After struggling towards a headwind for the higher a part of an hour, I had some flagging confidence in our inflatable canoe. The idea was good — nice, even — however going through a persistent wind in your larger-than-average rubber duck will make anybody query whether or not the commerce was price it. My doubt was short-lived, nonetheless.
Later that day, we met one other group alongside a portage path. They had been struggling below their 12-foot picket shell, and the brand new Alpacka Raft Rendezvous all of the sudden appeared like the best answer for canoeists bored with lugging conventional vessels.
Not each journey could be so luxuriously ferried. If the overland carry is simply too far, the bush aircraft too cramped, or the pack animal saddled too low, it’s time to commerce paddle energy for pack dimension.
Normal as a tandem raft with sufficient inside storage to outfit a week-long voyage, the total TPU-construction Rendezvous weighs simply 10 kilos and packs down sufficiently small to slot in your backpack. Attempt that with your loved ones canoe.
In brief: The Alpacka Raft Rendezvous ($1,700) is a premium inflatable canoe that I examined over a month of paddling in North Cascades Nationwide Park this spring. Its 800-pound capability makes it a load-hauler, and its means to face in and scout proves it a real voyageur vessel. For individuals who don’t have the funds, space for storing, or transport means for the standard hardshell canoe, it is a stable, inflatable possibility. It’s simply transportable, sturdy, and floats with the very best.
For a full rundown on the Alpacka Rafts lineup and extra, take a look at GearJunkie’s full information to The Finest Packrafts.
Large load capability
Built-in seat provides rigidity to the boat
Can stand on the ground to scout or fish
Cargo fly can maintain a formidable quantity of package
Not as succesful in whitewater as another tandem rafts
Larger sitting platform means higher windage
Stern might use an built-in deal with
Nick Belcaster
Alpacka Raft Rendezvous: Evaluation
The Rendezvous wasn’t the one new tandem providing from Alpacka Raft this previous 12 months. The brand new Tango is obtainable as a really perfect touring-kayak packraft, and the present Forager raft covers your whitewater leanings. The Rendezvous is the model’s method to a canoe.
A 210D hull and 840D flooring are held along with RF welding. It’s additionally sewn and double-seam taped, and it makes use of a TPU building. Effectively-placed lash tabs stud the outside and permit for rigging up a bow bag for necessities, whereas inside loops assist you to safe dry luggage inside.
It’s clear that Alpacka Rafts aren’t thrown collectively at 5 p.m. on a Friday. With a full weekend and an open expanse of teal water earlier than us, we got down to shake the true deal out of this raft.
The built-in thwart of the Rendezvous makes a cushty seat and significantly stiffens up the raft; (picture/Nick Belcaster)
First Paddle Strokes
You be taught rather a lot in regards to the Rendezvous earlier than you even inflate the factor. Whereas rolling out the raft for the primary time inside a floating boathouse on Diablo Lake, your entire 11 toes of the craft unfurled with a snap. The large deal lies entrance and heart, which is the built-in thwart that replaces the detachable seat of earlier designs.
I don’t say massive deal flippantly, both. This characteristic makes the raft lighter and extra compact than the model’s different tandem craft. It additionally considerably stiffens up the rig. I needed to double-check after I was instructed you possibly can stand on the single-ply flooring. You positive about that?
The Rendezvous isn’t any compact craft, and is 11 toes lengthy and about 43 inches vast with 13-inch tubes; (picture/Nick Belcaster)
The reply, I’d discover out later, was an enthusiastic sure. Throughout the loading of drugs got here the second thought: This factor has ROOM. Our easy in a single day package virtually rattled round contained in the boat, and whereas I haven’t tried it myself, the whispers of carrying your skis inside a packraft appear solely possible with the Rendezvous.
A Flatwater Battleship
Paddling the dam-bound reservoirs of the North Cascades is a curious factor. Beholden to the almighty megawatt, the lake stage swings wildly right here. Generally, the water is so excessive you would possibly paddle the nearshore and look down at submerged gardens of kinnikinnick and wild strawberry.
Seeing this requires a sure vantage. The elevated perch the Rendezvous gives saddled us within the prime place. We might see the subsurface topography laid out plainly beneath us. We bent to our paddles and started dispatching the miles, connecting shore prominences and island clusters.
Paddling the Rendezvous with two folks is surprisingly fast, and the lengthy waterline definitely helps on this regard; (picture/Nick Belcaster)
A packraft is a craft of inherent compromise, and the Rendezvous isn’t any exception. However whereas most all single paddler rafts have some extent of monitoring slop, the Rendezvous counters with two paddlers.
By divining a few of the magic of canoe strokes, we simply bought this craft to maintain to the straight and slim(ish).
The tall seating place on the Rendezvous means you possibly can scout shallow passages like this one; (picture/Nick Belcaster)
Propelling the Rendezvous solo, nonetheless, is a sport of steadiness. Paddling from the rear, I discovered, affords a fantastic waggle to deal with and solely much less so from the bow. In the end, I discovered that rowing à la voyageur was the very best compromise whereas kneeling on the thwart.
Loyal pack rafters might want to supply a distinct paddle to motor this vessel (once more, we borrowed ours from canoe associates). When you lack such associates, the Aqua-Certain Shred Carbon Paddle is nigh important. This collaboration between the model and Alpacka Raft capabilities as each a kayak paddle and two canoe paddles when damaged down. Very good.
