Wilderness-Tripping Canoes
"THE COLLAPSIBLES"
For canoe trippers who really want to get away from it all with minimal travel hassles, there are a couple of intriguing alternatives available. There are trade-offs as well, but for the right kind of trip, these canoes make a lot of sense.
PakCanoe 16-5; PakBoats; www.pakboats.com; Length: 16'5"; Rocker: Slight; Beam: 33"; Weight: 51 lbs; Price: $1,775
PVC/FOLDING CANOE
PakCanoe 16-5, PakBoats
One of the biggest hassles of organizing remote canoe trips is arranging for the transport of rigid canoes. PakBoats, in Enfield, New Hampshire, has been building folding canoes (PakCanoes) specifically designed to address this problem for a number of years.
Conceptually, the construction of these boats is a throwback to the birchbarks; a skin is stretched over a rigid frame. The difference, other than the abrasion-resistant PVC-coated "skin" and the shock-corded aluminum frame, is that this boat can be disassembled and stored in a duffel bag.
On the water, the boats paddle like an interesting cross between a thin Royalex canoe and an inflatable. Our 16-5 sample (PakBoats makes a full lineup) definitely handled much better with a load-these are intended primarily as tripping canoes. Naturally, hull flex is quite noticeable, but decreases proportionally with the amount of cargo added. Even when loaded, however, the boats flex enough to absorb impacts, and the PVC-coated hulls are slippery enough to slide over rocks. The inside of the floor has a layer of closed-cell foam to help eliminate pressure points where the skin rests directly against the frame. Inflatable sponsons provide flotation and add a little rigidity.
For flying into remote areas where a variety of conditions are likely to be encountered, a PakCanoe is an attractive alternative to a rigid canoe.
Pros: Light weight (comparable to a Kevlar canoe), stores in a duffel bag
Cons: Significant hull flex, assembly required
User: Canoe tripper headed to remote areas, or anyone with limited storage
Want to jump to a specific canoe?
Ojibwe Longnose, Bark Canoe Store
Charles River, Old Town
Freedom 17, Mad River
Mackenzie 18-6, Clipper Canoes
Seliga, Bell Canoe Works
PakCanoe 16-5, Pak Boats
Pro Pioneer 16, SOAR Inflatables
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