theat
Well-known member
I have an Alpacka Denali Llama. It is the green one, the blue one is also a Denali Llama. I did a bunch of research before making the purchase, and from what I found Alpacka makes the best/lightest packrafts for extended river trips and whitewater. I did not get a spray skirt on mine, as I could not make up my mind if I wanted the removable one or the permanent whitewater spray deck. My two friends had one of each, and after trying them out, I decided to get the whitewater spray deck installed. It will make getting in and out a little tougher and give me a little less room for my knees when I don't have my legs fully extended. After many bottles of water bailed out of the boat, I decided that with the types of rivers I plan to use it on, I should have the more professional spray deck/skirt. I had the Cargo Fly installed as well, which is a large waterproof zipper on the back of the tube that allows you to put most of your gear in provided dry bags inside of the raft tubes. The zipper requires some care and maintenance but the added storage capacity and increased stability of the raft more than makes up for it.
The yellow raft is a Kokopelli Nirvana with a spray deck and cargo fly. It is cheaper, but weighs a couple pounds more and packs up to about a 1/3 larger than my boat. If you don't want to spend the money on an Alpacka and don't mind the extra weight, I think it is a great raft as well.
