OUR PACKRAFTING BLOG

An epic adventure by packraft and bike - Bikerafting along the Carretera Austral from Puerto Montt to El Chalten. 1180km on bike - 360km on  packraft - 30 days riding

The Carretera Austral is today what should be on every cyclist’s radar:  a gem. The 1240 km of asphalt and dirt roads lead you to areas of incredible scenic beauty, from lush forests to snow-covered peaks, waterfalls and lagoons, while these images spark within you a sense of adventure like only such remoteness can arouse.

Countless glaciers are also lurking in the valleys along the way, including the “Campo de hielo”, one of Earth’s biggest freshwater reserves. I guess you caught my drift: Southern Chile is indeed criss-crossed by a massive network of lakes and rivers, some of which flow along the Carretera Austral and therefore make it a bikerafter’s heaven.

We often get asked about packrafting with kids and/ or packrafting as a family. So we decided to share a few of our experiences and some recommendations in order to make it a little easier for you to get started, or perhaps help improve your family packrafting experiences. Our first family packrafting trip was when our eldest daughter was less than a year old and many other adventures have since followed.

To the uninitiated, bikerafting must be the weirdest thing! A tiny inflatable raft carrying a person and a blinged out bike? Must be a bit wacko.
But Bikerafting allows more exploration, access, and ability to move through backcountry self-sufficiently all while enjoying the diverse landscapes of track and torrent or bodies of water. Start small, build up, and don’t be put off packrafts by any negative experiences you’ve had in kayaks or canoes. Packrafts are highly technical crafts that are super stable, manoeuvrable, and durable – the perfect tool for the part time paddler.

A packraft can give you access to the places that fuel you. And can also be a tool to protect the rivers and water systems that nourish you and nourish our earth. Right now, more than ever, those wild places need help. They need protection. They need paddle-wielding warriors.

As soon as we heard about the Nordic Packrafting Meet-up, we knew that we had to join. Sweden and Scandinavia provide some of the last extended wilderness areas in Europe and are therefore great places for us to go packrafting!

Ein Packraft ist ein ultra leichtes, aufblasbares und robustes Boot.

Es lässt sich auf die Größe eines Schlafsackes zusammenpacken und wiegt nur um die 2KG. Es gibt verschiedenste Modelle und Ausführungen, vom leichten Einsitzer, über 2 Personen Packrafts zum vollausgerüsteten Wildwasser Packraft mit Spritzdecke und Kniegurten.

 

It's May 1st and we are on our way to Soca for the second edition of the Annual European Packrafting Meet-up.  Good people, a wild and free flowing river, workshops on safety and packrafting, presentaions, and films and over 2600€ raised for river conservation. All the ingredients for a great event...

It's the beginning of a new year and like us you are probably starting to plan which trips to take and which meet ups and events to attend. To make the decision easier, we have written a month by month overview with the main packrafting meet-ups and destinations listed. Get ready for a great year of packrafting ! 

Wow, what a weekend! We kept repeating this phrase again and again while reluctantly driving away from Camp Liza which was our base for the 4 day meet-up. It seemed weeks ago that we had arrived along the same road, full of excitement about the upcoming event.