Review of the Anfibio Alpha XC Packraft

Last September I was on a three week trip in the far north of Sweden, hiking Padjelantaleden and the southern half of Kungsleden in the gorgeous northern autumn. Looking at the maps and noticing all the lakes and rivers on my route, I decided to take my new packraft, the Anfibio Alpha XC, with me, and had so much fun paddling it across several crystal clear lakes and the occasional gently flowing river. This is my (not sponsered!) review of the Anfibio Alpha XC.

What is a packraft?

For those who have never heard of it, a packraft is an inflatable boat. It is designed to be light and small enough to carry in a backpack on long journeys, yet robust enough to be able to handle some contact with branches or rocks. It is still a small market, yet there are already a lot of different models available - for sea kayaking, for one or two persons, for whitewater, etc. I wanted to take it with me on long trekkings, so mine needed to be as light and compact as possible. But I also didn't quite dare to choose the lightest one on the market, as I was planning to use it in very remote areas. So I went for the Anfibio Alpha XC, not the absolute lightest but still very lightweight and compact, weighing about 1,7kg with the seat and pack strap included. With everything else needed to make safe lake crossings, like a life jacket, paddle, waterproof knee socks and a drybag for my camera bag, the weight was still below 3 kg. Not bad at all. The Anifibio has the added pro of being sold by the Packrafting Store which is based in Germany, so for EU citizens like me there are no hefty import fees. 

The limits

About the limit of waves this packraft can handle.
Of course there are limits using a boat this small and light, and they already became apparent at my very first crossing, Akkajaure. It's a very long but narrow lake and my guess is that the crossing was about 12 km, leading between a few small, rocky islands. At the start, the water was already a bit choppy. As I paddled, the wind turned direction and increased in strength, creating larger waves that occassionally went over the side, quite soaking me in the process. I was still perfectly safe, just wet. So know that you won't be able to use the Alpha in hard wind without a drysuit - it is an open boat, and the tubes aren't big enough to keep out higher waves. I also wouldn't use it in hard rain - water will collect in the boat and soak you and you'll have to bail. Some other limits that I noticed in the next three weeks:
- Landing can be a bit challenging. Ideally, you want a sand or pebble beach, but that's not always available. Getting out and keeping your balance on slippery underwater boulders with the boat in tow is hard.
- The Alpha is not as streamlined as canoes are, so you'll won't be able to glide effortless over the water. You really have to work for the kilometers. 
- You'll still have to be mindful, of course, about sharp stones and branches and the like. That being said, I didn't have any leakage in those weeks, even though using it in the wilderness meant I couldn't be too gentle with it. Try to keep it away from sharp-looking objects and you'll be fine, basically. 
- Real whitewater is off-limits with this model. It was never my intention to use it for that, so that doesn't matter to me at all. But if you want to use your packraft on whitewater, you'll want a model that is self-bailing, has a spraydeck, and is made of tougher, heavier material.

Beforehand, I'd thought that the work of getting the packraft inflated and ready would stop me from using it often, but that turned out to not be a problem at all. I soon got the hang of the whole process and got it down to about twenty minutes. With good weather on the majority of my trip and calm, shimmering water beckoning me, it was no hardship at all. 

The delights


Enjoying the sun on the river in Hemavan
The delights of having a packraft with you are many. Paddling makes for a nice change when you're doing a lot of walking. It offers you freedom, taking you to places you wouldn't have been able to come otherwise, and saves you the hassle and expense of having to arrange private boat taxis. Lastly, it is a fun and incredibly relaxing way of travel.

Some things I especifically liked about the Anfibio Alpha XC: 
- At 1.74m, the size is perfect for me. 
- The color is amazing. That yellow just makes me happy. 
Excellents views from the water.
- With the seat, the packraft is suprisingly comfortable.
- Inflation is easy and fast with the pumpsack. 
- I also had no issues at all with the Anfibio paddle and inflatable life jacket. But maybe I'll write a seperate review about those products. 

Some things that could be improved

- It would have been nice if a repair-in-the-field kit had come with it. Same for the cords you need to strap your backpack to the packraft. 
- The valve is a bit fiddly to operate, with the different parts. 
That was it, basically. Anfibio has produced a top quality product that strikes a great balance between lightweight and durable, and I'm sure I'll take it with me on many upcoming trekkings, and of course also on day trips close to home. 

Short update a year later

I'm still really happy with this packraft! I used it a few times in my own country, the Netherlands, and took it with me on my trekking in southwest Greenland. I've gotten even more trust in its sturdiness, as I had a few rough landings and take-offs in Greenland and the packraft still was undamaged. With a gentle tail wind I managed a speed of almost 5 km/hour a few times, which actually is a lot faster than off-trail walking! After a few hours of paddling everything starts to ache and it is time to get out. Which is fine (by that time, you probably really need to pee anyway). All in all, the Alpha is a great little packraft for hikers that don't plan to spent the majority of the time on water.         




Comments

Popular Posts