The Greatest Packrafts of 2023

A packraft, simply put, is an inflatable boat that you can roll up and put in your backpack to carry for significant distances. Historically, these packable boats were used for more extreme bike/raft adventures, but in recent years have gained a broader fan base.

Whether heading out on a mega-adventure race or simply looking for an apartment-friendly boat, a packraft will suit you well. They handle all types of water, pack up small, and are fun.

While testing, we considered the following characteristics: ease of use, weight/packed size, durability, paddleability, and cost/value. We also favored boats that are readily available in North America.

If you need more help choosing a packraft, be sure to check out our extensive buyer’s guide at the end of this article. We’ve also assembled a comparison chart to weigh your options, as well as a FAQ section to get right to the point.

The Best Packrafts of 2023

Packrafts Comparison Chart

Why You Should Trust Us

GearJunkie is lucky to play host to a number of packrafters — from the packraft-curious to paddling fiends. Two such experts are Chelsey and Jason Magness, who completed an early descent of the now-classic Little Nahanni River to access the Cirque of the Unclimbables in 2005.

The ensuing expedition also became the first ascent of Lotus Flower Tower without using air to access the Cirque, and the possibilities of using packrafts to access deep locales opened up. Since that first introduction, packrafting has changed our relationship with the outdoors more profoundly than many other pieces of gear.

Over the past 20 years, the packraft (just like the early days of mountain biking) has gone from a single utilitarian design to countless specialized ones. They run the gamut from sub-2-pound ultralights, to Class V-capable whitewater boats, to two-person builds that can carry more than 1,000 pounds.

In order to test a boat’s meddle, we paddled them in all kinds of conditions and water types — from rucking them into high alpine lakes to running swollen Class II-III Cascadian rivers. We paid special mind to ease of packing, paddling ability, storage options, and durability.

With packrafting still growing as a sport, we’ll continue to inflate the best-of-the-best and add them here if we think they’ve made the cut. If you’re looking to paddle something with a bit more structure, check out our best kayak or paddleboard reviews.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Packraft

What Is Packrafting?

Simply put, a packraft is an inflatable boat that you can roll up and put in your backpack. These boats usually weigh about 5-10 pounds, only take up a portion of the space in your pack, and are usually inflated with a minimalist “inflation bag” instead of a pump.

Most notably, packrafts are durable enough to survive some level of rugged and remote usage where equipment failure is less of an option. They are much more durable than the similarly shaped vinyl boats or pool toys that are widely and cheaply available at big-box stores.

Material

The early boats that inspired the packraft were made from PVC and vinyl. And you can still get boats for under 50 bucks that are lightweight and float and look kinda like a packraft. But they also puncture easily, leading to unplanned deflations.

Most modern packrafts are made of a polyurethane-coated fabric. However, there are tremendous differences in the quality of different fabrics that are called the same thing.

Not every 210-denier yarn is the same, nor is it woven to the same specs at every production facility. Alpacka Raft manufactures and coats all of its fabric in the U.S. This results in the highest consistency, durability, and UV resistance of any of the rafts we have tried.

Inflation Setup

Most modern packrafts eschew the use of a pump and instead use an ultralight inflation bag that looks like a sil-nylon trash can liner. The bag screws onto the boat on one end. Then, you scoop air to fill the bag, twist the top, and push all that air volume into the boat.

Many boats also have a one-way inflation valve for topping off the boat. We would not recommend any boat for serious use that does not have this one-way feature. While early packrafts utilized cheaper Boston valves, many new packrafts incorporate modern whitewater rafting valves, such as the Leafield D7.

Besides pump sacks, there are other mechanical methods for inflation that can greatly speed up your deployment time. The Pack-A-Pump ($65) from Alpacka Raft is a plunger-style inflator that works specifically with Alpacka’s proprietary valves, or you could go electric with the Feather Pump ($50) from Kokopelli.

Seats

Seat configuration varies widely. But for any paddle longer than 30 minutes, it is really important to have a decent seat that positions your hips higher than your feet. A backrest or backband is also essential to help create a sustainable and healthy paddling position.

