The first annual Packraft Roundup, put on by the American Packrafting Association, took place this weekend on the west border of Glacier National Park. It was fantastic. I met a lot of BPLers, paddled some fun water, did some good hikes, got sunburnt, drank beer, played volleyball badly, etc. Official details are far from being worked out, but it's pretty certain that it will happen again next summer. If you want to meet more packrafters, or want to start packrafting and get a jump on the learning curve, it's a good use of time.
I also got to geek out on gear (of course), and what follows are a few choices tidbits and thoughts.
Alpacka is developing a sub 2 pound Scout. Many of us saw a proto. Same dimensions as the current Scout, which I own, and can attest is a very capable craft if staying dry isn't a huge priority. This will be a welcome (and more expensive) competitor to the Supai/Klymit/Flytepacker UL designs, which float but are otherwise unsophisticated and quite limiting. It would for instance be a great boat for the Grand Canyon, allowing you to ferry powerful currents and eddy lines with confidence, and even run some decent water so long as you don't hit any rocks.
Two Alpacka Gnus were in attendance, in both fabric flavors. I didn't paddle either, but those who did testified that it was quite maneuverable with one person (and a kayak paddle) and very fast with two paddling canoe-style. The center cargo reservoir is massive on it's own, and with a cargo fly the boat can probably swallow something on the order of 200 liters of gear. A very impressive piece of design.
HMG packs in full dyneema exist. It looks and feels similar/identical to the 4-5 oz/yard stuff Cilogear has been using for a while. I know from primary sources that this fabric is exceptional in its durability. Reports were mixed on whether these packs will ever be available to the public, so naturally I'm doing my part to ensure HMG gets an earful from the faithful on that particular subject.
Though I purchased and built a pack out of 150D hybrid cuben earlier this year, and have been impressed by the fabric, I remain unconvinced that the increasingly ubiquitous 50D stuff is anything more than 90% fashion statement. Exhibit A would be the large number of ragged, ugly Porters at the Roundup, with most owners reporting a not exacting enormous amount of field days in said packs. That the only two vertical seams aren't felled is beyond me, as every heavily used Porter I saw had visually obvious growth in seam holes up near the shoulder straps. I'm sure getting that stiff, almost-done pack to bend enough to fell the seam is a huge nuisance, but I don't see how seam taping will be an acceptable substitute.
I saw both the Stowaway Tough and Trekker drysuits in person, and both look good. The Stowaway seems to have solved most of the issues with the original by having a latex neck gasket and considerably thicker fabric on the pants. The hood on the Trekker is very nice, better than most rain coats. The neck zips into a neo and velcro closure, with a velcro flap closing the chin section of the hood. The wrists have a similar neo and velcro affair, while the ankles have a latex gasket and neo cuff over that. The supplied socks are fabric, with their own latex cuff which goes over the suits' cuff. Reports are that this arrangement leaks a hair after a few minutes of continuous immersions, but is still pretty darn warm. I just wish the waist zipper could be made to separate completely and still be watertight.
I'm almost ready to send my 2010 boat in and get a whitewater deck installed. Fiddling with increasingly not-sticky velcro, which leaks under the best of circumstances, has truly gotten old. Weight penalty be damned.
I'd still like to see a roots Alpacka with would be 5 pound or a bit less at Yak sized, with a deck, and the current level of durability.
I think there's a (small) market for a rescue PFD which is not stupid heavy/overbuilt like the Astral Green Jacket.
In conclusion, and as always, knowledge is a better investment than gear. The swiftwater rescue class held Friday was a very satisfying use of a day. Like a lot of packrafters I don't have much whitewater experience apart from packrafting, and this instruction addressed a few holes in my knowledge and experience which should have been filled a few years ago. Most likely we'll push to have one again next year.
