The Packrafting Life (aka A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting)

Callum Lewis started Packrafting Scotland just a couple years ago with friend Jack, to fill a growing niche and because every day on the river is a great day. In episode #17 we chat about how, when and why he started his new guide service. We explore the various rivers on which they guide, along with big adventures Callum plans to do on the rivers and lochs of Scotland. And we laugh a lot about Scottish slang, Scottish weather (you can have four seasons in one day... sounds like Colorado) and all the great things about Scotland (there are a lot). Find Packrafting Scotland online at https://www.packraftingscotland.co.uk/contact or on Instagram @packraftscotland. More info: https://fourcornersguides.com/a-beginners-guide-to-packrafting-podcast/

Hey! This is Lizzy Scully, host of The Packrafting Life podcast. Welcome to episode #15. In this fascinating episode we look at scientific reasons behind the differences between how men and women learn, teach and how and why courses designed specifically for women or non-binary folks can be really beneficial, safe spaces for those folks to learn. This absolutely was my favorite discussion/interview of the year. I learned so much from Sarah Histand, owner of Mind and Mountain, and Jule Harle, owner of Alaska Packraft School, that I will be incorporating into my own packraft instruction in 2026. I know this episode was geared toward women and understanding gender differences in learning, teaching, and course creation. But I feel and hope it will resonate with my male listeners as well. Whether you’re an instructor or a brother, father, husband, friend of a woman, you’ll definitely learn something about how you can help create safer spaces for those females and non-binary folks you love, to learn and thrive in the outdoors. Find Sarah on Instagram @sarahmhistand and visit her website MindandMountain.co. Find Jule on Instagram @AlaskaPackraft and visit her website AlaskaPackraft.com. Jule & Lizzy are joining forces August 3-7 for a Women's Week of Packrafting. If you'd like to register, please click here! And please let Jule know you found out about the course through the podcast. Thanks! CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE AMERICAN PACKRAFTING ASSOCIATION GIVEAWAY!! FINALLY!!! CLICK HERE to join the American Packrafting Association for $10 all this month. AND get the chance to win one of three Buddy Boy Adventure Waste Kits to make your waste management on river trips much easier. Also win a copy of The Bikeraft Guide. And the #1 randomly chosen winner will also get a Sockdolager Equipment bow bag with a Four Corners Guide's logo. Register via this link! Stay tuned because I've got two more shorts in the works, including a conversation about bikerafting and packrafting in the Northeast with Alejandro Strong, owner of Packraft Maine, along with a conversation with guide Felipe Meneses about packrafting in Ecuador.

In this episode, Lizzy interviews Rodrigo Alfonzo a Level 3 American Canoe Association Packraft Instructor and Level 4 Swiftwater certified, discussing his journey into packrafting and the significance of La Venta River, including its wonders, dangers and realities. They emphasize community involvement, safety and/or ACA training for local guides and communities, and the importance of preserving natural resources while promoting both Mexican and foreign tourism in Chiapas. Rodrigo shares future plans for his cooperative guide service, Packraft Mexico, training local guides and organizing events to enhance the packrafting experience in Mexico. You can also find Rod on @losabuelitoschiapas on Instagram. Today we’ve got a special episode about one of the most storied and spectacular rivers in Mexico, which also happens to be one of the most misrepresented in social media. I’m here with Rodrigo Alfonso to talk about the wonders and dangers of La Venta River, his work with the Mexican government and environmental conservations agencies to protect the river and make it safer for those who utilize it. We’ll also talk about his latest project, Packraft Mexico, a co-op guide service that strives to both train and employ locals to guide La Venta and other rivers and to bring training opportunities to the local communities surrounding these rivers. Rod won the American Packrafting Association’s Golden Paddle award in 2025 for building the packrafting community in Southern Mexico. He has single-handedly inspired dozens of Mexicans to not only start packrafting, but also get the training they need to work on the rivers they already love and utilize. The guy is enthusiastic, fun to be with and highly motivated. Please meet one of my favorite new paddling partners, the dynamic Rodrigo Alfonso.

