NRS Pack-Raft

2022-10-10T09:16:06

I've owned my NRS packraft for about a decade. I use it primarily to cross rivers. Unlike some other brands of packrafts that have only one air chamber, this has two main air chambers. In addition, there is the floor and the seat that also serve as additional air chambers. So multiple air chambers are a big safety factor that many other packrafts do not have. You have to baby the d-rings because they are designed to rip out under stress without deflating the packraft. This is another good safety factor. Some reviews complain about difficulty with deflation because valves are located at opposite ends. This complaint is not warranted because all you have to do is fold the raft in half so that the valves are adjacent to each other. Then it is very easy to deflate. One nice thing this raft has that some other brands of pack rafts don't have is check valves. Check valves make inflation far easier. You simply depress the flap inside each valve to deflate the raft. I have never put a hole in my NRS packraft. It has taken lots of punishment sliding over river rock. This raft has a great strength to weight ratio. Bottom line, this is an excellent pack raft! Ignore the negative reviews posted by the cheechakos.

Philip N.

Originally posted at

2021-08-07T10:37:23

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russell s.

Originally posted at

2021-06-05T13:35:32

Use this raft in the N Platte in Wyoming for a multitude of fun and hauling activities. It?s great value for $500! Easy to transport and inflate. We also pull it behind our fishing drift boat for fun stuff when the fishing is slow. Anna C.

Fish S.

Originally posted at

2019-12-09T19:00:00

I have been using this raft the the last 4 years in the back country of Idaho to haul meat down the Salmon River. This is in the winter time and I trust this boat to perform. We always hunt up river from our airstrip and it has become a very useful tool. I didn't know what this boat was capable of when I bought it and on its first trip I took the meat of an entire elk and myself (over 500lbs) down about 4 miles of rapids. I was concerned that with such a heavy load I would bottom out and potentially tear the fabric. I decided to attach a "dead sled" to the bottom of the raft to protect it which we were using to haul meat anyways. It was sweet, and after bringing the animal down about 3500ft on our backs I couldn't have been happier to float the river with it. We also use it for river crossings and you can easily get two people across the river with their packs. So far it has been the perfect tool for our adventures.

Blubberhunter

Originally posted at

2016-01-05T19:00:00

This is not an $1100 packraft- if you want an $1100 packraft and think this is what you are getting half price you will be disappointed. This is a fun boat that is affordable- It will let you hike in and paddle out- It will let you haul a week worth of gear (within reason) It will enable you to fly across the country to go paddling without having to pay $200 or more dollars to ship your boat each way or having to deal with finding a rental- It doesn't track well so you have to anticipate your moves- however it is a very fun boat- I've had some awesome trips in it- I wish they would upgrade the valves for both the main valves and top of valves- and you have to know yoga to inflate the top of valves as the stems are too short- but except when you are filling it you don't notice that and if that's the only complaint on a 5 day trip it's not too bad.

Bill R.

Originally posted at

2015-12-03T19:00:00

I've had my nrs packraft for two years now and it's worked great. I've used it twice for long trips and countless times for short trips and river crossings. One of the first trips I went on with my brother we had just gotten them and we rafted a river that was shallow, fast, and full of beaver sharpened spikes, we both hit these sharpened sticks dead on at speed several times I was absolutely sure the raft would have been destroyed we were both amazed our rafts survived. They are way tougher than I expected, after reading these reviews I was very gentle with the straps and have no problems in that department. For something so light weight I'd expect it to be a little weak and flimsy, but for me it's been remarkably durable, I think you just have to be a little gentle with the thing.

Ds

Originally posted at

2014-05-09T20:00:00

I bought this boat from Canyon Voyages (CV) in Moab for a spontaneous trip down the Escalante. CV suggested a great paddle that seemed long at first but performed perfect for this boat. I proceeded to meet up with two friends that both owned Alpackas. We boated the Escalante in Southern Utah at 1.3 CFS. CV didn't recommend floating this water level, and looking back on the 40 miles of paddling and 8 miles packing I agree, but we all still had fun and survived with no holes in the boats! The NRS boat performed right alongside the Alpackas without a hitch. I was in and out of the boat, dragging and portaging a lot and had no problems. I did scrape some laminate off the bottom. I have patched those areas with the included patch kit mostly for reinforcement in the next low water session. My friends on their Alpackas had factory ordered their boats with reinforced bottoms to prevent this. I'm not sure if NRS will do this or not. Overall a great boat at a price that is far more appealing than the Alpackas. I was just as sporty and clean in the water as the rest plus a little extra weight in my wallet.

