Caribou

For many years, the only way to carry your gear on large, multi-sport packraft adventures was either inside the boat on the floor, or mounted to the bow. However, in 2011, we changed the game completely when we invented the Cargo Fly internal gear storage system. This design not only kept your gear drier, it also dramatically increased handling and whitewater performance. However, it didn’t solve the problem of carrying large bulky items like bicycles, big game animals, and large packs on the bow.

Welcome the Caribou with our latest innovation, the Late Rise Bow, that combines the stability and load carrying ability of a rockerless hull with the whitewater and wave performance of a rockered hull. Unlike anything else on the market, the Late Rise Bow still provides a rocker to shed waves and whitewater, but it moves beginning of the rocker in front of the bow’s mounted load. The result is a broad stable platform for mounting bulky and heavy items like bicycles that carries them high and keeps them out of the water when paddling. And, the load remains balanced and stable on both water and land.

To keep the weight and bulk at an absolute minimum, while preserving our legendary durability, we utilized the same lightweight 210-denier high count nylon fabric as the Scout and the 840-denier floor featured in our other packrafts. The result is an ultralight, full-size bikeraft or ultralight hunting raft that rolls up small for stashing in a pack or on your handlebar roll. It’s also available with a Cargo Fly, for keeping bulky gear on the bow and loose gear inside and dry.

Note: Due to the specialized bags utilized by most  bike-packers, Cargo Fly models do not include internal dry bags or internal attachments for clipping dry bags in place. However, internal dry bags can be purchased separately and used in the Caribou without the internal attachments.

• Manufacturing: Made to Order in Mancos, Colorado
• Hull: Classic with Late Rise Bow
• Tube Diameter: 11.7-inch
• Valve: Temper assist valve for inflation and deflation
• Attachments: 4 bow strap plates, 2 stern grab loops, and 1 bow handle
• Seating: Classic Seat Bottom
• Build Configurations: Open
• Cargo Fly: Optional (roll-top internal dry bags sold separately)
• Materials: Proprietary ultralight 210-denier high count nylon hull and 840-denier ballistic nylon floor (Made in USA). Sorry, no custom multi-color or Vectran options.
• Includes: Inflation Bag, Stuff Sack, and Basic Repair Kit

*Weight includes all components except inflation bag and repair kit.
**Packed size is a reference measurement based on folding each lengthwise edge of the boat to the center and rolling from the bow. There are many other methods of rolling and folding the boats that will result in a different packed size that may be more or less efficient for packing depending on the situation.
***Max Capacity is the maximum total weight (paddlers and cargo) that the boat can reasonably carry in flatwater under ideal conditions. Actual capacity for any given trip will vary widely based on the paddler’s skill and water conditions. Please review our weight carrying capacity guide for further details.

Open: The Caribou is available only in the open build configuration. We are not offering spray decks or self bailing configurations for the Caribou as it is primarily designed as a minimalist boat for bike-packing and carrying large loads on the bow.

Cargo Fly Zipper: The Cargo Fly is the ultimate packraft gear storage solution featuring an airtight zipper installed in the stern of the boat to allow you to load your gear inside the tubes. The system provides drier and more secure gear storage and improved paddling performance due to a lower center of gravity. Caribou models with a cargo fly do not come with internal dry bags because most bike-rafters have a different set of dry bags for their bike packing setup. The Caribou also does not feature buckle attachments inside the tubes to secure the dry bags because the Caribou is not designed for significant whitewater use. However, you can purchase internal dry bags separately and use them with the Caribou without the buckles.

Hull: Proprietary 210-denier high count nylon, single side laminated with a lightweight pigmented polyurethane film (Made in USA). This is the same fabric used in the Scout, which optimizes packability and weight savings while maintaining sufficient tear strength for the Caribou’s intended uses.

Floor: Proprietary 840-denier ballistics nylon, laminated on both sides with polyurethane film (Made in USA).

Seat: 200-denier oxford nylon, with single side polyurethane laminate (Made in USA).

Accessories: All grab loops and similar attachments are manufactured in house in Mancos, Colorado out of scrap floor materials and USA made webbing. Small parts and fasteners are Made in USA, when available, and sourced from industry leaders like Duraflex, YKK, and ITW-Nexus.