Whether you’re fishing on a lake, rafting on whitewater, or boating through a canyon, packrafts make for an ideal watercraft to bring along for the task. If you’re looking for a small inflatable that can pack into a really compact size, you might want to check out the Kokopelli Rogue Packcraft.
A single-person packraft, the boat is designed to handle the rigors of lakes and rivers, all while packing comfortably inside your backpack, along with the rest of your gear. Whether for fishing on a lake, exploring a creek, or crossing a river during a hike, this thing should make for a handy addition to all of your backcountry adventures.
The Kokopelli Rogue Packraft comes in two variants: Rogue and Rogue-Lite. Rogue comes with a backband similar to a kayak, so it provides support for your back, while giving you better leverage when paddling your way through the water. And, yes, the front section of the band can be used to hold light cargo, so you should be able to bring a small stash of gear along. It measures 90 x 37 inches (length x width) when fully-inflated, all while packing down to a compact 12 x 9 x 6 inches, so you can stash it in a bag or tie it down to your bicycle’s handlebars. Six D-rings around the boat (two near the front, four in the rear) allow you to tie it down, apart from securing your gear when on the water. It weighs 7.5 pounds.
Rogue-Lite, on the other hand, is styled like a standard inflatable raft, with raised sides and a wide open floor. It measures 85 x 37 inches (length x width) when fully inflated, so it’s a little smaller than the standard model, all while packing to the same 12 x 9 x 6 inches. Because it’s shorter and ditches the backband, the whole thing is lighter at just 4.9 pounds, making it ideal for solo adventurers going on foot, apart from having two less D-rings at four (all of them at the rear section).
Both variants of the Kokopelli Rogue Packraft come with removable diamond ripstop seats to make your ride just a little bit more comfortable. Do note, by seat, they don’t mean an actual seat like you’ll find in some kayaks, but just a layer of inflatable cushion to layer over the floor. For durability, it comes with double-reinforced seam tape on the outside seams, along with V-tape reinforcement on the Kevlar-infused floor. It uses a D7 valve from Leafield, which boasts a high airflow, a low-profile cap, and an optimized seal.
No paddles are included, so you’ll have to make arrangements for that on your own. From what we can tell, it should work fine with most touring and whitewater paddles, so if you already have one of those in your stash, you might not need to make any additional purchases.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for the Kokopelli Rogue Packraft. You can reserve a unit for pledges starting at $725.