Mission Type
If you plan to spend hours on the water paddling long distances, choose a packraft with an internal length (a.k.a. cockpit length) long enough to allow you to straighten your legs when seated.
If you’re primarily a whitewater paddler, you will prefer to paddle with bent knees, pushing your feet against the front of the cockpit for maximum power and manoeuvrability; in that case, choose a shorter packraft.
You can always make a longer boat feel shorter by placing something behind your backrest, installing an adjustable back band, or by placing something in front of your feet to push against. You can’t make a short boat feel longer though, so if in doubt, size up.
Find Your Fit
Packrafts should be fitted to your seated leg length, not your standing height – these measurements are obviously related, but some people have long legs and short torsos while others have short legs and long torsos, so standing height isn’t a good way to choose the best packraft size.
To find your seated leg length, sit on the floor with your back against a wall and your legs straight out in front of you. Measure the distance between the wall and the bottom of your feet, and then add the thickness of whatever footwear you’ll use when paddling, plus roughly 5-10 cm (2-4″) to account for the thickness of the backrest and your position/posture in the packraft.
Example: I have shorter than average legs and when I sit against a wall, my feet stick out about 105-110 cm (41-44 inches), depending on how tightly I slide my butt against the wall. When I paddle the small (120 cm / 47″) packrafts there’s usually about 5 cm (a couple inches) of room between my shoes and the front of the cockpit.
DIY Packraft Sizes
Due to the packraft’s shape, some of the cockpit length won’t accommodate a human body (see the diagram below), so the actual internal length is about 15 cm (6″) longer than advertised.
The perceived internal length also changes as you adjust the amount of air in your backrest, your backrest’s position, the position of your seat, and your posture – the more you recline against the backrest, the more your feet slide forward. The packraft’s tube fabric also deforms slightly to conform to your body, which increases the perceived length.
When deciding which DIY Packraft size to order, note that the difference in length between the Atlin sizes is 12.5 cm (5″), while the Telkwa and Skeena sizes differ by 10 cm (4″) each – in other words, the medium size Atlin is 12.5 cm (5″) longer than the small, and the large size is 12.5 cm (5″) longer than the medium, while a medium size Skeena or Telkwa is 10 cm (4″) longer than the small size, and and the large is 10 cm (4″) longer than the medium.
The largest single-person DIY Packraft is currently the 145 cm (57″) Atlin.
The Ultralight DIY Packraft is only available in one size, with a 130 cm (51″) internal length, which is long enough for most people to sit comfortably with legs straight.
Can the length of a DIY Packraft be modified?
The short answer is “no” – to see why, click here.
2 Comments
Alex · July 16, 2023 at 5:01 am
Hi All,
I am wanting to buy a Telkwa pack raft, I am going to be doing a mixture of trips, whitewater, camping and I am not sure what length to get. My feet are about 120cm from the wall when I do the sit test (full height 181cm), I am thinking that I should go for the 140cm length as this will allow me to put a bag or equipment up front if camping. If I am using it for whitewater, I could use thigh straps and put a dry bag in the front to put my feet against. Is this sound logic or is this not a good idea and I should go for a shorter raft?
Matt (Admin) · July 16, 2023 at 9:53 am
That seems reasonable to me!