Alpacka Raft’s blog featured a column by lifelong adventurer Tyler Williams on how packrafting has changed over the years. Williams runs Funhog Press, a publishing company in Flagstaff, Arizona, with his wife Lisa.
For a single mode of travel to change this much in under twenty years says something about how young this culture still is. This one’s worth reading especially for anyone who’s only ever known packrafting as it is now.
2006: Bright Yellow, Velcro Spray Skirt
Williams first used a packraft in 2006, on a four-day bushwhack in the Canadian Rockies. The boat back then was bright yellow, a simple design with a Velcro spray skirt. Even industry magazines needed the word “packraft” explained to them.
2024: Enough to Get a Movie Made
Today “packraft” is a common word, with manufacturers all over the world. As Williams puts it, the sport got popular enough that a movie, Sheri, got made about it. What was once a strange little boat for wilderness diehards now does double duty as a low-water extension tool, a research instrument, carry-on luggage on international flights, and a beginner’s first boat — the role itself has diversified.
Related Link
→ Alpacka Raft blog: Packrafting: Then and Now
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