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I remember PX trying to sell some inflatable rafts a while ago...
Anyone else selling them these days?
Thanks
WheN I looking into this Alpacka seemed to be the market leaders. A bit spenny though, and I never really saw a good one for bike packing
https://packrafteurope.com/en-gb
Aqua Extreme do a good raft at a decent price. I got mine from them with no problems.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> https://www.aqua-xtreme.com/packrafts</span>
Scotroutes is the man around these parts for packrafting with a bike. He'd probably say get in touch with backcountry.scot (Aviemore). Tirio in N Wales is another expert in the world of packrafts.
I have a Anfibio Revo XL packraft (from Tirio). It's a whitewater capable raft that can be stripped back for less adventurous paddles where weight (or lack of) is more important. But it's not really capable of loading a bike onboard - well you can just about but far from ideal. Others in the Anfibio range would be much better. Slightly cheaper than Alpaka but not a lot in it. I think Decathlon do one now - but not sure it's available in the UK. The "Packrafting UK" Facebook group would be a better place to ask.
I'm not sure I quite 'get' bikepacking packrafting - at least not in the UK. Packrafts are loads of fun (especially in white water) but not very quick. Add a bike on top and that magnifies it. A raft for bikepacking has to be big enough to carry a bike yet small enough to pack away small enough to carry it on a bike. That's a tough ask - and mostly solved by throwing lots of money at very fancy materials. Then......planning a route that is actually enhanced by having both bike and boat elements of the journey are not super plentiful - always feel a bit 'engineered' to give the toys a purpose. You'd be properly brave to plan a route with a long water passage in a little raft with a bike balanced on the top that's not going to become a bit spicy with a bit of weather. It could be great, or it could just be a way to make both the biking and the boating a bit average. I have enjoyed routes where I've taken my packraft with me on my bike, ridden to a waterside campsite and then spent the evening paddling. Got to confess packraft adventures on foot have been more enjoyable.
I’m not sure I quite ‘get’ bikepacking packrafting
I always thought it would be about simply crossing water that you'd otherwise have to ride around. I don't think I'd have the balls to whitewater in a thing that looks like a balloon animal.
As convert said, Andy at backcountry.scot in Aviemore is a bit of a packraft enthusiast.
I've done a few of bikerafting trips and would mostly agree with everything @convert says above. I liked this bit in particular
it could just be a way to make both the biking and the boating a bit average
There are definitely some nice trips to be done where a bike and boat can work together but I've used the combination just for day trips down the rivers or across a couple of lochs. Anyone who has had to handle the logistics of canoeing/kayaking will appreciate the hassle involved. At least with the bike and raft I can make these trips without trying to recover a kayak by car. So, think of the bike as an "enabler" for river running.
I've not (yet) done a backpacking/rafting overnighter. Mainly, it's just down to the weight and volume of the additional kit required and the subsequent compromise on how the bike would feel to ride.
I have a Gen 1 Alpacka. Some would say it's not ideal for carrying a bike because it doesn't have a massive bow area but I've managed just fine. If anything, tracking in the water is actually better with the load on the front.
I do have a couple of packraft overnighters in mind for this year - in particular Loch Treig. I'll be kicking that off by train to Corrour though, not taking a bike.
Alpacka and Tirio are the two longest established brands but there are others popping up now. Either way I'd recommend getting onto an "Introduction" course and, yes, can say you'll not get better than with Andy at backcountry.scot.
I always thought it would be about simply crossing water that you’d otherwise have to ride around.
Yes. I guess something like crossing Ullswater from Howtown would be a good bang for your buck of paddling to cut a corner. But how far would you be happy to carry 6kg of gear on bike to cut a corner? edit- but I take the point that the bike can make the return trip easier - Spey being the obvious journey there as quite fast flowing but not too technical (I'm not sure I want a bike balanced on my bow on the Findhorn below!).
I don’t think I’d have the balls to whitewater in a thing that looks like a balloon animal.
🙂 - in many ways it's easier than you'd imagine.
