Most packrafting days start on foot. The track down to the gorge, the ridge between two lakes, the long walk round to a river nobody drives to. A packraft, paddle and PFD on your back should walk like any other load. Set up the pack well and the kilometres go by; set it up badly and you feel every one.
Choose the pack
For a day trip, the packraft, paddle, PFD, lunch and a warm layer fit in a mid-sized hiking pack. For an overnight, add your tent, sleeping bag and food, and you are into a full multi-day pack.
The features that matter most are a proper hip belt and a frame that carries weight to your hips. Shoulders tire in an hour. Hips carry a load all day. Compression straps on the sides help you cinch a rolled packraft tight so it does not shift as you walk.
A pack that survives water helps too. It will ride on the bow of your packraft for the paddling section, so a waterproof fabric or a good pack liner keeps its contents dry. The Seeka walk-in backpack is built around this job, sized for a rolled Solo or Tourer with the paddle and kit alongside.
Weight distribution
A pack walks well when the heaviest things sit close to your spine and roughly between your shoulder blades. Weight that hangs far from your back pulls you backwards and makes every step on uneven ground harder.
- Bottom: sleeping bag and soft, light items you will not need until camp.
- Middle, against your back: the rolled packraft, food and water. The densest items go here.
- Top: warm layer, rain shell, lunch, first aid. Things you want quickly.
- Lid and hip pockets: snacks, sunscreen, phone, map.
A rolled packraft is dense for its size, which makes it a good core for the load. Fold it to the inside width of your pack, roll it firmly and slide it in against the back panel. Everything else packs around it.
Some people prefer the packraft outside the pack, strapped under the lid or to the bottom. It is quicker to get at and keeps a wet hull off dry gear on the walk out. On scrubby tracks, inside is kinder to the fabric.
Strapping the paddle
A four-piece paddle breaks down short enough to carry without catching on branches. Two good places to put it:
- Down the side pockets, two pieces each side, held with the compression straps.
- Inside the pack, running vertically beside the rolled packraft.
Keep the blades low and the shaft ends high, and strap the bundle so nothing slides out when you lean over a creek. Blades that stick out sideways snag on scrub and chip on rock. Everything should sit within the outline of the pack.
Where the PFD goes
The PFD is bulky but light, which gives you options.
- Strapped to the outside of the pack under the lid or across the back, where it adds almost no weight.
- Folded flat against the back panel inside the pack, where it doubles as padding between your spine and the rolled hull.
- Worn, on short walks between sections of the same river, so it is ready the moment you reach the water.
On a hot walk-in, strapping it outside is the most comfortable choice. Just make sure the buckles are clipped so it does not flap or snag.
Fit it on your body
Once the pack is loaded, adjust it in the right order. Loosen everything first. Put the pack on and do up the hip belt so it sits over the top of your hip bones. Then snug the shoulder straps, then the load lifters above them, then the sternum strap.
Most of the weight should sit on your hips. If your shoulders ache after half an hour, the hip belt is too loose or too low. Walk a hundred metres and adjust again. Loads settle, and a two-minute stop early saves a sore day.
On the track
Walking with a packraft is still walking. A few habits make it smoother.
- Use trekking poles on steep descents to the water. A loaded pack pushes you forward downhill.
- Loosen your hip belt and sternum strap before you cross a creek, so you can drop the pack fast if you slip.
- Keep your water bottle and snacks reachable without stopping.
- Take a breather every hour. Pack off, shoulders free, a drink and a bite.
Scrambling down a bank to the put-in is where most falls happen. Take it slowly, hands free, and hand the pack down to a friend on steep or slippery ground.
Switching from walk to paddle
At the water, the pack becomes cargo. Unpack the packraft, the paddle and the PFD, inflate, then strap the pack to the bow. Everything you carried in now rides on the front tube and helps the packraft track.
At the take-out, run it the other way. Drain the hull, roll it, pack it into the same spot against your back and walk out. Same load, same fit, same comfortable carry. Wear your PFD on the water and leave your trip intentions with someone before you go.
Every Seeka self-bails and carries a two-year warranty on materials and welding. Or hire one for a weekend first.