Two skills make a group of packrafters far more capable on flat water. Rafting up means pulling alongside each other and holding on, so everyone gets a stable platform to rest, eat, check the map or help a mate. Towing means one paddler pulls another, or an empty packraft, to where they need to be. Both are simple, both are worth practising, and both come into their own on the day someone gets tired, cold or loses a paddle.
Rafting up
A single packraft is stable. Two or three held together side by side are rock solid. That makes rafting up the go-to move whenever you want to stop on the water.
- Paddle in side by side, bows pointing the same way.
- Grab the other packraft by a grab handle, the tube or the edge of the seat area.
- Lay paddles across the tubes, or hold them in your free hand. Keep them from floating off.
- Keep a light hold, not a death grip. The raft stays together with very little effort on calm water.
Rafted up, you can pass food and water, swap a layer, look at a map together or sort out a pack strap without anyone wobbling. It is also the easiest way to steady a paddler who is cold, nervous or seasick in a bit of chop.
Rafting up in wind
A raft of packrafts is a bigger sail than one on its own, and it drifts downwind faster. Before you stop, look at where the wind will push you. Raft up with plenty of open water downwind, well clear of rocks, snags or the far shore. On a breezy lake, stop in the lee of a point or close to the windward bank instead, so the drift carries you along the shore rather than out into open water.
Stabilising a paddler
Rafting up is also a rescue platform. If a friend has taken a swim and is struggling to climb back in, come alongside their packraft and hold it firmly by the tube. Leaning your weight onto their packraft keeps it flat while they kick and pull themselves across. It turns a tiring re-entry into a quick one.
When a tow helps
| Feature | Tow to use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tired or cold paddler | Contact tow or short line tow | Gets them to shore faster while they rest |
| Lost or broken paddle | Line tow on flat water | Keeps them moving while someone else retrieves the paddle |
| Empty packraft after a swim | Grab the bow and paddle it in | Brings the packraft to the swimmer or to the bank |
| Minor injury to hands or shoulders | Line tow | They keep their weight centred while you do the paddling |
The contact tow
For a short distance, the simplest tow needs no rope at all. The paddler being towed holds onto the bow or a grab handle of your packraft and leans forward. You paddle. It works well for a few minutes to reach a nearby bank, and it keeps you close enough to talk and check on them.
A contact tow is tiring for the towing paddler because the packrafts sit close and bump. For anything longer than a few minutes, switch to a line.
The line tow
A tow line lets you pull another packraft behind you with a bit of space between the two. Rig and use it carefully.
- Use a dedicated tow system with a quick release, worn on a PFD designed for it or on a waist belt made for towing.
- Never tie a rope directly to yourself or your packraft without a quick release. You must be able to let go instantly.
- Keep the line short on flat water. A few metres gives the packrafts room without long loops of slack.
- Clip to the bow loop or a front grab handle of the packraft you are towing.
- Start gently. Take a few easy strokes to take up the slack before you pull.
- Carry a river knife within reach of either hand in case a line ever needs cutting.
The paddler being towed helps by sitting upright and still, which keeps their packraft tracking straight.
Towing is a flat water skill
Towing on a lake, a slow estuary or a gentle pool is straightforward. Towing on moving water is a different matter. A line in current can wrap around rocks, logs or people, and a packraft swinging on a tow line in the flow can pull the towing paddler off line. On any moving water, the better answer is almost always to get everyone to the nearest bank, sort out the problem there, and carry on. Our lining field note covers moving a packraft along the bank on a rope, which is a different, controlled technique.
Practise both on a calm day
- Raft up in threes and pass a water bottle across without anyone letting go.
- Stabilise a friend while they climb back in from the water.
- Contact tow each other fifty metres to shore, then swap.
- Rig a line tow, take up the slack and pull a friend across a small bay.
- Practise the quick release until it is automatic.
Half an hour of this on a warm lake gives the whole group a set of shared moves for the day something goes sideways. Wear a PFD every time, and leave your trip intentions with someone at home.
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