Guide Services & Shops

Four Corners Guides: Extraordinary adventures change lives. FCG runs bikepacking, packrafting and bikerafting missions to the most stunning, remote regions of Utah and Colorado. Their 35-acre Scullbinder Ranch base camp includes plush glamping tents, a river, bike trails and Lodge for corporate retreats and medium-sized group activities. Unplug, play hard and discover more. What’s your tour? Call 303-903-2768, visit FourCornersGuides.com, email [email protected] or follow them on Instagram at @fourcornersguides. #BikePackRaft

***Roam Industry: Roam Industry provides for your human-powered adventures with guided bikepacking, climbing and ski trips, huts, trip planning and rental bicycles and bikepacking bags. Check out their cool shop in Monticello with the best pour-over coffee in Southern Utah. Find them at RoamUtah.com, call 435-590-2741, email [email protected] or visit them on Instagram @roamindustry. You are #BuilttoRoam.

***Backcountry Scot: This is the premier shop in the UK to find ultralight backcountry gear, plan adventures and/or sign up for packrafting, bikepacking and bikerafting courses. They love sourcing and testing the best gear, so you can cut to the chase and concentrate on being epic. Andy Toop recently partnered with bikerafting The Bikeraft Guide contributors and accomplished adventurers Annie Lloyd-Evans and Huw Oliver, who will help run the guide service. Find them at @backcountry.scot on Instagram or at BackcountryScot.com.

Bikerafting Adventures: Bikerafting is a unique way to discover your backyard or to go out and seek epic adventures. Bikerafting Adventures offers one- to four-day courses for people to develop skills, explore unknown territories and/or to support people preparing for their own expeditions. Find them at Bikerafting-Adventures.com, or email them at @bikerafting-adventures on Instagram.

Chile Anfibio: This tour operator based in Valparaíso offers packrafting trips in central Chile, with plans of including Patagonian packrafting trips. They also offer rental packrafting equipment. They’ll be offering their first bikerafting trips on the Rapel River. Visit them @chileanfibio on Instagram or at ChileAnfibio.cl.

Okera Adventures: This company provides cycling-packrafting guide services in and around Shimanto of the Kochi prefecture, Western Japan. Learn more at OkeraAdventures.com and on Instagram @OkeraAdventures.

***Packraft Europe: When Seon and Michaela Crockford-Laserer came across the concept of packrafting in 2014, their imaginations ran wild. Packrafts allow them and their guided guests to go to places otherwise out of reach. Packraft Europe offers bikerafting courses, expeditions and corporate training. They are the Alpacka Raft dealers for the European Union and deliver packrafts and packrafting equipment to any country within the EU. Find them at PackraftEurope.com or @packrafteurope on Instagram. They are the European distributor of The Bikeraft Guide.

Packrafting Queenstown: Huw Miles has been an outdoors professional since 2005. A Rescue 3 Instructor, a founding member of New Zealand’s Packrafting Association and a father, this reformed nomad can typically be found on the trails and rivers near his home town of Queenstown. Huw’s company Packrafting Queenstown offers guided trips, courses for all abilities and packraft rentals. He and Deane Parker are putting together the first series of professional how-to bikeraft videos. Find out more at PackraftingQueenstown.com, or follow them
@packraftingqueenstown on Instagram.

***Packrafting Spain: Owner Luis Mora specializes in selling packrafts, packraft gear and swag online. He organizes meetups and facilitates the Packrafting Spain community. Learn more at PackraftingSpain.com or @packraftingspain on Instagram. They are the Spanish The Bikeraft Guide distributor.

Rowild Packraft Adventures: Either in calm waters or in grade III-IV rivers, day trips, multi-day or big expeditions, Rowild’s packraft-specific courses will help you learn new or improve on existing skills. This Spanish company teaches courses with safety and nature in mind. They also rent gear. Find them at RoWildPackraft.com or on Instagram @rowildpackraft.