This is not me - just something I've ripped from youtube - but it's my frequent Sunday morning leg stretcher from the front door - a couple of mile walk to the put in and a mile or so walk back from the get out. Edit to be on the safe side in case anyone finds this in the future - That's pretty low water levels in that vid - 0.2m on the Sepa gauge I'd say. It can go into spate very fast and rise by a meter plus in a blink of an eye - you need to be aware what's coming. 0.4m is probably my sweetspot - anymore and it gets a bit serious for my balloon animal!
But how far would you be happy to carry 6kg of gear to cut a corner?
Yep. Boat, paddle, PFD, additional straps and then extra stuff to stay dry. Then there's the not-insignificant transition time; setting up the boat, dismantling the bike, packing it all up and getting back to bike mode later. At least with just walking/paddling there's less of that faff too.
For Loch Treig I'm hoping to be wind-powered.
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I love the idea of bikerafting, but I think I'd have to be crossing alaska or something. Scotland kind of makes sense. But I live in Wales and can't think of when I'd need it, despite really liking the idea 🙁
I like bikes, and packrafts but I've not really combined the two. My raft is great for moving water and for camping as it has a self bailing floor and you can put your camping kit inside the tubes but it doesn't pack particularly small and weighs just over 6kg, and thats without the paddle, BA etc.
It works better with buses than bikes IMO, or would if we had a decent public transport system.
I’ve come to the same conclusion as most - it’s got to be a very specific trip where bike rafting works and living in Southern England that trip would also need to be very engineered which kind of takes the fun out of it. Let’s face it, in the uk even most bikepacking trips can usually be done cheaper, more comfortably and more efficiently with panniers and a nice touring bike!
when I was thinking about this I did notice a really nice Decathlon pack raft with a Tizip and bike storage points. It looks like they have discontinued that model but they do have a simpler one which is cheaper and lighter…
I've done a fair bit bikepacking, and packrafting, including multi-day trips. Only done one trip with bike AND raft AND camping, which was just an overnighter from home as a test, so fairly contrived. That said, it was nice to be able to do a trip you couldn't do any other way: ride out, camp, paddle down river, ride home. This is the nub of packrafting, you have to contrive a journey to which there is no real point, to suit your modes of transport. It's very similar to riding a mountain bike in laps round a wood in that regard.
I've also done day trips using bike + boat + train.
Some good advice re. boats above. There's a lot more choice than even a couple of years ago, including boats designed specifically for loads/bikerafting. But as scotroutes says, that doesn't mean you can't lash a bike to the front of a classic design, as I have done many times (Alpacka Mule here), though I wouldn't try it with the very lightweight models.
Bit off topic, but can you hire packrafts? In Scotland.
Not for using with a bike, just on foot. I quite like the idea but would want to be sure before splashing (pardon the pun) out the cash.
@kennyp - backcountry.scot. They'll even do it by courier.
TBH given our current usage of our packrafts I think hiring would have been a cheaper option 😁
Cheers Colin. Will check them out. Ta.
you have to contrive a journey to which there is no real point
Surely it has the same point as any big circular bike ride, which is simply recreation?
But how far would you be happy to carry 6kg of gear on bike to cut a corner?
In the UK, you could cut out a fair chunk of riding in certain places, if you were prepared to risk the sea, but in other parts of the world it could save you a huge detour.
The weight would indeed be a ball-ache though when cycling.
This recent podcast seemed a good intro for the packraft curious:
https://www.theoutdoorsstation.co.uk/2022/12/no-554-packrafting-an-introduction/
There are some sales on at the moment such as this (others on that site would be better for bikes):
I am kind of interested in the concept myself, but more on foot as per some of the preceding posts.
And without wishing to rub it in...
Access issues for paddlers in Wales and England are just as bad as for cyclists. That means not just the water, but also entry and egress. Scotlands access laws apply equally to water so the choice is greater.
Having said that, as a beginner, many of Scotlands rivers are short, rough, fast, narrow. There might actually be a better choice of easy water in England.
I've had lovely days paddling the easy sections of some quite extreme rivers tho, people can forget about them.