Best Packrafts, River Tested | Outdoor Life

Editor’s Choice

Kokopelli Nirvana

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Best Overall

Alpackaraft Expedition

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Best Value

NRS Neutron

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It’s funny to watch someone hike into the desert with a boat strapped to their pack, no water in sight and sand in every direction. But that’s the wonderful and weird world that opens up to you with packrafting. These vessels are so lightweight and compact that you can add them to your backpacking kit, creating a unique new way to explore the outdoors. Got your tent? Bug spray? Boat?

Whether you’re itching to fish that dead log in the middle of an alpine lake or hike to a river and float down it, there’s a packraft for you. Alpackaraft’s are made-to-order here in the USA with the best valve and a specific fit. Or opt for a versatile and reliable Kokopelli. NRS will save you some cash and still put you in a durable raft. I tested the best packrafts on multi-day trips and remote flatwater to help you cut through the endless options of these big ticket items.

Best Packrafts: Reviews & Recommendations

Editor’s Choice: Kokopelli Nirvana

Bad ass and extremely versatile, I love the Kokopelli Nirvana. It’s available as self-bailing or with a spraydeck. Self-bailing means there are holes in the bottom and an open deck so you’re getting wet, but the boat never holds water. I tested the spraydeck model, where the deck is partially enclosed and you have the option to add a sprayskirt. Check the Things to Consider section for more information on which is right for you.

To inflate the Nirvana I use the battery powered Kokopelli Feather pump, which is only 6 ounces with 40 minutes of battery life. It’s my favorite way to inflate because you can keep the valve in a closed position until the raft is mostly full, then finish it off with your mouth either directly on the valve or through the included straw. Otherwise you can use the inflation bag, just make sure the valve is open first and close it quickly when you’re done.

On flatwater, I usually kick my feet up on top of the deck and stuff my dry bag under the bow (I’ve even fit a Yeti Hopper under there). I love how spacious the interior is for gear and lounging on relaxed days, yet I can still sit actively in the boat for good control. Use the included compression straps to secure the backrest in an optimal position; this can also help size down the boat for smaller paddlers. Thigh straps are sold separately, but they give you better leverage in whitewater up to class III (though I wouldn’t let that cap stop me). 

To up the bad-assery, install the spray skirt which is a necessity in class III+ so you don’t swamp your boat. Kokopelli also sells dry bags you can install on the bow to access your stuff throughout the day without fiddling with your spray skirt. Regardless of how rough the river is, I bring a sponge to bail out the boat when splashes creep in.

The cargo zip is a necessity for overnight trips. Store your camping supplies and anything you won’t need throughout the day inside your boat like a giant dry-ish bag. You can also opt for a Kokopelli dry bag to clip in place and up your peace of mind. If your boat is punctured and needs repair, the last thing you want is a soggy sleeping bag, too. 

I’ve been incredibly impressed with the Nirvana’s durability; I drag it onto rocky beaches while weighted down and hit rocks and sticks with no dire consequences. Don’t forget the TiZip lubricant included in your repair kit though. I couldn’t close my cargo zipper to inflate the boat without it on a three-day river trip where clogging sand was a constant threat. Luckily there’s a handy mesh pocket on the seat back to store those things.

It doesn’t pack up the smallest, unfortunately. I’ve busted two buckles on my ULA Ohm backpacking pack trying to crank down the top strap over the Nirvana. But it’s compact enough to work, and the self-bailing option rolls tighter with no spray deck in the way.

Overall, this boat tracks well on the water with amazing stability. It’s spacious enough to extend my legs or rest them on the deck for long or relaxed floats and add gear, a dog, or loan it to someone larger than me. The Nirvana is perfect for the ambitious paddler looking to maximize remote trips and on-the-water performance without getting bogged down in the details.

Best Overall: Alpackaraft Expedition

Alpackaraft is undoubtedly making serious packrafts for avid river goers. There’s way too many options, including the ability to build an entirely custom boat. After packrafting for a couple years now and researching boats extensively both personally and professionally, I finally know what most of their acronyms mean. What it comes down to is: There’s a packraft for everybody and if you want to spend more time on the water and less time online, buy a Kokopelli.

But if you want a harcore, American-made boat that takes a month to ship, enter the Expedition. The proprietary valve takes in air even in the closed position so you’re never fighting air trying to escape during inflation. Use the included inflation bag or Exped Widget to mostly fill up the boat. Then use a Pack-a-Pump or your breath to finish it off.

I paddled this boat on an overnight trip through mostly class I to II water and found it tracked well, and I had great control. While my sit length (the distance between your hips and heels) is 41 inches, I felt confined in the small Expedition (interior length of 42.5 inches). Of course you can size up, but this elongates the exterior length of your boat, too. To reach the maximum 51 inches (6 less than the Kokopelli Nirvana) your boat will end up 8 inches longer.

