Alpacka Valkyrie Walkthrough / Review - The Best Packraft Ever Made?

[@DanRansom]

Damn dude that was a fantastic review. Stoked to see what you do with this thing.

[@leftcoastadventure]

Thanks Dan! I’ve got big plans with it this winter and next spring!

[@GavinRieser]

You should speak with Matt Cronin about coating the bottom of the boat with the stuff they use on Creature Crafts (polyurethane I believe). Not sure how that would affect how well it packs but would definitely make it last!

[@almighty123T]

Damn, that looks amazing. looks like they fixed everything i did not like on the 2021 model. this one looks perfect!

[@leftcoastadventure]

The only thing I would change is to make the inflatable floor thicker at the heel cutout to reduce heel drag and wear, otherwise it's pretty much perfect.

[@SJSCHOCH]

Yeah the floor system looks different. I have a 2021 edition, and that model has a separate bladder and that bladder is held in by an outer floor that has a long cross zipper. I will probably have to pull the bladder out after each trip to dry it out. I wasn't really in the market for another packraft, but luckily I am small (5’4” /164.5cm) and it fits good and snug. Unfortunately for the prior owner, it was uncomfortably small. Before drooling over the Valkyrie, I would suggest making sure the size will fit...

[@Packraftexplorers]

😁👍 very nice review. I'm surprised I noticed a few minor differences from my Valkyrie. But anyway...it's an awesome packraft. I was just surprised that you already got approval from Alpackaraft for the review, since the Valkyrie hasn't been released yet. BR Tom

[@leftcoastadventure]

There were a few changes from the 2021 model, if that's the one you have. And as far as I can tell, this was the "release." I doubt they'll ever make this boat outside of small batches annually.

[@whopostedthis]

Maybe a daft question… but has anyone tried surfing a shore break in one of these. I’m not expecting much as it doesn’t have rails but I wonder if it would still surf enough to be fun?

[@leftcoastadventure]

Yes, I’ve been surfing with a friend who was paddling a Valkyrie. Not a lot of control, lots of side surfing, unclear if he had “fun.” 😂

[@mikecuriak6140]

Great overview. FYI -- no need to undo the baffle zips to slide your gear in -- the full dry bags slip past the baffles just fine.

[@leftcoastadventure]

Yes, but my massive 105L backpack doesn’t slip past them

[@mikecuriak6140]

@@leftcoastadventure Sure -- but if it doesn't slip past them, it's not going to slip up into the tubes either, right?

[@leftcoastadventure]

​@@mikecuriak6140 The baffles are a choke point and snag backpack straps. I find it easier to unzip them to load and unload gear, which I assume is why Alpacka made them with a zipper instead of a straight piece of fabric.

[@mikecuriak6140]

@@leftcoastadventure No -- the zippers are only there to make construction easier.

[@sandyradsek2058]

Haven't had to much interest in pack rafts until i found this. How is the stability compared to a hardshell creek boat like a Machno? More or less tippy? How does it do hauling a bit of gear? Super interested in trying this out!

[@leftcoastadventure]

I'd say it's more stable overall than a Machno because it's still much wider and has a flatter hull, but it definitely paddles more like a creeker than a packraft. It hauls gear brilliantly - I had three day's worth of overnight gear crammed into the tubes in the clips in this video. Unlike hauling gear in a kayak which makes it super stern loaded, packrafts with zippers carry gear in the side tubes next to the paddler which keeps the boat balanced and sometimes even makes it handle better (gives it weight to punch through holes and eddy lines).

[@iSchmob]

What length of paddle do you use, and how tall are you?

[@leftcoastadventure]

I'm 6' tall and use a 197, but I'm a whitewater kayaker and I prefer shorter paddles for an easy vertical stroke. A 200 would be better for my height in this boat.

[@faceblub]

Very helpful review, thank you. Is the boat made out of 210d or 420d? I need to know my colour options so i can order within a splitsecond once alpacka allow me to order one.

[@leftcoastadventure]

It's 420d, and for the past two model years Alpacka hasn't offered a color option - you just get what they make.

[@Денис-ь1з2у]

what is the length of this boat?

[@JustinBaker2567]

A shorter t-zip seems like a bummer since a 13-14 pound boat with full whitewater kit warrants a pack more substantial than a floppy HMG pack, in my opinion.

[@leftcoastadventure]

It's shorter than the Gnarwhal's zipper, but with a little effort I got my massive Mountain Hardwear BMG 105 inside. It just might not fit an old-school pack with a large framesheet and suspension, that's why I included the measurement.

[@mitchonthego]

"D" ring for rope portage

[@leftcoastadventure]

It’s only glued to about one square inch of the hull and will have very little holding strength. Not sure why they didn’t just put a standard attachment back there, or another handle.

[@GabrielJM]

how much is this costing?

[@leftcoastadventure]

It’s briefly in the video. $2500 with all accessories

[@artfisher1235]

For the money, the wear pattern is alarming and an absolute deal breaker for me as a creeker.

[@leftcoastadventure]

To be fair I put more wear on it in 3 days than most people would in a year, but I wasn't stoked about it either. I know folks who are running heavy patches up there to mitigate the wear, but ultimately it's from heel strike, same as with all their other boats. It needs a full floor without a heel notch.

[@mikecuriak6140]

@@leftcoastadventure Early prototypes had a full floor with no heel drop. It was unanimously requested among testers to have their heels lower, for many reasons.

[@GavinRieser]

@@leftcoastadventure Also, though, the POINT of the pack raft is to access remote creeks and rivers like UCC. One would hope the boat would last more than 3 days/one trip.

[@leftcoastadventure]

@@GavinRieser It's been two years since this trip and the wear on the floor is mostly unchanged. Low water UCC was a relatively extreme use case.