American Packrafting Association

28/02/2024

🚣‍♀️ Calling all river enthusiasts! 🌊 Our Access & Stewardship committee is putting together a toolkit to help you get involved in local river issues. Stay in the loop with updates on the Flathead River (Montana), Dolores River (Colorado) and White River (Utah). Plus, stay tuned for updates on our upcoming access & stewardship Town Hall!

Passionate about river access & stewardship? 🌲 Join our committee! We're on the lookout for dedicated packrafters to attend monthly meetings and contribute 5-10 volunteer hours each month. Make a difference in your community! Contact [email protected] to join today!

Photo credit: Dan Broman

08/02/2024

Join us for a splashin’ good time in Missoula for APA packrafter social on Feb 21 at from 6-8 PM.

The social is all about bringing our community together before the paddling season kicks off! Let’s mingle, meet potential trip buddies & dive into discussions about access and stewardship issues in Western Montana with from

Want to see chapter events in your area? Contact us to dive in and get involved in your regional chapter!

29/12/2023

Last chance to get a raffle ticket for an Immersion Research dry suit!

https://www.packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

29/12/2023

Your time is running out to buy raffle tickets! Get ‘em before the clock strikes midnight on Dec 31 for the chance to add some new goodies to your gear closet. ⏰

We believe in giving, teaching and embracing new paddlers. Your donation and raffle ticket purchase supports us in that effort. 🙌

Head to the APA website to snag your raffle ticket or make a donation. Better yet, do BOTH! 😉

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What you could win during our year-end fundraiser and raffle:

⭐️ A $1095 credit to any packraft course with in Mancos, CO. Start from scratch as a new boater or take a trip to Chiapas, Mexico to fine tune some skills and make epic memories. $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ A shiny new dry suit donated by . Perfect to gear up for spring paddling (if we ever get any snow 😬). $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ Fully-equipped river safety kit donated by . Helmet. PFD. Throw bag. Whistle. River knife. And more! $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ THE WORKS Gear Bundle: Packraft and paddle, dry suit, pack, throw bag, 20% off course. 😮 $50 ticket. Value $1900.

⭐️ DOUBLE-DOWN Gear Bundle: .packrafting tandem Packraft, two Whiskey fiberglass 4-piece paddles from , two $50 gift cards from . Pick your favorite person and buy a few of these raffle tickets for just $50 each. Value $2700.

⭐️ FIRST-TIMER Gear Bundle: $250 rental voucher to , Mariposa 60L pack from , $150 gift card to , annual membership to . Value $880.

https://www.packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

29/12/2023

What you could win during our year-end fundraiser and raffle:

⭐️ A $1095 credit to any packraft course with in Mancos, CO. Start from scratch as a new boater or take a trip to Chiapas, Mexico to fine tune some skills and make epic memories. $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ A shiny new dry suit donated by . Perfect to gear up for spring paddling (if we ever get any snow 😬). $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ Fully-equipped river safety kit donated by . Helmet. PFD. Throw bag. Whistle. River knife. And more! $50 raffle ticket. Only 80 tickets sold.

⭐️ THE WORKS Gear Bundle: Packraft and paddle, dry suit, pack, throw bag, 20% off course. 😮 $50 ticket. Value $1900.

⭐️ DOUBLE-DOWN Gear Bundle: .packrafting tandem Packraft, two Whiskey fiberglass 4-piece paddles from , two $50 gift cards from . Pick your favorite person and buy a few of these raffle tickets for just $50 each. Value $2700.

⭐️ FIRST-TIMER Gear Bundle: $250 rental voucher to , Mariposa 60L pack from , $150 gift card to , annual membership to . Value $880.

