Note: The spray skirt shown in the header image is the previous lightweight nylon skirt for the Alpacka Raft Classic.
Packrafts were originally conceived as tools for backcountry travel — designed to be packed in and paddled out. But Alpacka Raft has been pushing whitewater performance hard in recent years. The Valkyrie, and now the new Mage arriving this season, are clear signals of that direction. The overall performance ceiling of packrafts continues to rise.
Paddling something like the Alpacka Raft Classic on rivers ranging from calm flatwater to Class II–III, I’ve experienced firsthand how capable these boats have become. The gap between packraft and river kayak is narrowing — and that’s opening the door for paddlers who find kayaking intimidating, or who simply want a lighter, more flexible way to enjoy moving water and whitewater.
Alpacka Raft × Immersion Research: The IR Sixmile Skirt
Alpacka Raft has always offered packrafts in various deck configurations, including whitewater deck and removable whitewater deck setups that use a spray skirt to keep water out of the cockpit. Until now, those skirts have been made from lightweight nylon — a deliberate choice given that packability and weight are central to the packraft’s identity.
That approach made sense for a decade. But as packraft whitewater performance has evolved, so has the need for skirt performance to match. A lightweight nylon skirt simply isn’t built for the demands of the rapids that today’s high-performance packrafts can handle.
Enter the IR Sixmile Skirt — co-developed by the originator brand of packrafts, Alpacka Raft, and the originator brand of kayak spray skirts, Immersion Research (IR). Two pioneers from their respective categories, working together to build something neither could have produced alone.
For full specifications and details, visit the Alpacka Raft website.
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