[RooTramping]

Me again
(Hello Bronwyn, i am sorry and will contact “contacts”)

i am not a strong swimmer due to not having done swimming for a while. At present, I try to get fit for The Long Journey canoeing in Febuary.

Speaking about tramping / bushwalking, i am put off on some tramps due to swimming across a river/s. Thinking of a solo inflatable backpackable lightweight kayak, i would seek advice on what kayak model/s is/are OK for wilderness rivers and low-level rapids.

Thanks in advance,
D.

[Mike McGavin]

I can’t comment on inflatable kayaks, but if you’re nervous around rivers in general then I can highly recommend a River Safety course if you have the time and interest. There’s one being run by the Mountain Safety Council on November 18th with a $15 fee. (The same course seems to be advertised on the trip schedule… I’m unsure if there are special arrangements available for club members.)

I took the course arranged by the club early this year, and found it very beneficial. I’m not a strong swimmer and there was no swimming involved, but there was a lot of pack floating. It was interesting just to experience first-hand in controlled conditions of what it’s like to float on a pack, how to control it, and how to get out of it. This is besides all of the extra tuition about how to cross rivers safely in the first place.

Mike.

[RooTramping]

The river safety course sounds interesting. Unforturnately i will not be around NZ in November. I am from Melbourne’s SE and booked late January flight to Auckland (read “Car swap” post). Our club organise the Long Journey canoeing (5 days) next Febuary. In fact, I did part of it (day trip) a couple of years ago. It was the first time when I was myself in a single kayak and did it. One kayak was tipped over! Our club will be offering some Sunday paddles near Melbourne over the summer months.

Back to pack floating training, I would like to learn what you went through, how to control it and how to get out of it… A few times I swimmed across with a day pack for a distance of 50-60 metres. I have not yet tried with a weekend pack. Planning for the Long Journey as well as for my long term interest, I early this week bought a life saving jacket (DIY in a pool). At present I also dream of a small raft/kayak for paddles touring in the near future
https://www.alpackaraft.com/store/index.cfm?CFID=26849271&CFTOKEN=23951911&ProductID=66&do=detail

[Craig]

Unless you are going across a lake, I’d save the alpacka for going down rivers rather than across them.

Generally, if it’s too dangerous to cross, then alpacka might not help much – unless you want to get to the coast in a hurry.

$0.02

[Mike McGavin]

Ah, okay. Well if you are interested and have time when you’re in New Zealand, the MSC does run courses quite often up and down the country. They tend to be dirt-cheap too, which I presume is because their main goal is to up-skill people in NZ conditions (rather than to rescue unskilled people later), although I’m sure they’d accept additional donations.

The upcoming river safety courses are listed at http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/courses/course_details.asp?filter=course&courseID=7

[RooTramping]

I did not know that it is too dangerous to cross a lake with a raft. I plan to use it in calm water lakes, wilderness rivers and low level rapids..

I am of interest in the River Crossing course in Dunedin on 2 March. Hopefully I will be able to attend. As a result, my tramping trip plan will be adjusted accordingly. I thank you both Craig and Mike very much.

[spencer]

I think crossing rivers and rafting are not related at all.

You should definitely do a river crossing course. This will help you to decide whether it is safe to cross a river, as well as how best to cross it. Expecting to swim/packfloat/raft if you cannot cross a river is a very bad idea most of the time and is not worth it, even for good swimmers. Packfloating is good for relatively still water that is too deep to walk across. It is fun!

I own an alpaca raft. It is slow on open water (2kms/hr). You could use it to cross a big, slow moving river, sure, but it is not worth the money or weight for 99% of tramping trips. It is good for easy wilderness travel, small open water journeys and rapids. Though if you are a poor swimmer I don’t recommend getting one! I haven’t used mine much yet but recommend learning to river kayak first.

[RooTramping]

I can?t recall the reasons why I could not attend River Crossing training offered by our club here. As discussed I had some experience in pack floating. The current issue is that I am a poor swimmer due to lack of practice. I used to go swimming after work and before tennis on Wednesday evenings.

I am not a competitive person; so slowness is not an issue for me. In addition to my long term interest I would like to have an Alpaca Raft. They are on sale and version 2007 rafts were not available on Ebay. I also had some experience in ocean and river kayaking. Check out the link, a photo taken on a 3 day kayak tour around Dunk & Family Island in Queensland some years ago. http://member.melbpc.org.au/~dzungn/Dz-kayakD.jpg

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