Your first packraft trip is the one you will measure every other trip against, so set it up to go well. Three choices do most of the work: the water, the day and the people beside you. Get those right and the rest is a walk, a paddle and a good lunch on a bank.
Choose water you already know
The best first trip is on water you have seen from the shore. A lake you have walked around. A river reach you have followed on a track. A sheltered bay you know the wind on. Familiar water turns a first trip from a guess into a plan.
Look for a short walk in, a gentle launch and a way out that does not depend on paddling. A lake with a track around it is ideal. So is a slow river where the road or track runs beside the water, so every bend has an exit.
- A walk in of an hour or less, so you arrive fresh.
- A launch where you can step in from a bank or a gravel beach.
- Water that is still or barely moving.
- A shoreline you can reach in a few strokes all day.
- A clear exit and a track back to the car.
Save the big crossing, the remote gorge and the river you have only seen on a map for later. They will still be there after a few trips.
Pick the day, not just the date
Choose the day by the forecast. Look at wind speed and direction first, then temperature and rain. A light-wind morning is worth more than a warm afternoon. On most Australian lakes and bays the breeze builds through the day, so plan to be on the water early and off it by lunch.
Warm air and warm water make a first trip kinder. You will probably get wet climbing in or out, and you may decide to practise a swim. That is far more pleasant in summer than in a cold snap. If the water is cold, dress for being in it, not for the air.
For rivers, check the level before you go. Recent rain changes a river more than anything else, and a reach that is gentle at normal flow can be fast and full of debris after a storm. If the level is up, pick a lake instead and keep the river for another weekend.
Who to go with
Go with someone. A friend on the bank or in a second packraft makes every part of the day easier: loading, launching, a hand on a slippery exit, and a second opinion when the wind picks up.
The ideal partner is someone who paddles already. A friend who kayaks, canoes or packrafts will read the water with you and show you small habits that save a lot of learning. A club paddle or an organised group session is a great first outing for exactly this reason.
If you are both new, keep the plan smaller. Stay close to each other and close to shore. Agree before you launch on what makes you turn around: wind on the water, a tired paddler, a change in the sky. Deciding on the bank is easier than deciding in the middle of the lake.
Taking a child? The Duo has room for a second person, and a first trip with a young paddler is best kept short, warm and close to shore.
Plan the shape of the day
Keep the paddle short. An hour or two on the water is plenty for a first outing. Build in time to inflate slowly at the bank, have a break halfway, and deflate without rushing at the end.
An out-and-back route on a lake is the simplest plan. Head into the wind first while you are fresh, so it pushes you home. On a river, a short one-way reach with a car or bike at each end removes the paddle back upstream entirely.
Leave your plan with a person who is not coming: where you are going, who is with you and when you expect to be back. Wear your PFD on the water the whole time.
Pack for the day you picked
- Packraft, paddle, PFD and the air bag.
- The repair kit from the box, in the pack not the car.
- A drybag for your phone, keys, snacks and a warm layer.
- Water, lunch and sun protection.
- Clothes that are fine wet, plus dry ones waiting in the car.
Inflate the packraft at home the week before. You find out it holds air, you learn the valve, and you arrive at the bank already knowing the routine.
After the paddle
Rinse and dry the hull when you get home. Then sit down and write a line or two about what worked. Which launch was easy, where the wind came from, what you wished you had packed. That note is the start of your second trip, and your second trip can be a little bigger.
Every Seeka self-bails and carries a two-year warranty on materials and welding. Or hire one for a weekend first.