We believe in giving, teaching and embracing new paddlers. 🙌 Head to the APA website to snag your raffle ticket or make a donation. Better yet, do BOTH! 😉

We’re feeling the love for our end-of-year giving fundraiser, and there’s less than a week left! You can donate until December 31! 🤍

28/12/2023

Dan Thurber is a leading packrafter/boater/overall bad-a$$ in the paddling world. He’s also an amazing instructor and advocate for river skills and safety. We deeply appreciate his work and have mad respect for him. 🤍🤍🤍

But, he should really work on his ice skating skills. Just sayin’. To be fair, fundraising and ice skating is not easy. 😬

Moral of the story: please donate to APA so we don’t have to put Dan in danger on the ice more than necessary. Thank you for giving generously. 🙏🙏🙏

thanks for the kind words and putting your neck on the line for us. 🤭

Donation link in profile y’all ⬆️. We are just shy of $20,000!! Massive thanks to everyone that has bought raffle tickets and donated so far. Let’s get to $25k before the end of 2023. 💪

27/12/2023

HOLD UP. You mean to tell us only 9 tickets have been sold for this epic gear bundle from our pals at NRS?? Packrafters, this bundle is just $50/ticket for over $500 in top-notch safety gear. An incredible deal!

packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just dipping your toes in, this package is a game-changer. Ion PFD, WRSI Helmet, guardian wedge throw bag, ultralite medical pack – it’s the ultimate safety arsenal for the river! 🚣‍♂️💙 And remember, this is a limited prize bundle with only 80 tickets total, so your chances are GOOD.

We believe in giving, teaching and embracing new paddlers. 🙌 Head to the APA website to snag your raffle ticket or make a donation. Better yet, do BOTH! 😉

We’re feeling the love for our end-of-year giving fundraiser, and there’s less than a week left! You can donate until December 31! 🤍

24/12/2023

Merry everything to you and yours from the APA paddling family. 🎄🎁 🩵

We had a little AI fun to generate some holiday images for “Packrafting Santa”. It gave us a solid laugh. Which is your fave? 🤣🤣🤣

1 - Jolly Ol’ River Bro
2 - Hope You Don’t Swim Santa
3 - Mysterious Mountain Man Santa
4 - Bug-Out Bag Santa
5 - Agro River Guy Santa
6 - River Noob Santa
7 - Slow Your Roll Santa 😳

We know you’ll have some good names for this oddball collection of St. Nicks, too. Share ‘em in the comments. 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾 Please. We really want to know. 🤪

22/12/2023

21/12/2023

🎁TODAY’S GIVEAWAY🎁

Win a Sarah Glaser acrylic print to hang in your home!! You might recognize her work because Sarah created all of the illustrations created in Luc Mehl’s book, Packraft Handbook. 🌊

What a beautiful way to learn about rivers and paddling!
$243 value. Super cool and special prize to take home today if you donate. 🙌🏽

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Here’s how it works:
⭐️Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. (Psst: cash donations and raffle tickets are not the same thing, but you can do both!) packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

⭐️Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer to our $50,000 fundraising goal.

⭐️Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping.

👉🏽While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

20/12/2023

It’s DAY 8 of 12 of our gear giveaway!! 🎁🎁🎁

⭐️TODAY’S GIVEAWAY⭐️

🔥Suspicious Devices UltraLightweight firepan ($145 value)

🧠 Backpacking Lite Lifetime Unlimited Membership ($500 value)

As you sit around the camp fire using your round-edge sleek fire pan geeking out on gear, no one will know more than you. Ever!! This pretty much should be a wizard VIP card. 🖖🏽Knowledge and fire forever? Boom! 💥
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Here’s how it works:

🤘🏽Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile. (Psst: raffle tickets and cash donations are not the same but you can do both!)

🍀 Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer to our $50,000 fundraising goal.

👀 Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping.

👉🏽 While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org

18/12/2023

🤭Watch to end 🤭

Please help us raise $50,000 by end of the year. If you paddle, please pitch in $20, $50 or $100.

