When we bought an Alpacka Caribou this past winter, to replace our slower and whitewater-poor Double Duck, bikerafting capability was far down the list. Another Explorer 42 could have easily been justified, as it has been so capable with multiple people, on white or flat water. The 42 is a bit much paddled solo, and for this new boat we wanted something more versatile, something just big enough for adult and kid, while still good solo. I thought long about the Mule, with cost and the weight savings of the Caribou ultimately winning out. I was confident the bow design would manage the weight of a kid just fine, and just as confident the light tube fabric wouldn’t be an issue (yes, I’ve put holes in standard tube fabric numerous times; in almost all cases I don’t think lighter stuff would have made it much worse, nor would slightly heavier stuff have made the situation much better). I’ve longer wanted to experiment with a self-bailing boat, so back in February we ordered a Caribou self-bailer with cargo fly, which arrived in exactly one month. Spoiler; the spectacular bikerafting performance has thus far been the standout feature.

I’ve bikerafted quite a bit over the years, generally out of convenience or necessity, and almost always taking any reasonable excuse to do leave the bike at the put in. The standard boats, going way back to my 2010-era stubby Yak, carried the weight of a bike, even a 30+ pound fat bike, with no real issue. The tie ins prevented a fully tight lash job, and for me (5’11”, 32 inch inseam) the bike was always just a bit too close, interfering with paddling just enough to make proper whitwater not so fun. The Caribou lash points are perfectly positioned, and hole the frame of my XL San Quentin like they were glued specifically with it in mind. 3 skis straps for the frame, 3 for the wheels, and with the extra length just enough to keep my paddle away from the fork and derailleur I no longer have any hesitancy paddling low class III with a bike on the boat.

As you can see above, the rocker and bow shape of a 2015 Yak is very different from the 2023 Caribou. The added water line and (to a lesser extent) diminished rocker make the ‘bou significantly less sporty and quick in moving water. Unloaded, or loaded conventionally inside the tubes, this difference is small enough that up until the uppermost limits of class III I can’t imagine caring one way or the other, any solo Alpacka I’ve paddled being so pivoty anyway. With a bike, or I imagine a big pack that has to be kept outside the tubes (I’m thinking hunting packout, a certain dawn paddle across Fort Peck reservoir with two foot chop and a whole sheep on the bow) the balance of the Caribou is particularly impressive, I genuinely don’t notice the bike on the bow from a manuevering perspective, and yet it paddles pretty much the same without.

The Caribou does fit an adult and a kid, barely, an arrangement made workable largely by the self-bailing floor, and the ability of a little passenger to sit wherever without sitting in a puddle. This is the limit of the Explorer 42 at the moment, as the forward passenger is loath to get far forward enough, and give up their cushy seat. The Alpacka self bailer seat is massive, thick enough to keep you out of the water, and provides an excellent boost to stiffness and float in the shallows. I like the noticably elevated stance, too. Lastly, the convenience of not having to stop and dump is everything I hoped it would be, and assuming you are packing a drysuit, the added warmth of a deck has not been missed. Given the wholistic safety boost a good drysuit provides, I think there is a serious argument to be made for the self-bailer, and the weight it saves and convenience and speed (esp on exploratory runs) making it plus drysuit the better choice, relative to a decked boat.

At some point in the future we’ll probably buy a Forager, as we’ll need a one adult plus two ever bigger kids boat. And I am still curious about a Gnarwhal. But until then, I envision the Caribou as getting the majority of my packraft use, almost regardless of trip type, and if I were buying from scratch, would find the bikerafting ability to make a compelling argument that this would be my only boat, assuming that adventuring and versatility was the likely priority over pure whitewater ability. Good job Alpacka.