There is a balance between being too low in a boat, where the paddling position suffers, and too high, where gravity begins to take over and pull at you. Experiment by trying different seats and modifying the stack height with pieces of foam, or even adding another seat entirely.

Thigh Straps

Thigh straps are a must for any serious whitewater Class IV and above. They allow the development of boat control skills that are needed for technical maneuvering. They also make it possible for expert users to reliably execute the “packraft roll.”

Basic thigh straps connect at two points within the packraft — at the ankles and beside the hips — and provide a moderate amount of stability. Advanced, or high-performance, thigh straps add two additional attachment points at the knees to increase the force distribution.

Many rafts are set up to run thigh straps, while others might be retrofitted to accept them. Note that adding additional straps can increase the entrapment hazard, and learning how to properly escape from your boat is necessary. Straps like the Alpacka DIY Thigh Strap Kit or Kokopelli 3-Point Thigh Strap Set are great options.

Gear Storage

One of our tester’s first expeditions saw strapping 40-pound packs to the bow of the boats, and another 20-pound dry bag full of climbing gear at their feet. Visibility was limited, and the cramped foot position was less than desirable. When the boat flipped, it was difficult to right. And nearly everything got some level of wet, regardless of how many dry bags it was packed in.

The availability of internal storage via the TiZip was a major step forward in packrafting when Alpacka introduced it in 2012. It keeps gear dry, actually improves boat handling, and makes longer expeditions much more reasonable.

The TiZips are well-proven at this point. Although they demand a little more care and add a bit more packing complexity, they are well worth it for most users and have been adopted as a standard option for nearly every major brand.

Self-Bailing vs. Closed Design

Self-bailing packrafts borrow from the whitewater rafting world, and feature a bottom with holes in it that allows water to pass through the boat. There will also typically be an inflatable seat that might span the length of the cockpit, in order to keep the paddler drier.

A closed deck design is preferable for colder-water paddling, when keeping as much water out of the boat as possible is ideal. These designs also provide a bit more structure to a boat, and add durability when strapping equipment like bikes down to the deck.

Spray Decks and Skirts

Spray decks and skirts have come a long way since the original style back in the early 2000s. The early style basically slipped over the boat as a whole, and their propensity to slide off at inopportune times led them to being dubbed “packraft condoms” by early paddlers. Luckily, modern spray skirts are much more secure than their predecessors.

Skirts are primarily designed for whitewater to keep water out, with a piece of PEX piping being used to create a lip (coaming) around the cockpit, which the skirt secures around.

It is basically a packraft version of what you see in every river-running hardshell kayak. In the event of a capsize, you can release the skirt with a pull loop at the front of the boat.

Some more generalist packrafts have a cruiser-style deck that attaches only with Velcro and can be completely removed if desired to create an open boat. These decks are simple, but only keep about 70% of the water out. In whitewater, a cruiser-decked boat will eventually fill and need to be emptied in order to maintain control and paddle-ability.

Whitewater vs. Flatwater

Buy the packraft that is going to fit your most common usage scenario. If you plan on almost exclusively paddling lakes, bays, and calmer rivers, then any open boat model is best. They are simple, lighter, and cheaper. And they’ll handle just fine if you get ambitious with some Class II once in a while.

Looking for more time on rivers and less on lakes? A basic self-bailer or decked boat (Alpacka Classic Series, or the Kokopelli Rogue) handles some Class II-III water while still being light and small enough to take on just about any trip.

If you are planning on spending most of your time playing among eddies, holes, and waves, get a boat that is made for it. The Alpacka Expedition or Kokopelli Nirvana will serve you well.

For a pure whitewater beast, we recommend the Gnarwhal or Wolverine, which come ready to party with all your Class IV hardshell friends — but are packable to take places they’d never carry their kayaks. The Kokopelli Recon can fit this niche too for a budget option, but what you save in dollars you pay for in weight.

Handling

We’re not going to lie and say that packrafts handle great. They take some getting used to and, initially, they waggle a lot for most novice paddlers. But with some practice, the boats can paddle quite straight at decent speeds.

In general, the smaller ultralight boats will be the slowest. Self-bailers will be a little more sluggish both in speed and responsiveness than boats without holes in the floor. But a full boat — if you get swamped in waves — is much worse.