The cargo zip is on the very back of the boat where you can clip dry bags of your gear inside the pontoons. The Alpackaraft Expedition is objectively the best packraft I tested because you can customize it to your exact size and preferences. The weight to performance ratio is also the best in this test. It can handle up to class IV rapids, so long as you can.

Best Lightweight: Kokopelli Hornet Lite

The Hornet is a lightweight boat designed for flat water. And I love it for leisurely floating on alpine lakes, but I certainly took this vessel out of its comfort zone for testing. I loaned this boat to a 6-foot-2, 190-pound tester with his loaded pack for a three-day trip on a remote class II river. While I wouldn’t recommend taking a packraft with no cargo zip on a multi-day float, the Hornet handled it.

Lightweight and packable, the Hornet is an easy carry in. It’s not bogged down with TiZip or thick sidewalls, making it ideal to strap on your pack for remote treks to flat water. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive the multi-day trip unscathed. It was overloaded in shallow water, resulting in a sizable floor rip. But the hull (the important part) remained intact. I was able to repair the hole at home using the entirety of the included floor patch.

The inside of the Hornet is roomy with space to splay out, and a seat to keep you off the floor. It’s not self-bailing and there isn’t a spray deck. It’s a contained vessel which means you don’t have to commit to getting wet if there’s nothing splashing you, and there’s room for your dog or day pack. I’d recommend bringing a sponge or bailer to flush out any pooling water from splashing paddles, though. 

It doesn’t track the best, but you can maneuver it efficiently across calm water, and it overperformed on a trip outside its weight class. This lightweight raft folds up small, and makes a long walk to calm water all the more rewarding. 

Best Value: NRS Neutron

The Neutron is an open deck, self-bailing boat built with durable material. I took it on a three-day trip on a deep river with no rapids, but I fought the wind the entire time. It tracked much better than the NRS Aster, and felt spacious enough for gear and stretching. Though, it was slightly slower than the Kokopelli Nirvana, likely due to the self-bailing holes in the bottom. It was nice to not have to bail the boat myself. 

The hiking portions of the trip involved scrambling through rough terrain, but the Neutron didn’t develop any holes. However, inflating this boat is a pain in the ass. While the Kokopelli valve must also be open to accept air through the inflation bag, you can at least use a Feather pump, car-plug-in pump, or your breath to fill it in the closed position. The NRS valves are more picky. I was able to connect two adapters to my NRS hand pump to successfully inflate the Neutron with the valve closed. But a car plug-in pump and the Kokopelli Feather were unsuccessful. 

So if you don’t have an NRS handpump and the included adapters, you need to use the stuff sack to inflate it. Then you can insert the straw and finish it off. I struggled to use the straw with the valve closed and ended up ditching it and using my teeth to slightly push the valve open and blow air inside directly with my mouth. You can allegedly purchase a hand pump with an adapter to solve this issue, but just know it takes a lot of pressure to get air inside this boat with the valve shut. 

Regardless, the Neutron is capable, durable, and only slightly heavier than the self-bailing Nirvana and Expedition. Plus it’s $355 cheaper than Kokopelli and $640 cheaper than Alpackaraft. And it includes thigh straps. Though, the hooks on the thigh straps are a little ominous; you wouldn’t want to accidentally catch a shoe lace in one. 

If you’re looking to spend a little less or prefer higher denier construction for durability, the Neutron is a great choice. The cargo zipper is also placed conveniently where the tubes conjoin and runs the width of the stern, which I prefer for stuffing gear inside over the Nirvana and Alpackaraft models.

Alpackaraft Refuge

The initial impression from a 6-foot-2 potential tester was, “What is this, a packraft for ants?” And at 5-feet, 7-inches I can’t help but agree. Alpackaraft sizes their white water vessels to ensure a bend in the knee to most effectively use the thigh straps to engage their boat in rapids. While this makes a lot of sense from a performance standpoint, if I had to spend three days on the river with no option to extend my legs I’d go insane.

The plus side is the Refuge is maneuverable and compact to navigate class III rapids. The spraydeck also keeps you dry (spray skirt sold separately) and the cargo zip is necessary to store equipment for overnight excursions. Alpackaraft makes their boats to order, so your lead time can feel drastic when you’re itching to plan a trip. But you’re waiting (and paying) for quality USA craftsmanship. 

It weighs under 7 pounds fully kitted, and its size makes portages and packing it in over land easy. If you don’t mind a snug fit, the Refuge is a great packraft for exploring. Just know its smaller size makes it less forgiving and a little poppier in whitewater, but at least your knees are bent in a ready stance to take on the waves.

