Hahaha, that's good you have three, that means they are fun!!
I had a couple thoughts on how I'd use it:
1. Single day river trips: e.g. Take it hiking and after setting up camp, hike up 4 or 5 miles in the wee hours and then spend the day floating back down to camp. For that, the bow storage would get all the days gear. Feels pretty straight forward.
2. Multi day river trips: e.g. setup an extraction point / base camp and then hike up further into the system and float back down to the extraction point over several days. In this case would bring the hiking pack with on the alpacka (in the dry bow storage) and probably strap down another dry bag with any gear needed for the day fishing.
3. Take it up to mountain lakes and use to explore around the lake and fish from with one of my kids (I paddle while they fish).
That last one is kind of a throw in. Mostly want the alpacka to get up into some of the rivers that aren't easily accessible with a boat and be able to spend a couple days floating back down.
They sell paddles. Looks like they are 4 piece paddles so that they can break down really small and be easier to pack in. Have no experience with a 4 piece paddle, but tempted to grab them because they are light weight and break down well....but....I'm a little hesitant to spend the $ having no idea if the paddles are decent. Could always just grab the paddle from them later.
They have a dry bag (cargo fly internal bag) that's specifically designed (at least it looks like it is) to fit into the bow dry storage area. It looks like the concept is that it keeps things from sloshing around, which makes sense. But I've got so many damn dry bags already not sure why I'd spend the money on their dry bag just to have a bag that's shaped appropriately to not move around much. I'm inclined to pass on this accessory as I don't see it adding a hole bunch of value unless there's a trip where there a bunch of portages and the load in the dry storage shifting around would be a little tough to manage.
They also have a bow bag. Just looks like a dry bag that's designed to easily secure to the bow. I'd imagine any dry bag would work for this, of which I have plenty, so I'm inclined to pass on that.
The caribou is the one I'm eyeing. Looks like it's the best combination of size and weight they offer.
-Matt
Ok, from what you have said, I don’t think that the Caribou would be my first choice but I would talk it over with Alpacka to be sure. This is a highly specialized boat and if you won’t be doing trips that have heavy loads ON the bow (like a bike), the Mule or another boat might be a better choice. I would call Alpacka and discuss it with them. They are great about helping people decide which boat is best for them.
As for the internal tie down points, the Caribou doesn’t have any since it is primarily built for bike packing. The tie down points are less for portaging (which I probably wouldn’t do with a loaded boat anyway, unless it was a short portage and had helping hands), but are for stabilizing the internal load on the water. The last thing that you want is your weight shifting at a critical spot, which given Murphy’s Law, is when things tend to happen. This is especially important in whitewater but is true any time. Do you need to buy their special bags? Maybe not. If you have lightweight nylon dry bags, you could probably find a way to use a piece of long thin cord through the base of a buckle or if you are lucky, your bags have D rings. (If not, you could always add a D ring.) Oh, and BTW, the access zipper is on the stern, not the bow.
As for the bow storage bag, sure you could use anything. Just be sure that what ever you use, that you rig it it in a way to minimize entrapment issues. The Alpacka one is mounted in a way that accomplishes this, along with keeping your cockpit area uncrowded. The other benefit I can see with that bag (I don’t have one) is that it keeps everything out of the water that will invariably get in the bottom of your boat. Very few bags end up being truly waterproof, especially rolltop bags. However, the downside to bags mounted high up is they raise your center of gravity, which in my book, is never a good thing.
As for paddle, since you will be backpacking in, a 4pc is usually easier to deal with. And, even if you bring a two or one piece, there should be at least one spare paddle in the group on every trip, even a day trip. So, if you are floating solo, the group is you and you should have a spare paddle. Period. The paddles they sell are expensive and from very good brands, especially the Werner ones, but good paddles are expensive and should be the last thing on which you try to economize. You will be picking it up literally thousands of times a day so get the lightest one that you can afford as the desire for lightweight is usually more about when you are using it, than carrying it. I already have a ton of paddles, both whitewater and flatwater, so I didn’t buy a special one for packrafting. If you have a paddle or two, I would just use what you have until you decide that you need different performance.
You have mentioned if you have a pfd but if not, get one and ALWAYS wear it. Always. Again, don’t economize. Get one that is comfortable to wear and paddle in all day - even when you wear it properly (which means very snuggly). Get one that is comfortable to cast in as chances are, it will be a too much of a pain to take on and off when you want to hit a spot quickly. I only take mine off when I am going to be away from the boat for an extended length of time.
Speaking of which, if you plan to tether the boat to you and wade fish with it in tow (which often/usually means having it downstream of you), you will need a quick-release tow belt. And, you will need some way the tie it up when you leave it on shore. And since you won’t want to leave it fully inflated in the sun on the shore, you’d better have a K pump (or something) handy in your external gear bag. I bring the inflation bag as an emergency back-up and bring a USB pump and K pump (unless someone in the group has one). And, don’t forget a small throw rope and all the normal emergency/safety gear. The one mistake that I find anglers make in any watercraft is they forget that they are paddling/rafting first and foremost and need to treat each trip/outing as if they were on a paddling/rowing trip, not a fishing trip. The fishing part is just something you are doing when you are out there. I find that when people look at their watercraft as just a means to an end, they skip over or skimp on some (or all) of the gear that no experienced paddler or raft would ever think of going without.
Which leads to the last point. Do you have the knowledge and skills to safely do what you are considering? If not, please please make classes your first purchase! Ask your family what your life is worth and take what ever classes you need and spend the money on the best gear that you can afford, especially safety-related gear. I have taught both flatwater and whitewater classes and I am still taking classes. It is important to keep one’s skills up and you always learn something, especially as new gear and techniques are developed. I would highly recommend a pack rafting class and if you haven’t ever taken Swiftwater rescue, taking one would be important and even better if you can take a packrafting or kayak focused one. Heck, just this spring, I am signed up for a 4 different classes as refreshers, although I know I will learn some new skills too.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
And as Freestone mentioned, they're also giant sails. I take mine out of the water when I stop and put plenty of heavy stuff inside the boat to prevent it from moving if it's windy. I also break down my rods and don't travel with exposed hooks inside the raft - unlike my Watermaster these things only have one bladder. If I get a leak in my Watermaster, I still have one full badder to keep me afloat. No such luck in the packraft. I carry UV seal for small leaks and a less expensive packraft in the event of a more major puncture so I can float out on my own. Ditto a spare paddle. They're a blast, but you have to be prepared.