Boats that have a one-way valve for inflation allow for more pressure in the tubes. And this means better handling. The ability to get a tight boat is perhaps more important than any hull design feature.

Finally, boat handling is better if you fit well and are comfortable in the boat. Make sure you are getting a boat sized for you. Too small a boat, and you’ll sit lower in the water and be more cramped for longer paddles. In whitewater, a too-small boat capsizes more easily. Too big and it will be hard to effectively maneuver the boat, and you’ll spend a lot of extra energy to do so.

Some packrafts, like the Alpacka Expedition or the Gnarwhal, are available in a number of different sizes, while the majority of rafts on the market are of the one-size-fits-most variety. These boats will often instead utilize an adjustable backband and seat set-up to allow for some adjustability.

Still needing to take up some space at the end of your raft? Using a commercial brace like the Whitewater Foot Brace from Alpacka Raft can be an excellent way to take up some slack, though we’ve also seen paddlers using everything from yoga blocks to beach balls.

Rolled Size and Weight

The weight weenies among us like to count ounces, but in reality, choosing a packraft based on weight is a bad idea. Pick a boat that meets your paddling skills and use scenarios, and you’ll adapt to the size and weight.

Still, for more remote and lengthy use cases, pack size and weight are worth taking into consideration. With good technique, the roll size can be reduced significantly. And nearly all the single rafts we’ve used can be compressed enough to fit into a 40 L pack (or lashed to bike handlebars) with plenty of room to spare.

If you are really concerned about weight, take the extra 10 minutes to dry it out. The weight difference between rolling a wet boat and a dry one can be up to several pounds!

Load Capacity

Pay attention to load capacity. If you get close to (or over) it, you will significantly affect performance. Most boats’ “maximum load” is the total weight limit of the paddler plus gear that will allow the boat to have good, consistent handling characteristics in ideal conditions.

Exceeding this does not mean the boat will sink. We’ve paddled the Alpacka Scout (250-pound limit) with two adults plus gear (300+ pounds.) in nonideal conditions so many times, we’ve lost count.

But, then again, we’ve also used a carbon fiber paddle to dig a snow cave on the upper slopes of Mt Rainier and it was pretty hard on the paddle. In short, the load capacity is a recommendation, and most boats are capable of at least floating more.

Durability

In general, packrafts are burly, but lighter boats are generally less durable. So, use a bit more caution with a packraft. If your boat is equipped with a TiZip, that is one of the easiest places to introduce leaks. So, make sure you learn how to care for it and keep it grit-free.

Less expensive boats (as noted in the “materials” sections) may be crafted from a PU fabric that is easier to tear, abrade, and delaminate than some of the more premium boats. We recommend sticking with the more established brands that have good customer service and pride themselves on craftsmanship.

Packraft Pro Tips

1. Temper your boat: It should be nice and firm and will require at least one top-off after you get into the water. A more rigid boat paddles much better than a soft boat. And it is less likely to get leaks due to abrasion from rocks or contact with sharp sticks. Use care not to leave your boat in the sun once fully pressurized. This can cause damage and leaks due to overpressurization. Most manufacturers recommend a max inflation of 1.5-2.5 PSI.
2. Learn to field repair your boat: Most boats come with a small repair kit that can solve most leaks or minor damage within a few minutes. Small leaks are common with aggressive usage and are not a concern if you understand how to fix them. In addition to the repair kit, we carry a small bit of Tyvek tape (wound around a paddle shaft), which will take care of nearly every problem long enough to finish your trip and make a more permanent repair. For boats with a TiZip, one pro analogizes it to lip care: “I never use lip balm, and I come back from every trip with sore and chapped lips that take a week to heal. My wife is super diligent and never has that issue.” The cargo fly is the same. The zipper doesn’t heal when you don’t keep it lubricated. Light, frequent lubrication is the key!
3. Slow down on the paddle strokes: Watch an expert paddle — they make it look effortless. Fewer strokes with deeper paddle penetration and smooth power is better than frantically slashing at the surface. Take the time to practice your strokes in more ideal settings so that they become automatic and easy. It will make a world of difference to your enjoyment as your missions increase in duration.

FAQ