Stand, Scout, and Solid
Nearing an archipelago of seasonally liminal islands, we peeled off from our course and landed to discover. Sliding right into a small cove, I kneeled to achieve some vantage to maintain us from kissing the granite. Even disembarking whereas the opposite paddler stays put is a well-balanced act. The Rendezvous performs prefer it’s bought lead within the keel.
Then, making a touch throughout the span of the lake, we honed in on the fjord-like choke of Hidden Cove — an old-growth hallway with the door left ajar. Right here, too, the power handy the stick with the rear paddler is a boon. That approach, I might maintain myself busy rigging up my fly rod.
The Rendezvous is a super-capable fishing platform; (picture/Nick Belcaster)
It turned out the rumors had been true, in spite of everything. Standing on the bow of the Rendezvous, I used to be in a position to swing forged after forged to the nearshore, simply clearing my co-paddler on the again forged. You’ll want a great measure of steadiness, in fact. However the 43-inch width of the raft makes it much better balanced than most canoes.
All this upright positioning does come at a little bit of a commerce in terms of windage. After lobbing flies till my arm went numb, we returned to the expanse of the lake. The afternoon hole winds had been proper on schedule and blew a wholesome chop throughout our path. Whereas we had been catching simply the preliminary blow, it was nonetheless a bit daunting.
The Rendezvous definitely doesn’t sport a small radar cross-section, and people 13-inch hull tubes catch a whole lot of breeze when perpendicular to you. We confronted these good storm circumstances for the ultimate few miles of the day. Missing any kind of keel additionally doesn’t assist. Like most packrafts, you’ll struggle for ahead movement within the wind.
Standing within the Rendezvous isn’t any novelty and permits for higher scouting when issues get shallow; (picture/Erika Courtney)
Nonetheless, the dual-motor means of this boat once more is available in clutch. Paddling at odds with each other and angling our bow upwind, we settled right into a sustainable groove and put our heads down. The lengthy water line undoubtedly aided in retaining our momentum up. Stroke by stroke, we pulled throughout the lake.
On-Board Storage
Touchdown on the dock at Buster Brown flats was well-earned, and we set about offloading our in a single day package. After I beforehand paddled the Alpacka Raft Refuge — a juiced-up craft meant to squeeze efficiency whereas limiting weight — the stowage was simply sufficient to accommodate a curated package. Not so with the Rendezvous.
The TiZip cargo fly on the stern of this raft is considerably extra beneficiant. Its placement in the course of the tubes lets you “split” the opening wider to accommodate bulkier kits, equivalent to backpacks with difficult frames. With a lot house, we might have been a bit extra luxurious in our in a single day gear decisions.
The lengthy TiZip opening on the Rendezvous lets you stuff the inside to the gills with gear; (picture/Erika Courtney)
An 800-pound max capability (be aware: this consists of paddlers) additionally means you shouldn’t be hamstrung by hauling weight. Whereas I might solely see coming near that when packing out sport animals, it does permit for the total deal with field when fishing or a cheeky forged iron pan.
Storing your package on the inside of the raft additionally makes it act like ballast. We didn’t discover any considerable distinction in velocity when paddling loaded down or not.
Portage Talents & Packability
Like all good voyageur, I additionally needed to decide the Rendezvous on its portage talents. A quick bash by the satan’s membership and slide alder to make camp sorted that rapidly. Notes: It carries nicely, however securing your package inside appears important. Tip too far a method, and all of it goes sliding!
Right here, I did need an built-in seize deal with on the stern of the raft (although just a few loops are current to rig your individual).
The strict of the Rendezvous sports activities 4 tie downs, which you’ll be able to rig how you want; (picture/Erika Courtney)
Packed down, this raft will compress to a 20 x 9″ cylinder, which, whereas not mind-bogglingly small, remains to be extra compact than it looks as if it needs to be. That is notably smaller than the same tandem Forager raft and a full 4 kilos lighter. When you don’t want added muscle for larger water, it’s powerful to not recommend snagging the Rendezvous as a substitute.
A last (hard-earned) piece of recommendation: Keep in mind to pack every little thing you’ll want all through the day outdoors of the tubes if you inflate the boat. A very fats leaping trout despatched me scrambling for my fly rod the subsequent day, which I discovered, to some despair, was stashed beneath me contained in the raft.
Alpacka Raft Rendezvous: Conclusion
The Alpacka Raft Rendezvous is a superb selection for a flatwater fishing craft; (picture/Erika Courtney)
The Alpacka Raft Rendezvous ain’t your daddy’s canoe. Neither is it a legendary Grumman, however it doesn’t declare it, both. A lot the identical approach that these aluminum shells have grow to be near-archetypal for the fashion, the Rendezvous is the way in which to do a packraft canoe.
The brand new built-in thwart is a brilliant addition and enchancment over the older Oryx design. It stiffens up the raft to the purpose that it doesn’t want the inflatable flooring that the model’s Forager raft sports activities. It received’t be as depraved of a whitewater craft. However for flatwater transits, the tradeoff in weight and packed dimension makes it a winner.
Standing up within the Rendezvous, surprisingly, is the spotlight of this packraft. From right here, you possibly can scout braided rivers or make stable casts whereas fishing. Being a tandem packraft additionally cracks the journey menu open a bit wider. It even makes piloting the vessel whereas whipping up a mid-river snack straightforward.
For individuals who purpose to go deep, journey mild, and catch just a few trout alongside the way in which, it’s powerful to argue this isn’t the canoe you need.
