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Packrafting Gear Suggestions
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Packrafting Gear Suggestions
- This topic has 6 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 9 months ago by David Chenault.
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Jul 16, 2020 at 8:53 am #3664658
I am about to take the plunge and pickup an Alpacka raft. Looking for suggestions of paddles, PFDs other accessories that are ultralight and as compact as possible (the idea of having a PFD swinging off the pack of my pack seems like a real bummer) thanks for any suggestions people can offer!
Jul 16, 2020 at 10:41 am #3664673High budget or low budget?
Jul 16, 2020 at 11:47 am #3664681I would lean more towards high budget. I figure I’ll buy as good as I can afford, and buy subpar gear if I need to get myself by until I can afford better gear.
Jul 16, 2020 at 2:56 pm #3664698Probably the lightest full-featured paddle is the Aqua Bound Whisky Carbon. It’s like 26.5 oz in a 210 cm. I have an older (still made in Scotland) carbon Lendal Kinetic 4-piece 210 cm that is about an ounce heavier that I got off eBay. Those are probably the best bets for non-whitewater touring. It’s hard to get a paddle to break down any smaller than these 4-piece styles without having something really short or weird.
For a PFD I bought a snorkeling vest and cut the neoprene back panel out and sewed in a mesh back to reduce bulk and make it breathe better. It’s lighter and packs way smaller than a foam-buoyancy PFD, but it’s not CG approved, of course. Now I see you can get them with mesh backs: snorkel vest on Amazon
That’s a start.
Jul 20, 2020 at 7:35 am #3665594Great thread, thinking of doing the same in the near future. Keeping an eye on this
Jul 20, 2020 at 8:03 am #3665599The MTI Journey PFD is 14.4oz in size L/XL. It’s the lightest coast guard approved PFD that I am aware of. It’s also pretty affordable as a bonus.
Jul 23, 2020 at 12:09 pm #3665978I still really like my 210cm Werner Shuna. The longer of the two shaft sections is 68cm long which is almost too long to fit in most 50-60 liter packs, but the length is a good blend of performance across anything you might paddle. The paddle has been super durable and efficient for everything from flatwater to class IV.
I have a snorkel vest I bring for mellow trips, and and MTI Vibe for whitewater. The vibe isn’t super light, but it does pack flatter than any other PFD I’ve used that also has a performance fit.
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