The APA operates with a volunteer board and one PART-TIME Executive Director, Sarah Kilbourne. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sarah is a rock-star and we need her skills all year round to our work. Your donation helps us get great staff. And great staff like Sarah help us make great strides for access, education, stewardship and safety in the packrafting community. 🤙🏼

We need YOUR HELP 🫵 to do more in 2024. Thank you for giving generously!

Oh yeah, did we mention you can win awesome river gear when you donate? 🎁

Donate and you have a chance to win this gear:
🔥Brand new (limited tickets)

🔥Dry Suit of your choice from

🔥Full river safety kit from

🔥Amazing hands-on 3-day paddling course from

🔥Choose from 3 curated prize bundles with thousands of dollars worth of river and outdoor gear. 🤯

Go to the APA website for all the deets and to take home new gear: packraft.org
.

17/12/2023

We are giving away the BIG GOAT of all TOTES from ! Who wants to win more river gear ? 🤙🏼

It’s DAY 5 of 12 during APA’s flash gear giveaway. When you donate, you have a chance to win! 🌟

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY:

🎁 Hyperlite Mountain Gear, 70 Liter Goat Tote $169 value. Light and fast. Strong and sturdy. Gear or groceries. Black or white.

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Here’s how it works:

1️⃣ Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile. (Psst: raffle tickets and cash donations are not the same but you can do both!)

2️⃣ Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer tomorrow $50,000 fundraising goal.👍

3️⃣ Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping. 💌

👉🏽 While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! 🤯 Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org

16/12/2023

We are giving away the GOAT of all TOTES from ! Who wants to win more river gear ? 🤙🏼

It’s DAY 4 of 12 during APA’s flash gear giveaway. When you donate, you have a chance to win! 🌟

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY:

🎁 Hyperlite Mountain Gear, 30 Liter Goat Tote $129. Light and fast. Strong and sturdy. Gear or groceries. Black or white.

—-

Here’s how it works:

1️⃣ Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile. (Psst: raffle tickets and cash donations are not the same but you can do both!)

2️⃣ Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer tomorrow $50,000 fundraising goal.👍

3️⃣ Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping. 💌

👉🏽 While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! 🤯 Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org

15/12/2023

It’s DAY 3 of 12 during APA’s flash gear giveaway.

🔥TODAY’S GIVEAWAY🔥

A $150 Gift Card to Bedrock Sandals
Any color. Any style. Any adventure. Pick yours and go! 🏔️

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Here’s how it works:

1️⃣ Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile. (Psst: cash donations and raffle tickets are not the same thing, but you can do both!)

2️⃣ Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer to our $50,000 fundraising goal.

3️⃣ Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping.

👉🏽 While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org

14/12/2023

It’s DAY 2 of 12 during APA’s flash gear giveaway. When you donate, you have a chance to win! 🌟

TODAY’S GIVEAWAY:

🎁 Annual Premium Membership to where you get the scoop on the latest, greatest and lightest gear. $45 value

🎁 You’ll never get lost again when you have map app at your fingertips. It’s the best! Backcountry maps, recorded routes, adventure planning all at your fingertips. $50 value

🎁 Stuff your own stocking and enjoy a $50 gift card to for all the nicest gear treats this season. $50 value

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Here’s how it works:

1️⃣ Make a cash donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile. (Psst: raffle tickets and cash donations are not the same but you can do both!)

2️⃣ Gather all your lucky charms up and feel great about helping APA get closer tomorrow $50,000 fundraising goal.👍

3️⃣ Check APA socials tomorrow to find out if you’re the winner. We’ll post the winning name in our stories and also contact you to arrange shipping. 💌

👉🏽 While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! 🤯 Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: packraft.org

13/12/2023

We are feeling the holiday spirit and bringing out all the Santa energy. Starting TODAY we are giving away more gear when you donate during our 12 Days of Christmas.

⭐ How to win? Donate $20 or more to APA on the day you see something you want under your tree. We will choose a winner from all those who donate and announce the winner the next day.

⭐ When: December 13 to 24 to celebrate 12 Days of Gear Giveaways!