Introduction In Episode 12 of The Packrafting Life (aka A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting), Lizzy talks with Dan Thurber, primarily about leveling up in packrafting, but also about his paddling life and various other fun things. Dan was one of Lizzy’s first mentors in packrafting, teaching her much in various courses and also on a 14-day trip on the Grand Canyon. She continues to look to him for advice and guidance. A Class V expedition paddler, Dan has solo paddled the Grand Canyon, and he has travelled around the world on kayaking and packrafting adventures. He’s been an instructor at the Swiftwater Safety Institute for a decade and he has a a master’s degree and now a career in river mechanics and modeling. The American Packrafting Association says he is “an amazing instructor and advocate for river skills and safety.” He currently lives between the Pacific Northwest, where he works and paddles all summer and Tucson, Arizona, where he rides bikes and works all winter. In this episode we talk first about his background in paddling and long-time career teaching. And then we dive into a topic he discussed at a workshop at the APA’s 2024 Roundup in Idaho, Leveling Up—when packrafters are ready to get to that next level in their paddling. Some of the questions and topics we covered include: What does “Leveling up in Packrafting” even mean? Understanding the Performance Zone. What defines the four zones in the “performance zone.” How to move back and forth between those. And how to be conscious of where you are at. What are some common overestimations paddlers make that lead them to believe they are ready for harder water before they actually are? In what ways is Leveling up different in the adventure sports of rock climbing, mountain biking, and skiing than it is with paddling rivers? And why is important to be conscious of these differences? What’s are some useful things for paddlers to consider before deciding if they’re ready for the next step in difficulty? What is the importance of mentors, courses or other forms of education in helping paddlers balance pushing themselves to improve while also staying within a safe learning curve? And how can paddlers find good mentors? Why is catching eddies so important? And how does the skillset you need for catching eddies relate to the skillset you need for taking a 15-foot drop?

For more information on the film fest, to be a sponsor or to show the film in your town, please email packraftfilmfest@gmail.com or visit their website: https://www.packraftfilmfest.com/

In Episode #10 of, A Beginner's Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafting, we talk with Alpacka Raft co-owner, Thor Tingey, about the hunt packrafting and packraft fly fishing scene. We start by discussing his background in those two activities and how Alpacka Raft’s hunt and fish boats developed along with changing hunting trends generally, along with Alaskan trends toward minimalism and packrafts as a part of the float fish and hunt market. Fewer and fewer people are hunting, says Thor. But the reality is the same numbers of animals are being killed because the people who are doing it are more and more dedicated, core hunters, as opposed to those who are casually digging their rifles out in October to go hunting. “These are guys who think all year long about how they are going to go hunting,” Thor adds. “We have seen over 20 years a way more dedicated population of outdoor enthusiasts who are focused solely on hunting.” And “they want the full experience. They’re physically training. They’re buying fancy supplements and backcountry meals. It’s a big activity for them.” What do we cover in this interview: What has inspired the changes in the hunting community? A broad mix of marketing, equipment and culture. “And the reality is the more you show people this is a really cool way to do this, the more they will want to do it.” The problems Alpacka has solved with its packrafts for hunters and anglers. The first goal with big game hunting is, can the boat carry out a harvested animal? Do we have enough physical space in the boat to carry an animal? Alpacka’s Forager will do it, and the Ranger and Mule are both excellent for carrying up to a moose-sized animals. But those three boats have only been around for about ten years. Alpacka solved that problem for multiple sizes, while companies like Pristine Ventures solved that problem for people needing to carry bigger loads. The second thing Alpacka looked at was: How were people going to use the boats? They’ve always focused on hiking in and out with the boats. And that has become even more important with the expense of flying bigger boats, gear, people and harvest in and out of the backcountry on backcountry planes. Packrafting, Thor says, has become increasingly popular because it’s simply more affordable than flying planes. So people are using them more often for float trips. “You can save the price of the packraft just on this first flight that you do.” The company also considers the walkability of the packraft. Can they easily be carried into a river from a gravel bar, small lake or other small place where a plane might land? People are wanting to get deeper and deeper into the backcountry. So the less they carry, the easier they can access these hard-to-reach places. “It’s a great thinner,” Thor explains. “It’s amazing how many fewer people you see who are willing to hike even a mile to get to better hunting. Even here in Colorado, if I get a mile away from the road there are 90% fewer hunters.” He also makes recommendations to hunters who are just getting into boating, including things they should consider as far as safety and training and practice before they get out hunting in the backcountry. He also discusses the gear people should consider. He talks about his exploratory missions into the backcountry. He says: “We are always looking for rivers that have good whitewater and good hunting. If we can find a Class III or IV canyon, we go there because nobody else will be there.” This illustrates the expansive possibilities of packrafts. The more you learn and the better you get at paddling, the more access you will actually have. The last ten years he’s been blown away by the small number of absolutely incredible fishing locations that he and friends have been able to locate that no-one else is fishing. He’s super tight lipped about these spots. But they do exist around the world, and he encourages people to get out there and find these spots on their own. But h