Packraft & Gear Companies

***Alpacka Raft: Sheri and Thor Tingey built the first Alpacka packrafts in a Chugiak, Alaska basement, fall 2000. Since then, they have led the industry in research and development, pushing the boundaries of design, reliability, advanced materials and an established infrastructure for customer service that allows for quick and easy repairs or upgrades. You can find them at AlpackaRaft.com or @alpacka_raft on Instagram.

Anfibio: This company takes a systemic approach to packrafting. They’re a brand, blog, store and gear, from inspiration to product development. They offer environmentally friendly constructed packrafts, as well as a range of ultralight watersports accessories. Since 2011, they have been selecting, designing, improving and paying attention to quality while maintaining a reasonable price-performance ratio. Find them at @anfibiopackrafting or Packrafting-Store.de.

Birdypackraft: This Siberian packraft manufacturer has been producing lightweight boats since 2012. Their packrafts weigh as little as 2.7 lbs. (1210 gm), yet are strong with 1680D ballisti anc nylon floors. Find them at BirdyPackraft.com or @birdypackrafts on Instagram.

DIY Packraft: DIY Packraft is located in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada, and was founded by a geoscientist passionate about the outdoors. They sell affordable, do-it-yourself packraft kits. You can find them at @diypackraft on Instagram or DIYPackraft.com.

Iron Raft: A small, independeng U.K.-based business, Iron Raft was born in 2017. Their owners wanted to explore and empower others to explore the world and experience adventure on a budget. Their goal is for everyone to have access to affordable packrafts. They supply customers with high quality material and the knowledge to build their own packrafts. No special skills are required to build an Iron Raft packraft. Find them at @ironraftuk on Instagram or at Iron-Raft.co.uk.

***Kokopelli Packraft: Kokopelli was founded in a garage in Denver, Colo. They envision creating the opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts to explore nature in its most serene settings. Not only do they develop new packrafts, doing extensive R&D and by “listening to their customer’s wants and needs,” but they also seek to be a resource for aspiring boaters to learn about packraft safety, to learn how to use packrafts and packrafting equipment and to find packrafting trips. You can find them at Kokopelli.com or @kokopelli on Instagram.

Mekong Packraft: During the long descent of one of Asia´s most important rivers, Mekong founder Olivier Chambault pondered on the possibility of a small, lightweight craft to take on adventures everywhere. He discovered packrafting, and a boat builder was born. Rob Estivill joined Olivier a year later. They aim to manufacture in their hometown on the edge of the French Alps so they can focus on developing new features, rush to the river to try them out and grow a close-knit community. You can find them on Instagram @mekongpackraft or at MekongPackraft.com.

Shearwater Paddles: Made in Chad Townsend’s garage, Banff, Canada, Shearwater paddles are four-piece paddles that uniquely feature the only fully collapsible blades for the smallest pack size. The “webbed” paddle blades are strong, nature-inspired, custom made in Canada and have been used on many bikerafting adventures. Visit them on Facebook.

Stikine Packrafts: This new packraft manufacturer is based of Vancouver, BC. They launch summer 2021, offering five models of “utility” packrafts, including one bikeraft-specific boat, and packraft accessories. Find them on Instagram at @stikinepackrafts on Instagram or StikinePackrafts.com.

Other Resources

The Packrafting Podcast: The Packrafting Podcast was launched in 2020 and is hosted by Dulkara Martig from New Zealand. She has candid conversations with packrafters and a growing number of bikerafters from all over the world. Be inspired by their outdoor adventures, diverse lifestyles and musings on life. At the time of publishing, the podcast was expanding to include educational episodes and feature stories. Search for “the packrafting podcast” on your favorite podcast app, visit ThePackraftingPodcast.com, or follow them @The_packrafting_podcast.

Other Retailers

***Backwoods Mountain Sports, Boise, Idaho

***Durango Cyclery, Durango, Colorado

***Pine Needle Mountaineering, Durango, Colorado

***Kokopelli Bike & Board, Cortez, Colorado