⭐ Who: YOU!! Donate each day for a chance to win. Good luck!

Pssst: The prizes get better each day. Stay tuned daily to Facebook or Instagram for the goods. Thank you to our very generous sponsors. We are so grateful for our friends and neighbors who love packrafting as much as we do and support APA's work!

13/12/2023

Donate and win!! 🔥

Today we kick off 12 days of Christmas gear giveaways. When you give, you also get!!

The prizes just get better and better but today we give away an awesome little package of the Packraft handbook signed by the author — the one and only ! 🙌🏽

If you are the lucky winner, you’re also getting a 60’ throw bag by for a great gift combo. 🤘🏽

Here’s how you win:
1️⃣ Make a donation of $20 or more before the clock strikes midnight (pst) TODAY. See the year-end giving link in our profile.

2️⃣ Gather all your lucky charms up and wait. Feel great about helping a great cause. Pay yourself on the back.

3️⃣ Check APA social media tomorrow to find out of you’re the winner. Well post the winning name and contact you to arrange shipping.

While you’re making a donation, remember to buy a couple raffle tickets to win more amazing gear! 🤯

Go to the APA website for all the details and prizes available: https://www.packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

05/12/2023

The American Packrafting Association turned 10 in 2023. Happy birthday to us!

While 10 years may seem like a long time to some folks we are still a young organization. We are building the scaffolding for another 10 years, more goals, more education, more safety, more access, and…MORE FUN! 🎉

Please help us. Please donate to support APA during our year-end giving campaign. You could win fabulous prizes. Check out the link in our profile and help us celebrate our 10th year of paddle-tastic good times.
🤜🤛

▫️Share our post
▫️Encourage your river buddies to donate
▫️Buy a raffle ticket for a chance to win awesome gear
▫️Give back if you love packrafting and it’s been outlet of recreation, sanity and good times for you.

Thank you for giving generously! We are 10% to our goal of $50,000 by end of the year. Make it rain!! 💰

https://www.packraft.org/pages/2023-end-of-year-giving

01/12/2023

Don’t miss out! As part of our year-end fundraising, we are giving away so much gear when you donate to APA. 🎁

Thousands of dollars in boats, safety gear, river goods, and courses. Get excited!!🤘🏽

Please pitch in and make a donation to help us reach our 50,000 fundraising goal. The more we raise, the more we can do in 2024 for packrafting education, safety, community and stewardship.

THREE ways to give (and take home gear):

1️⃣ Donate some good ol’ fashioned cash to APA because you appreciate the work we do on your behalf. Make it rain! 😉

2️⃣ Buy a raffle ticket to win an dry suit, boat, full river safety kit from or a hands-on-water-in-your face packrafting course with . These prizes have limited tickets sales so when they are sold out, they are gone!

3️⃣ Buy a raffle ticket for an epic GEAR BUNDLE to outfit your adventures! Check out the website for all the goods. Too many prizes to list!!

A huge shout-out to our amazing sponsors. 🙏They treat us real nice and we are so grateful for the river love. 💙🩵💙🩵💙

30/11/2023

Today is the LAST DAY to comment and add your voice to the Packrafting Confluence Survey.

https://form.typeform.com/to/vCnNZyFt

Now is your chance to tell us all the things we should’ve done or how we could’ve done them better. 💬

Or maybe you love what we’re doing and you want us to keep doing it? Tell us so. 💬

✔️Education
✔️Safety
✔️Chapters
✔️2024 RoundUp ideas
✔️Stewardship projects
✔️Community
✔️Fundraising thoughts
✔️Your favorite camp recipe

Anything goes. Seriously, we can’t make things great for you if we don’t get your input so thanks in advance for spilling the tea and sharing your thoughts.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Oh…before you go… please head to the APA website and buy a raffle ticket 🎟️ before they sell out. We have some AMAZING GEAR up for grabs during the APA year-end giving campaign and epic fundraiser. You don’t want to miss it! 🤘🏽

