My friend Scott and I tested the PackLite Kayak on the Gallatin River in Southwest Montana. The stretch we paddled was about 3.5 miles long and dominated by Class II whitewater with a few rapids rated at Class III-. It took us about two hours to paddle this stretch of the river (higher water volumes in this stretch would have increased the difficulty of paddling significantly, and would not have been appropriate for the PackLite). We both come from a kayaking (hardshell) background,with Scott being a solid Class V paddler and myself comfortable padding Class III/IV-. In addition, I've completed several weeks of wilderness packrafting, mostly on Class II/III waters in Northwest Montana.
When reviewing this kayak we tried to approach it from the standpoint of knowing who our audience is. Since the majority of BPL readers are backpackers first and foremost, we understood that the primary purpose for a reader's interest in a packraft is to complement their wilderness travel (not as a means to an end like most kayakers). As a result we focused primarily on (1) whether or not the PackLite Kayak is a practical complement for wilderness travel and (2) what types of water is appropriate in order to maintain paddling comfort and safety.
ARTICLE OUTLINE
- The Test
- Weight and Specs
- Durability
- Stability
- The Big Drawback
- Summary
# WORDS: 1890
# PHOTOS: 9
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Discussion
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Companion forum thread to: PackLite Kayak Review
MANY THANKS to you, sir for posting the only real-life moderate whitewater wilderness-use review of this boat. Really helpful.
I wonder how hard it would be to rig up and modify a bag-inflator to use with this boat. I think it has a Boston valve?
The more time I spend on rivers the more I appreciate things like spray decks, large tubes and a solid paddle. I’ll gladly carry an extra pound or so of raft to have that confidence that my raft can handle whatever surprises the river gives me. I think the utility of a raft like this is pretty small. For a bit more weight and money you can get a full sized packraft that will be way more capable.
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