Packrafting.infoSafety in packrafting
Packrafts are light and easy to use, which makes it tempting to underestimate them. These are the rules we've adopted over the years, some of them learned from our own mistakes.
- Always wear a life jacket. Even on a swimming lake.
- Take cold water seriously. In cold water a dry suit is part of the kit; otherwise a capsize can quickly become dangerous.
- Whitewater only with training. Our first whitewater trip in Abisko National Park, without proper safety gear, was reckless. Since then we only paddle whitewater with a helmet, life jacket, dry suit and experience.
- Never paddle whitewater alone. Paddle in groups.
- Check wind and weather. Offshore wind pushes you away from the shore, and on big lakes waves build up quickly.
- Mind the tides on the coast. On the mudflats, ebb, flood and currents dictate the trip.
- Secure your paddle, for example with a paddle leash, and carry repair material.
- Know the local rules. Some rivers require a reservation, and national parks have their own rules.
Our videos are in German. On YouTube, most of them are automatically dubbed into English, and some reviews have an English voice-over.
Packraft whitewater course at Kanupark Markkleeberg
Abisko: our first whitewater trip (please don't copy us)
More in our trips, for example Whitewater and Norderney across the mudflats.