13/11/2023

Swipe for some packraft repair magic ➡️ Evan Fimbres, of Packraft Repair & Retrofit, recently launched the Packraft Recycle Program ♻️

Do you have a packraft that's seen better days or is collecting dust in the corner of your garage/gear room/under your bed? Send it to Evan for repair & repurposing! He's on a mission to breathe new life into damaged or forgotten packrafts, and here's the kicker: Evan will donate these revived boats to nonprofits, including APA! Help us get more people out on the water, learn how here - packraftrnr.com/packraftrecycleprogram

09/11/2023

Is your passion bikerafting? Or challenging, roadside whitewater? Or maybe serene alpine lake paddling is more your thing? We want to hear how the packraft community is spending time in their packrafts!

Our Packrafting Confluence Survey is open, and we want to hear from YOU. This bi-annual community survey is open to packrafters both in the US and around the world. We encourage all packrafters to give their input - first-timers and experienced adventurers alike!

form.typeform.com/to/vCnNZyFt

Take the survey for a chance to win a 1-year subscription to CalTopo, a gift card to Astral Footwear & a 20L G.O.A.T. Tote from Hyperlite Mountain Gear.

Photo by Steve Fassbinder

06/11/2023

Help us make waves in 2024!

Year-end is giving is around the corner and we need your help to raise $50,000 for APA! Our fundraiser kicks off on Giving Tuesday (Nov 28), going strong until New Years.

Your support propels scholarships, safety & education efforts & more! We have some phenomenal giveaways to share for year-end giving and also a rad fundraiser where you could take home a brand new Alpacka Packraft, new dry suit, fully stocked safety kit & other paddle-tastic prizes! We have some very generous sponsors this year we can't wait to tell you about. More details to follow soon!

03/11/2023

In October, APA Board Members Dan Broman and Jarrod Fasching and our Executive Director Sarah Kilbourne did a self-support trip on the Rogue River! Who says work can't be fun too? 😉

Where have your packraft adventures taken you this fall? We'd love to hear about it in the comments 👇

31/10/2023

📢 Calling all packrafters! 🗣️ Join our Packrafting Confluence Survey, APA's bi-annual community survey. The survey is open to ALL packrafting enthusiasts, whether you live in the US or not! Contribute to the most comprehensive packrafting data collection there is - your voice matters! Plus, one lucky participant will score a 1-year subscription to CalTopo, a gift card to Astral Footwear & a stylish 20L G.O.A.T. Tote from Hyperlite Mountain Gear 🗺️👟🎒 Don't miss out – fill the survey out now - form.typeform.com/to/vCnNZyFt

Photo by Steve Fassbinder /

25/10/2023

Jule Harle is the 2023 Golden Paddle awardee! Congrats Jule - we're excited to highlight your contributions to the packraft community. This process was also a great way to showcase the caliber of all the nominees - Jule, Scott, Kevin & Jeff - and discover the awesome ways they are all contributing to the sport of packrafting.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the nominations and/or voting for this year's awardee!

23/10/2023

Voting for the Golden Paddle winner closes tomorrow [Tuesday] at 11:59 PM Mountain Time. Learn more about each of our nominees below, and don't forget to submit your vote here form.typeform.com/to/BCi18nMn

19/10/2023

Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks is considering banning recreational paddling on Fish Creek in Western Montana. Even if you don’t live or recreate in Montana, a state agency decision to ban paddling access sets a dangerous precedent. Especially concerning is the fact that this is coming from a state with a long history of supporting public freedom to float rivers.

The public comment period closes tomorrow (Oct 20), and we encourage you to weigh with respectful comments against the proposed ban. We’re linking to American Whitewater’s comments on the proposal, which has more information and numerous good talking points. AW links to the proposal as well as the comment site: www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Article/view/article_id/OiWetsPRYMEjBR64N5mlw/

Photo courtesy of Kevin Colburn