai, they show a group using the paddles as two piece, and legs sticking out over the front. that is the only way i got the sevylor to work as well. (minus all that ridiculous pfd trash).

v.

[Marc Shea]

Just thought I would give you guys an update on what we are working on, and another development in the industry.

First, we are moving into production with our boat we are dubbing the CrossFlyte. Essentially, it is made up of a light weight inner tube with an outer "skin". This design allows us to design different "skins" for different applications using the same inner tube. This also means that if the inner tube or the skin receives a tear and becomes unrepairable, you don't have to toss the boat you can just replace a part. The boat is narrower than the FlytePacker, has a more streamlined shape, and our tube and light weight skin will come in at 3lbs 8oz. Not the lightest on the market, but we anticipate offering sling style seat that used with the tube will create a float tube, and we will also be developing a heavy duty skin, and a mesh bottom skin for lazy river floats. Pictures can be seen on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/FlyWeight-Designs/123242724367306.

Secondly, Advanced Elements is launching a 4lb Packlite Kayak. It is a three chambered boat. The anticipated launch will be the end of January or the beginning of February. We anticipate carrying this product as well, and we will offer a launch discount when they finally hit our shelves. Pictures and link to video are also posted on our Facebook page as well.

[John S.]

Thanks for the update Marc.

[Chris S]

I like the look of that Packlite, despite the graphics. A pump would be a nuisance to carry up but I assume it can take some good pressure to become rigid. Would be nice to see the drop stitch floor off other AEs on this one, though it may be short enough not to need it.

[Phil H]

If your goal is fishing from an ultralight float tube I'd suggest you visit the website for Wilderness Lite float tubes (www.wildernesslitefloattubes.com). These tubes are not for use in moving water, and do require that your legs are immersed in the water for propulsion, but they do provide an alternative for flotation when hiking miles to a wilderness location for fishing. At 3.8 pounds I believe the Backpacker Pro is the lightest float tube on the market today, and it fits into a 13" long x 7" diameter stuff sack for transport.

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