This is the Alpacka Scout which I bought for my wife Della (or was it for myself?) for a Xmas present – here modeled by my daughter and grandson in the farm dam.
Pack Raft Australia are the Australian agents. Their prices are as low as you could possible get it from the US anyway but the rafts will arrive in less than a week. They also have lots of spares and accessories – and also stock Hyperlite Mountain Gear. I highly recommend them.
My daughter (and my wife are around 5′ and 40 kg sort of people. This raft (at 1.47 kg) is ideal for them.
The dogs (as you can see) would like to go canoeing too. They are not going unless they agree to wear their doggie booties though so that they don’t puncture the rafts. When you order your booties make sure you measure your dog’s feet first.
You may notice I have added a number of extra tie-out points, two for a back-rest which definitely improves comfort and four as attachment points for a pack up front. This is easy to do and the bits are available above. I added a plastic side release buckle and a length of webbing as a quick release and tensioner for the pack
At 5′ my daughter and Della can straighten their legs out but at 5’7″ my legs are bent, though I still fit quite comfortably. The raft will be quite suitable for me for those cross river hunting trips such as this or this or for short trips where I want to save a kg of weight but there isn’t much serious white water.
Product Description
“So small and light that you won’t even notice it in your pack. The Scout features a symmetrical with additional volume in the bow and stern, which allows the Scout to be used as a full-fledged backcountry packraft in addition to its regular duties as a canyoneering and mountain lake specialist. Due to its minimalist nature, the Scout is tight fit especially for larger paddlers. We recommend the Caribou or Classic for more space and comfort for longer adventures on the water.
Alpacka Scout Specifications:
Exterior Length76in | 193cm
Exterior Width33in | 84cm
Interior Length38in | 97cm
Interior Width15in | 38cm
Weight3.25lb | 1.47kg
Packed Size15x5in | 38x13cm
Max Capacity*225lb | 102kg”
Price (Jan 2022) A$999.
This is our third Alpacka raft. We also own the (just plain) Alpacka and the Fiord Explorer both of which you will have seen a number of times on these pages – but both are heavier, by 1 and 1.7 kg repectively approximately. They will both still have their uses so don’t think you can get your hands on them (cheaply) just yet but if we have to be walking a long way in a weight saving (when we don’t need the additional size) will be appreciated.
See Also:
Pack Rafting the Remote Wonnangatta
Dusky Track: Canoeing the Seaforth
Packrafting the Wonnangatta-Mitchell
