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The packraft provides fantastic opportunities for traversing through the river and lake systems ( e . g . in Sweden ), where sometimes there is a disconnect between one river / lake and another due to its portability and low weight . Within a packraft , there is little room for anything other than the paddler , so kit must be mainly transported on the deck in waterproof bags . Depending upon how much gear you might be transporting on the front deck , visibility for river feature reading could be hindered . The high buoyancy of a packraft also means that it remains unaffected by river boils encountered in moderate water alongside eddy lines .
As with any inflatable , a packraft is susceptible to a puncture or a ripped base . On that basis , carrying a repair kit as part of the necessary gear is essential , particularly for a multi-day trip or even a day trip in an inaccessible location . The high portability and lightness of the packraft do mean , however , that ‘ walking out ’ is a definite remedy to a significant puncture .
Packrafting is fun and adaptable to moderate ( Grade 2 ) water environments ( e . g ., the River Spey from Ballindaloch to Aberlour with the well-known features of the ‘ washing machine ’ and Knockando rapids ). Finally , packrafting provides flexibility for travel either by car or on foot as a backpack .
HISTORY
Packrafting is not new , but it has a varied history that originated in the 1840s when Lt . ( later Captain ) Peter A . Halkett ( Royal Navy ) ( 1820-1885 ). Halkett wanted
Photos : National Maritime Museum , London . https :// www . rmg . co . uk / stories / blog / libra ry-archive / boat-cloak-or-cloak-boat
a versatile water-based craft to transport an individual , but at the same time , it was portable and could be easily carried over any terrain . History often tells us that an invention can only occur because of another invention , and so it was with packrafting .
Halkett ’ s development of a ‘ cloth-boat ’ in 1844 required the invention of rubber-coated cloth some twenty years before by Charles Macintosh . Halkett ’ s dualpurpose ‘ cloth-boat ’ doubled up as both an inflatable water-based craft and an item of clothing ( the boat cloak ). The ingenuity of this ‘ cloth-boat ’ was extraordinary ; the cloak could be spread out on the floor and inflated with bellows , while the cloak ’ s walking stick could be adapted as a paddle by removing the handle and replacing it with the ( paddle ) blade .
The whole ‘ cloth-boat ’ weighed around 3.5 kg , making it very portable ( and wearable ). It could be inflated using the bellows in around 3-4 minutes . Its four separate airtight compartments supported the notion of a durable inflatable , as it would not sink if a compartment leaked ! And as every gentleman carried an umbrella , it could serve as a sail . And , as well as a single-person boat , he also adapted his design for a two-person inflatable boat . The concept was ideal for exploration , and its intended purpose was to explore the Canadian Arctic .
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