A 567 gram pack rafting paddle: Check this out on Massdrop this morning for US$29.99 each (08/2018). You would be foolish not to buy a couple. I bought two. It will go very well with the Klymit packraft you should have bought from them some time back for US$99 (I bought two as well): http://www.theultralighthiker.com/klymit-packraft/
Here’s me and Spot trying it out on the farm dam: http://www.theultralighthiker.com/the-best-laid-schemes/
4-Piece Breakdown Paddle
Designed for maximum portability, the Advanced Elements Ultralight Pack Paddle weighs 23.6 ounces, measures 88.2 inches when assembled, and breaks down to a travel-ready 23.6 inches. The durable aluminum shaft features a four-part construction with drip rings on either end that prevent the water on your paddle blades from reaching your hands or lap. For an even more compact setup that’ll cut 3.6 ounces off your pack weight, use only one middle shaft section between the two blades. A great pairing for the Advanced Elements PackLite or Klymit Lite Water Dinghy, this is among the most affordable solutions for light packrafting.
Specs
- Advanced Elements
- Material, shaft: Aluminum
- Assembled length, full setup: 88.2 in (224 cm)
- Packed length, full setup: 23.6 in (60 cm)
- Weight, full setup: 23.6 oz (669 g)
- Assembled length, minimalist setup: 66.5 in (169 cm)
- Packed length, minimalist setup: 23.6 in (60 cm)
- Weight, minimalist setup: 20 oz (567 g)
Because sometimes an ultralight paddle and an ultralight packraft (such as Klymit’s) are just what you need -eg for river/lake crossings on long hikes. You can put the two things together for just over 1.5kg! A great paddle for the kids. If nothing else these would make a great backup paddle for remote trips. They could just save your bacon should you find your primary paddle floating downstream or worse.
http://www.advancedelements.com/accessories/paddles/?b=12935
PS: The paddles arrived and appear to be very good and strong. They are also very long. You certainly could leave one section at home to further reduce weight (by 133 grams to 567 grams) if you are only using it for short river crossings. They are clearly more durable than the 406 gram paddle mentioned here http://www.theultralighthiker.com/ultralight-paddle/ which would be adequate for such crossings.
