Hey guys, I’m new to the forum and just received my first packraft in the mail a couple of weeks ago, a Yukon Yak. Just to give you a brief background of my paddling experience; I’ve done quite a few calm water floating trips over the years, and even one overnight kayaking trip. However, I dont have any experience whatsoever on real whitewater. I’m definitely interested in getting into it as I gain experienced however, and would like to run some class III rivers in Arkansas and perhaps Alaska (I’m most likely moving to Anchorage in a few months).
That said, I’m right at 6’ tall, wear 32" inseam pants, and thought a yukon yak would be the perfect fit for me. When I sit in the boat barefooted, it seems to fit me just fine. I can stretch out my legs without too much effort. However, when I put on shoes, its a different story. The “wedge” shape of the inside of the boat forces my shoes together, and I cant really get my legs to lay stretch out without really wriggling around and jamming my feet into the end of the boat. Is this considered a normal fit, or should I be thinking about stepping up to a Denali Llama? I dont want to sacrafice whitewater performance, but I want to be comfortable as well. I must also mention that I havent actually put the boat in any water and tried paddling around, as all of the lakes in the area have been frozen for several weeks. Anyway, what does everyone think is the best (subjective, I know) fit for these things?
Thanks,
-Daniel
This was one of the issues I really focused on as I’m 6’ and have a 31" inside leg and would rather use a small dry bag to brace between the treads of my boots and the hull tube, than feel constricted. Injuries to my spine, hip, knee and foot were also a deciding factor.
That being said, whitewater was not high on my priorities list, whereas the ability to carry a passenger was.
Its easier to pack stuff in dry bags between boot treads and the hull tube to get the fit of your choice (and to put some weight low in the bow) than it is to find extra space where none exists… I got a Llama.
As an aside, I’d be unhappy about jamming the tread of my boots into the hull tube as I’d not want to induce excessive wear, especially if stones were caught in the tread! I have be known to be puncture ‘paranoid’!
Thats a good point about packing gear under your feet to get a snug fit when needed, I hadnt really thought about it from that perspective. I’m definitely leaning towards sending my Yukon Yak back and exchanging it for a Llama. I dont think the extra few ounces in weight will bother me, and I know I’d be happy to have the extra room when I need it.
Thanks for the input. Anyone else have any thoughts?
-Daniel
I just wanted to have some extra space and I don’t think that I will be doing much hard whitewater stuff so I went with the Llama model. I am thinking about putting on a windpadel as I am planning on doing some open lake rafting and some small ocean paddling and want the wind to do some of the work for me.