Cart
You have no items in your shopping cart
Alpacka's lightest multi-purpose adventure packraft, the Caribou is perfect for backcountry and sidecountry adventures on flatwater and lightwater. Its comfortable, stable and easy to carry awkward loads like bikes and packs. Read more..
Spray Skirts Sold Separately For All Decked Models in 2025
The Caribou is a multi-purpose adventure packraft focused on backcountry and sidecountry trips on flatwater, lightwater, and bike rafting.
The Caribou features a high volume hull with a classic stern to minimize weight and bulk, so you won’t have to worry about fitting everything in your pack, or your boat once you are on the water. The late rise bow provides additional foot room and makes carrying bulky heavy items like bikes and packs a breeze.
The Caribou is available with Open, Removeable Deck, and Self Bailing configurations, plus you can add the innovative Cargo Fly zipper internal storage system.
The Caribou is also available in both the lightweight and standard 210d hull fabrics so you can choose whether to optimize packability for backpacking or durability for a broader range of uses.
The Caribou hull design is unchanged for 2025, but they’ve added two features to improve versatility and replace some of the options from the discontinued Classic.
First, they added an inflatable backrest which provides more comfort for longer days on the water. This will make the Caribou closer in fit and comfort to the Classic. Of course, you can leave it behind if you want to minimize weight.
Second, they added a standard weight 210d hull option. Previously, the Caribou was only available with the lightweight 210d hull. The standard weight fabric is more durable for a broad range of uses while the lightweight fabric maximizes packability. They recommend standard fabric as a replacement for the Classic.
Both the Caribou and Expedition are outstanding versatile packrafts. The Caribou is more focused on flatwater, bike rafting, and minimizing weight and bulk for backpacking. The Expedition is more focused on lightwater and whitewater performance.
The Mule and Caribou are like big and little siblings. Both have very similar layouts and intended uses focusing on versatile trips on flatwater and lightwater. The Caribou is smaller, lighter and more backpacking friendly. The Mule is larger and preferred for larger and taller paddlers as well as heavier duty trips like hunting and carrying a dog.
The lightweight open Caribou is the closest full sized packraft to the Scout. The Scout has the edge for weight and bulk and so is the preferred option for trips that are focused on short stretches of water or mountain lakes. But the Caribou is more versatile for longer stretches of water without having too much weight penalty when you are just hiking into your favorite mountain lake.
While discontinued for 2025, the Classic was their longest running model and is still available as a custom lab option. The Caribou is an ideal replacement for the Classic with the only difference being that the Classic is available in multiple sizes, but the Caribou will still be a comfortable fit for most people. Paddlers looking for more performance should consider an Expedition.
4 bow strap plates, 2 stern grab loops, 2 stern strap plates, and 1 bow handle
Standard Toggle Seat and Inflatable Back Rest
Proprietary lightweight or standard TPU coated 210d hull with 840d nylon floor (Made in USA)
Inflation Bag, Stuff Sack, and Basic Repair Kit
The Caribou is designed for extra capacity at minimum weight. The following capacities are general guidelines based on experience and performance goals.
Boater Height | 5'2"-6'4" |
Exterior Length | 94.5in |
Exterior Width | 37.5in |
Interior Length | 47in |
Interior Width | 15.5in |
*Due to the handmade nature of the packrafts, dimensions will vary slightly from boat to boat.
Build Option | Base Weight | Kitted Weight | Complete Weight |
Open | 4.5lb | 5.25lb | 6.0lb |
Open w/ Cargo Fly | 4.75lb | 5.5lb | 6.25lb |
Removable Deck w/ Cargo Fly | 6.0lb | 7.1lb | 7.8lb |
Self Bailer w/ Cargo Fly | 5.8lb | 6.25lb | 7.0lb |
*Due to the handmade nature of the packrafts and natural variances in weights between different colors and production runs in the fabrics, all weights are estimated and will vary from boat to boat.
*Base Weight is boat without any seating. Kitted weight is boat with seating and rigging. Complete weight is everything in the stuffsack. Weights are the LW 210d versions. Add ~0.75lbs for Standard 210d.