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Happy Holidays! Alpacka Raft will be closed Dec. 23-29th. Our Customer Service and Shipping teams will be off at this time too, so new orders placed will be shipped when we are back. Thanks!

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Made in USA

Premium parts and materials are essential to producing the highest quality packrafts. Over the years we have tested parts and materials from around the globe, and our test results have shown that our Made in USA materials simply cannot be matched for quality, durability, and performance.

Fabrics

Just like you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t judge a fabric by its denier and coating. The yarn and weave of the material combined with the chemistry and application of the polyurethane (PU) laminates are critical to the performance packraft fabric. Our fabrics have the highest tear strength, PU adhesion, UV protection, and long term durability in the industry. We have been making packrafts almost two decades and many of our original models are still going strong. 

Hull Materials

  • 210-denier Standard Nylon: Our standard packraft hull material is a proprietary 210-denier high count nylon, single side laminated with a heavy duty pigmented PU film. We only coat one side because it provides significantly higher tear strength than a double coated fabric. The material is manufactured to our standards by our USA supplier.
  • 210-denier Ultralight Nylon: Our Ultralight Series hull material features the same 210-denier high count nylon as our standard packraft hulls, but with a lighter weight single side PU laminate to minimize weight and bulk.
  • 420-denier Nylon: Our standard Forager hull material is a proprietary 420-denier high count nylon, single side laminated with a heavy duty pigmented PU film. The material is manufactured to our standards by our USA supplier.
  • Vectran® Fabric: Vectran® is a high-performance fiber that is five times stronger than steel. Compared to similar nylon deniers, Vectran® fabrics provide better hull performance and tear strength but are more susceptible to pinholes and scratch leaks. Therefore, Vectran® is a great option for improving rigidity and hull performance in whitewater but is not recommended for extensive use in shallow streams and rivers. We offer Vectran® in a 400-denier weight.

Floor Materials

  • 840d Ballistic Nylon: Our standard packraft floor fabric is a Made in USA 840-denier Ballistic Nylon, coated on both sides with a pigmented heavy duty PU laminate.  Our floor fabric is designed to optimize weight and durability in a packraft floor. All of our scrap cuttings are recycled into the base materials for our grab loops, strap plates, and other welded attachments on our packrafts.
  • 420-denier Nylon Floor: Our Scout and Refuge packraft floors are a Made in USA 420-denier nylon, coated on both sides with a pigmented heavy duty PU laminate. The 420d floor is slightly lighter but significantly less bulky than our standard 840d floor.

Seat Materials

  • Our seats manufactured from a mix of Made in USA 200-denier oxford, 210-denier high count, and 210-denier diamond ripstop nylons, each single side coated with a lightweight PU laminate, depending on durability, weight, and packability considerations.

Spray Deck Materials

  • All of our spray decks are manufactured from a Made in USA 70-denier ripstop nylon with an ultralight single sided pigmented polyurethane coating. Our spray skirts are manufactured from an imported 30-denier nylon coated with an ultralight PU laminate on one side and an ultralight silicone coating on the other side.

Small Parts

  • All of our small parts are Made in USA, when available, and sourced from industry leaders like Duraflex, YKK, and ITW-Nexus. Our Cargo Fly zippers are Made in Germany by Ti-Zip.