NRS Aster

The Aster is designed for calm water, and after testing, I’d recommend you keep your trekking to class I as well. I loaned the Aster to a friend for a three day trip on a large class I river, but the hiking involved scrambling down canyons and bushwacking which left the Aster with a slow leak on our last stretch of river. The tester strapped the Aster to the bottom of his pack instead of the top, which likely resulted in more wear and tear scooting down rocks.

The interior was large enough for the tester to sit with a loaded pack in the boat for short stints, and while it was noticeably slower than the Nirvana and Neutron, it tracks similarly to the Hornet. This calm-water raft handled raging winds from the opposite direction and has a spacious interior. It’s slightly more affordable, but it does have a picky valve just like the Neutron.

Uncharted Rapid Raft

Pros

• Quick and easy to inflate
• No accessories, pumps, seats, or doodads to look after
• Durable
• Packs down very small

Cons

• Doesn’t paddle well
• Loses structure on the water

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Key Features

• 
  Weight:

  
  3 pounds, 10 ounces (measured)

• 
  Interior Length:

  
  46 inches (measured)

• 
  Material:

  
  400D nylon TPU double laminate (floor), 200D nylon TPU single laminate (hull)

When I first tested the Rapid Raft I wasn’t sure what the point was. It’s essentially a glorified inner tube that costs roughly the same as the Aster and $60 less than the Hornet Lite. But after dealing with valves and pumps and seats, I was getting a little sick of the bullshit. A friend invited me to “shoot the tube,” essentially an urban water slide where you ride down a drainage pipe that runs underneath the highway into a pond at a dog park, and I immediately reached for the Rapid Raft.

It packs down extremely small, and I inflated it with only the breeze and a few puffs into the attached straw. It fit my 6-foot-2 boyfriend and myself for two rips down the drainage pipe. There were some areas where the fabric thinned after rubbing against the ribbed metal. But overall I was impressed by the durability. It might come in handy in a go-bag for a flood or hurricane.

Or if you just want a water bottle-sized raft that you can bring to a remote lake, this one is only 3 pounds. You could also cross calm water with it quicker than walking the perimeter of a lake, but be warned it tacos inward on the water and paddles like it’s drunk. 

How I Tested the Best Packrafts

I utilized a range of testers to take out multiple boats from three major packraft brands, and a survivalist model. Testers and I have hiked to alpine lakes to float on calm waters and run class II rivers for multiple days. I’ve gotten to know the ins and outs of these boats through repeated testing, and I can confidently say they’re the next big thing you want in your gear closet.

Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Packraft

Self-Bailer vs. Spray Deck

Self-bailing boats are open and exposed to water. On hot days in class I or II waters, you’ll be happy you don’t have a deck. If you do plan to paddle in the cold or class III+, you’ll likely want to invest in a dry suit. These boats are usually lighter and more compact. 

A spray deck on the other hand is going to partially enclose the deck. You can add a hard tube through a slot on the deck to create a stiff lip for your spray skirt to catch on to keep out water. This is important for anyone trying not to get wet. It adds weight and you will have to bail the boat yourself, but hey at least you’re mostly dry. Though in cold conditions you should also add a dry suit in the event you capsize.

Cargo Zip

A TiZip is an amazing zipper that traps air inside the boat, while also giving you the option to open and close the tubes to use them as storage. They’re pretty much necessary for overnight trips, making it so much easier to store the gear you won’t need during the day inside the boat. Most packraft companies also sell dry bags that can clip such that they don’t slide around while you paddle. Keeping the zipper clean and lubricated is crucial to its functioning so take extra care, because you rely on it to work to float out.

Inflation

The best packrafts can be inflated with an inflation sack. It’s a lightweight solution where you attach the bag to the valve and give it a small shake, maybe even a light blow from your mouth about a foot from the opening. Then quickly close it and crunch it with your body to force the air inside the boat. Top the boat off using a straw, hand pump, or your mouth to reach the recommended PSI, usually no more than 1.5 to 2. For comparison, a paddle board should be about 15 PSI. 

Battery powered pumps are nice, letting you save your energy. But they can break, so don’t rely on it as your only source of inflation. The valves of the best packrafts are all different, so don’t bank on someone else being able to inflate your boat if it’s a different brand.

Temperature Fluctuations

When you splash your fully inflated boat, you can expect that it will loose some air hitting the cold water. Top it off with your mouth, straw, or pack-a-pump before you start paddling. Similarly, when you stop for lunch at the heat of the day, always burp your boat so that it doesn’t swell in the heat and pop.

Final Thoughts on the Best Packrafts

Packrafts let you explore the outdoors in new ways, following rivers, and crossing lakes deep in the backcountry. And that’s just the beginning. The hunting, fishing, skiing, and biking opportunities become endless when you mix in a new way to travel. These are the best packrafts from years of real-world testing. And if these specific models aren’t exactly what you need, dive into the endless options with more know-how under your belt.