Kokopelli Packraft Review

Ever hiked up to a secluded lake or happened upon a beautiful river during a road trip and wished you could do more than look at it? Enter the packraft: an inflatable boat that’s lightweight, portable, and capable.

Our family doesn’t live that close to water, so we’ve never invested in kayaks, paddle boards or other items to make lakes and rivers more fun. When I saw a booth filled with Kokopelli packrafts at Overland Expo in Flagstaff, Arizona, I was intrigued… I thought about past trips where we had wanted to paddle across an alpine lake in the summer, or float down an easy river or creek on the east coast. In my mind, this packraft idea was opening up opportunities for more adventures! It doesn’t take up much space (roadtrips!), it’s not heavy (luggage!), and there is plenty of room for our kids to hop in (family-friendly!). Yes, please!

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Kokopelli says that their packrafts are “ruggedly designed to last and purposefully built for ultimate portability and packability. Kokopelli products are sold around the world to avid paddlers, campers, hikers, overland and van life enthusiasts, bikers, climbers, anglers and hunters with the purpose of simplifying and elevating the outdoor experience.”

Packrafts can enable families to explore the water in a more accessible and often spontaneous way. Kokopelli has made some solid packrafts that we have enjoyed bringing along.

Kokopelli Packrafts

“The Explorers Boat”

Kokopelli packrafts are an explorer’s dream (especially an explorer with little explorers in tow). They are ultra-portable, especially if you find yourself hiking or biking. It’s lightweight, packs down small, and is pretty simple to set up. One caveat: you still have to add paddles and life jackets to really be prepared.

girl sitting on packraft in a life jacket

“Room to Move”

Many of Kokopelli’s packrafts have larger hulls which are wider, longer, and generally more comfortable. The extra deck space is useful for things important to your trek – gear, furry friends, a kid. Bikes, bags, even a large cooler can fit.

Range of Options

There are four series of packrafts to cater to all types of water adventurers, from beginners to the hardcore

X-Series Kevlar® – this series boasts the strongest, most durable packraft in their collection, with not only a Kevlar floor, but Kevlar up into the sidewalls.
Adventure Series – these packrafts are not only durable, but lightweight to take on any adventure. They are easy to carry and can handle Class II rapids as well as calm water.
Whitewater Series – also lightweight and durable, these packrafts can handle up to Class IV rapids.
Lake Series – these rafts are easy to transport, lightweight, and ready for a float on calm waters.

The Review

In this review, we’re taking a look at two models of Kokopelli packrafts: The Twain, a two-person raft, and the Twain Lite, a raft built for flatwater. These two rafts were excellent choices for our family; we were able to fit all four people plus some gear on our excursions.

We’ve taken them out on the water in a couple different places – Lake Mary and Lake Mormon, two lakes near Flagstaff, Arizona, and on the Animas River in Durango, Colorado. Two different contexts helped us get to know the packrafts and understand how we, as a family, could best use them!

The Twain – Two-Person Raft

Specs and Features

Weight: 13.6lbs with seat + backband (11.2lb for the boat only)
Size: 16×10 in rolled up
Load capacity: 600lb
Colors: Smoke Blue and Yellow
Excels on class 1 water: lakes, calm oceans and inlets, and flat, slow-moving water
Includes: 1 boat, 2 EVA backbands, 1 inflation tube, 2 compression strap sets, 2 inflatable seats, 1 removable fin, 1 emergency repair kit
Features: 840d nylon reinforced TPU floor, Leafield D7 valve, removable tracking fin, Mil-Spec nylon gear loops for securing any gear (four on the bow, two on the stern)
Description: Part of the Lake Series, first canoe style packraft

What We Loved

The size. Built for two adults to enjoy the water, which makes it great for one adult, a kid, and some gear.
The two chamber design makes it feel much more stable on the water, especially if you have a wiggly kid.
Packs down almost as small as the Twain Lite. Also easy to transport taking up minimal space in the garage, a roof compartment or the trunk of a car.
Supportive seat and back support

What We Aren’t So Crazy About

The one we received had an older model of the inflation bag. It was slow going to inflate. I thought we had a defective one, but customer service let me know it was an older model and gave me the right tips to get it working well.
It has two chambers to inflate so it takes longer. Consider getting an additional inflation bag if you want to be more efficient with a partner.

The Twain Lite – Flatwater Packraft

Specs and Features

Weight: 9.9lbs with seat + backband (8.7lb for the boat only)
Size: 16×8 in rolled up
Load capacity: 300lb
Colors: Smoke Blue and Yellow
Excels on class 1 water: lakes, calm oceans and inlets, and flat, slow-moving water
Includes: 1 boat, 1 EVA backband, 1 inflation tube, 1 compression strap set, 1 inflatable seat, 1 removable fin, 1 emergency repair kit
Features: 840d nylon reinforced TPU floor, Leafield D7 valve, removable tracking fin, Mil-Spec nylon gear loops for securing any gear (four on the bow, two on the stern)
Description: Part of the Adventure Series

What We Love

The color – I love the Smoke Blue we received because it feels calm and serene on the water.
The size. It’s meant for one paddler, but there is space for a child, a dog, some extra gear, even a bike. We’re a tall family, so it’s nice to have room for our legs and a little something extra.
It’s durable and also lightweight. Easy to transport in the car, on a bike, on a hike.
Again, supportive seat and back support
Comfy enough that my three-year old fell asleep in it, twice.

What We Aren’t So Crazy About

The straps were a little bit tricky to figure out when setting up the back support. We may have had to redo it a few times.

General Thoughts

We haven’t owned any other water vessel before so the experience of inflating it and getting all the parts and pieces ready was completely new to us. There is definitely a learning curve.
Once in the water, both packrafts feel stable and sturdy. There were a few instances of scraping the bottom or hitting a rock, but it didn’t feel destabilizing or like we had ruined the raft.
They dry quickly once out of the water. That makes it easy to pack it back up and head home.
Make sure you have paddles! They don’t come with the raft. We quickly corrected that mistake.
We used them on an in-town lake (Lake Mary in Flagstaff) and on the Animas River. Both times, we had a great time. The river float was our first time using it. Getting ready to go with two young kids was tricky, but the time on the water made up for it.

Where to Buy

The Bottom Line on Kokopelli Packrafts

Packrafts are transforming outdoor adventures by enabling families to explore the water in a more accessible and often spontaneous way. Kokopelli has made some high-quality packrafts that we have enjoyed bringing along. They feel safe to use with kids, they are durable on the water, and we eventually got the hang of the setup! We would recommend them to anyone looking for a more accessible way to enjoy the water. It’s not as turnkey as dropping a kayak in the water, but for us, the space savings is worth the effort of inflating and assembling it.

Kokopelli makes a wide range of packrafts so if you want to know which is right for your situation, their website can help you figure it out – “Which model is right for me?”.