After my snowboarding post, there is a danger that this blog might slowly morph into a bucket-list of silly sports a middle aged man really ought not to be trying for the first time. Tune in next week to see Ben sky-dive! (FWIW, not happening. Ever) Regardless, I need to talk about an awesome new addition to our outdoor activities here in Montenegro - packrafting. What is packrafting? I've been an advocate of inflatable kayaks for the whole decade we've been running Undiscovered Montenegro. Super stable, super light and massively portable, they allow us to paddle to and from places that many others would consider impractical and inaccessible. I mean, check out our Lake Skadar kayaking trips! What they aren't so good for is white water - and that's where packrafts come in. Packrafts take the inflatable kayak idea to its natural zenith - what is the least amount of boat you require to navigate anything, including up to Class 4 rapids? The answer, according to our awesome kayaking guide, Gigo, are these amazing little vessels from US firm Kokopelli. Short, stubby and built for one person only, they are self-bailing (ie, they have holes in the floor to instantly drain the water out), inflate/deflate in less than a minute and weigh about 3 kilos, one fifth the heft of my tandem inflatables. Their makers claim that you can roll them up and stuff them in your rucksack, then when you get to the water, you can then let them carry you and your rucksack until you decide to hike again. More expensive variants even allow you to carry gear inside the pontoons via a tricksy waterproof zipper. Gigo, though, was more interested in using them purely as a hyper-practical water craft that he could carry to a remote launch point,
After my snowboarding post, there is a danger that this blog might slowly morph into a bucket-list of silly sports a middle aged man really ought not to be trying for the first time. Tune in next week to see Ben sky-dive! (FWIW, not happening. Ever) Regardless, I need to talk about an awesome new
