History of packrafting
Also: packraft history
From the Halkett boat in the 19th century through Alaska's wilderness races to modern TPU boats: a short history of packrafting.
As early as around 1844, the British officer Peter Halkett designed a portable inflatable boat for expeditions. It's considered an early forerunner of the packraft.
In 1952 Dick Griffith used a small inflatable on the Urique in Mexico (Copper Canyon). From 1982 he brought packrafts to the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic, a race through the Alaskan wilderness. Alaska is therefore considered the birthplace of packrafting.
In the 1980s companies such as Sherpa and Curtis offered sturdy small inflatables. With Alpacka Raft, founded by Sheri Tingey, the development of modern packrafts made of coated nylon began. In 2008 Roman Dial's book “Packrafting! An Introduction and How-to Guide” was published.
Today many manufacturers build packrafts, in Europe for example Anfibio (Leipzig), Mekong (France) and MRS. The boats have become lighter, tougher and more versatile: with luggage in the tube, self-bailing or removable spray decks.
Sources and further reading
Research as of 13 Nov 2026. We have marked manufacturer information as such.