Escalante C.

Originally posted at

2013-05-31T20:00:00

Packrafting... Nothing like crossing a steep AK range pass and blowing up the packraft to float 25 miles out... I've carried 2 people and 2 packs (a hilarious day pinballing down a river), creek boated class 3+ many times, and comfortably floated multiple days on mile wide rivers. It is pretty easy to build your own sprayskirt (cost me $30 at a fabric store) so it holds up better to waves, and the bigger size makes it more comfy than an Alpaca. I think the NRS is a great deal at half the price of the alpaca, but for sport boating you need to rig a backrest and sprayskirt to keep up. A little improvement and this boat could be more than an oddity to packrafters.

Fabio

Originally posted at

2012-03-10T19:00:00

I just got off a 7 day trip down Utah's Dirty Devil with a couple of friends. I have the NRS, a buddy has an Alpaca, and another has a tandem Tomcat. For the Dirty Devil I feel that the NRS is the perfect boat. On such a trip is is necessary to get in and out of the cockpit very often in order to drag the boat through very shallow areas (the river is ankle deep most of the time). The NRS has a lower center of gravity than an Alpaca which is nice because in the situation outlined above, the Alpaca was prone to tipping over and filling with water while being towed. The NRS is also easier to get in and out of. We encounted rapids up to class three and the NRS did fine though I did take on some water. The included floor pad kept me from sitting in a puddle. There were lots of bony rapids and each time I hit a rock I thought it was the end of the boat but it always came through beautifully. Very durable. CONS: The D rings are a joke. I still can't belive they are being used. I'd heard that this was the case and so I babied mine. Still by day three they had all ripped off completely forcing me to put my bag in the bottom of the boat. On such an expensive piece of equipment by such a reputable manufacturer this should not be a problem.

Cracker

Originally posted at

2011-07-20T20:00:00

River professional in Fairbanks, Alaska. We bought 14 of them over the last 9 months and have put many miles on them. Have used alpaca's many times in the past but we never owned any due to the cost involved. Very good value, almost half the cost of a standard Alpaca without the optional floor pad or sprayskirt. NRS gives you the floor pad with the boat, and I know of two Alaska outdoor gear companies that are happy to build sprayskirts and glue them on, Alpaca's sparyskirt design is still lacking anyway. As a bonus, the NRS is 10" longer than Alpaca's biggest river worthy raft, so that extra person or more gear is a more realistic option. BUT... Two major yet really simple issues. Why are the two chambers valves at opposite ends of the boat? How are we expected to roll up the boat with out air pockets in one side? Seriously, try it. And the D rings are incredibly poor. Plan on gluing in an additional valve at the bow so both chambers can be deflated while rolling up the boat, and cut off their "d-rings" and buy some from Alpaca. Then you'll have a rugged affordable boat.. We plan to contact NRS about these two flaws directly..

Avalanche

Originally posted at

2010-10-21T20:00:00

After seeing several Youtube videos of this being used in white water I purchased one used. I was so happy with it I bought a 2nd new from NRS. I think there are some very loyal fans of Alpacka rafts who would be slow to accept how on par this raft is. It should be noted that this raft is not made for a spray deck. Also it does not come is smaller sizes available from Alpacka rafts. For the small weight penalty I really appreciate the extra space. I take my wife or daughter in it with me and still have room for some gear. The seat and inflatable floor included work great. The removable inflatable floor is thick and could be used as an emergency flotation device or sleeping pad (not full size). The seat is not removable and works with or without the floor. The thicker material making up the floor itself is very well thought out as this is the area that takes the most beating. I am not looking to go through any serious white water, but it is nice to know the raft can handle it. I really like this raft. Even if I could get an Alpacka for the same price I think I would choose the NRS.

ascientist

Originally posted at