In Episode #8 of, "A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting & Bikerafting," Deane Parker talks about how he got into pairing bikes and packrafts on pretty hardcore whitewater from the get-go, in addition to his history kayaking and rafting Class V rapids, his raft guiding business in the 90s, his mountain bike adventures, his filming projects through Deane Parker Adventure Channel, and his family farm. One of the most renown whitewater bikerafters in the world, Deane is also an all-around super nice guy. We always have fun chatting with Deane. And after eight years of working with him on various projects, we really look forward to meeting him in person February 15-25, 2025 when we finally visit New Zealand for a 10-day expedition packrafting course Four Corners Guides is running with Deane and Huw Miles of Packrafting Queenstown. (58 views before changing it over to an MP3 for Spotify).

For Episode #6 of A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafing & Bikerafing, we did interview with Julia Yanker, a long-time packrafter, life coach and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, aka trauma resolution specialist. My primary goal with chatting with Julia was to really find out what can be done for adventurers who experienced trauma that now affects the other adventures they partake in. I had a terrible climbing accident 6 years ago that increased my levels of anxiety exponentially, no matter the activity I’m doing, but primarily in regards to packrafting. This manifests in an irrational fear of whitewater. For example, I’ve done the Grand Canyon twice. But despite that I have an unreasonablefear of the big waves, though I’ve swam a few dozen times on the Colorado, and I have always been fine. But still, when I even just think about the Grand Canyon now, my heart beats faster, my palms sweat, and I get a constriction in my chest. No joke! I wanted to talk with Julia to see if there was anything I could do about this seemingly irrational fear. And she told me, yes, there is, in fact, a way to deal with it. So in addition to delving into her personal background and packrafting history, we talk about how to alleviate trauma experienced while adventuring. I hope you enjoy this podcast! #39 views before I changed it to an mp3

Today, for our fourth episode, we’re bringing you an interview with Jeff Creamer, a Swiftwater Safety Institute Instructor and a boat tester and boat maker at Alpacka Raft. Jeff is one of America’s top packrafters, having done numerous remote, challenging expeditions on up to Class V whitewater in the mountains, along with some creative trips pairing boats and skis. We are stoked this year, as Jeff is teaching a Level 4, intermediate/advanced paddling course for Four Corners Guides this spring, May 17-19, 2024. In the first 15 minutes of this episode we learn a bit about Jeff’s previous life as a ocean canoe racer and PhD student, his packrafting mentors Dan Thurber and Mike Curiak, and his early adventures skiing, packrafting and backpacking. And then we dive into Jeff’s expeditions, how he plans for them, how he chooses partners, and more.