Our lightest multi-purpose adventure packraft, the Caribou is perfect for backcountry and sidecountry adventures on flatwater and lightwater. Its comfortable, stable and easy to carry awkward loads like bikes and packs.
Caribou
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Estimated Ship Date: 2/21/2025
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Spray Skirts Sold Separately For All Decked Models in 2025
Product Description
The Caribou is a multi-purpose adventure packraft focused on backcountry and sidecountry trips on flatwater, lightwater, and bike rafting.
The Caribou features a high volume hull with a classic stern to minimize weight and bulk, so you won’t have to worry about fitting everything in your pack, or your boat once you are on the water. The late rise bow provides additional foot room and makes carrying bulky heavy items like bikes and packs a breeze.
The Caribou is available with Open, Removeable Deck, and Self Bailing configurations, plus you can add our innovative Cargo Fly zipper internal storage system.
The Caribou is also available in both our lightweight and standard 210d hull fabrics so you can choose whether to optimize packability for backpacking or durability for a broader range of uses.
What's New in 2025
The Caribou hull design is unchanged for 2025, but we’ve added two features to improve versatility and replace some of the options from the discontinued Classic.
First, we added an inflatable backrest which provides more comfort for longer days on the water. This will make the Caribou closer in fit and comfort to the Classic. Of course, you can leave it behind if you want to minimize weight.
Second, we added a standard weight 210d hull option. Previously, the Caribou was only available with our lightweight 210d hull. The standard weight fabric is more durable for a broad range of uses while the lightweight fabric maximizes packability. We recommend standard fabric as a replacement for the Classic.
Recommended Uses
Versatile
Our lightest multi-purpose adventure packraft, the Caribou is perfect for backcountry and sidecountry adventures on flatwater and lightwater. Its comfortable, stable and easy to carry awkward loads like bikes and packs.
Lightwater
The Caribou is ideal for lightwater adventures. The perfect combination of minimum pack weight and a stable comfortable ride on the water. We recommend 210d standard fabric in Self-Bailing or Removable Deck builds for lightwater focused trips.
Flatwater
The Caribou is our most popular flatwater model. Its comfortable for long days on the water and lightweight so its easy to carry in your pack. It also has great stability and maneuverability if you want to venture into lightwater trips.
Hunting
The Caribou is for the hard core dedicated hunter that needs the absolute minimum of weight and bulk to hike deep into the backcountry to the most inaccessible locations. A mid-sized game animal plus you and all of your gear will be a tight fit, but you won't be complaining when you are floating instead of carrying everything on your back.
How Does it Compare?
Caribou vs. Expedition
Both the Caribou and Expedition are outstanding versatile packrafts. The Caribou is more focused on flatwater, bike rafting, and minimizing weight and bulk for backpacking. The Expedition is more focused on lightwater and whitewater performance.
Caribou vs. Mule
The Mule and Caribou are like big and little siblings. Both have very similar layouts and intended uses focusing on versatile trips on flatwater and lightwater. The Caribou is smaller, lighter and more backpacking friendly. The Mule is larger and preferred for larger and taller paddlers as well as heavier duty trips like hunting and carrying a dog.
Caribou vs. Scout
The lightweight open Caribou is the closest full sized packraft to the Scout. The Scout has the edge for weight and bulk and so is the preferred option for trips that are focused on short stretches of water or mountain lakes. But the Caribou is more versatile for longer stretches of water without having too much weight penalty when you are just hiking into your favorite mountain lake.
Caribou vs. Classic
While discontinued for 2025, the Classic was our longest running model and is still available as a custom lab option. The Caribou is an ideal replacement for the Classic with the only difference being that the Classic is available in multiple sizes, but the Caribou will still be a comfortable fit for most people. Paddlers looking for more performance should consider an Expedition.
Features
Attachments
4 bow strap plates, 2 stern grab loops, 2 stern strap plates, and 1 bow handle
Seating
Standard Toggle Seat and Inflatable Back Rest
Materials
Proprietary lightweight or standard TPU coated 210d hull with 840d nylon floor (Made in USA)
Includes
Inflation Bag, Stuff Sack, and Basic Repair Kit
California Proposition 65 Warning
Using the Aquaseal in the repair kit will expose you to toluene, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
Build Configurations
Open
The Caribou is available in the open build configuration.
Open with Cargo Fly
The Caribou with Cargo Fly is available in the open build configuration with Cargo Fly zipper so you can store your gear inside the packraft.
Self Bailer with Cargo Fly
The Caribou Self Bailer with cargo fly zipper is perfect for warmer conditions, quick entry and exit, and anyone that prefers a self bailing setup. The self-bailing floor tends to stabilize the packraft which helps boaters navigate through tricky spots. No dumping water is required.
Removable Deck with Cargo Fly
The Caribou with removable deck is great for keeping the paddler more dry in splashy conditions. The removable deck zips off if you want the versatility of having an open packraft or one with a whitewater deck.
Cargo Fly Zipper
Our innovative Cargo Fly internal storage system is available on specific build options. The Cargo Fly features an airtight zipper installed in the stern of the boat to allow you to store your gear inside the tubes. The system provides drier and more secure gear storage and improved paddling performance due to a lower center of gravity.
Internal Dry Bags may be purchased separately and are designed to work with the Cargo Fly system. The bags clip in place along each side of the tubes with a side release buckle and allow for better organization and weight balance than placing the contents of your pack loose inside the Cargo Fly. They also act as additional balanced air chambers to make it easier to get to shore in the event of a puncture.
Weight Capacity
The Caribou is designed for extra capacity at minimum weight. The following capacities are general guidelines based on our experience and performance goals. For more information, please visit our max capacities page:
- Paddler. Up to 250lbs
- Cargo. Optimum performance with up to 80lbs balanced load in the Cargo Fly, plus bicycle on bow. Up to 140lbs depending on conditions and paddler experience.
- Hunting. Hunter plus 50lbs of personal gear and 120lbs animal weight, more weight possible depending on conditions.
- Max. 500lbs on flatwater under ideal conditions
Specifications
Dimensions and Sizing*
Boater Height5'2"-6'4" | 158-93cm
Exterior Length94.5in | 240cm
Exterior Width37.5in | 95.25cm
Interior Length47in | 119.5cm
Interior Width15.5in | 39.4cm
*Due to the handmade nature of our packrafts, dimensions will vary slightly from boat to boat.
Weight*
Build OptionBase WeightKitted WeightComplete Weight
Open4.5lb5.25lb6.0lb
Open | Cargo Fly4.75lb5.5lb6.25lb
Removable Deck | Cargo Fly6.0lb7.1lb7.8lb
Self Bailer | Cargo Fly5.8lb6.25lb7.0lb
*Due to the handmade nature of our packrafts and natural variances in weights between different colors and production runs in our fabrics, all weights are estimated and will vary from boat to boat.
*Base Weight is boat without any seating. Kitted weight is boat with seating and rigging. Complete weight is everything in the stuffsack. Weights are the LW 210d versions. Add ~0.75lbs for Standard 210d.
