Re: Skirafting Utah: Monticello to Mt. Hillers.
Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2023 12:46 am
spopepro wrote: ↑Thu Mar 30, 2023 7:42 pmDude that's a great trip. I have long dreamed of a packraft to do some adventures in this spirit (but, uh... maybe a little lesser).
Looking through your other stuff--you've taken that packraft down some serious descents. Do you come from a WW kayak background, or is there something else that prepped you for that? I would have a hard time believing in the inflatable boat through some of the terrain you've covered.
How often do you find you need to put skins on? I am also a strong believer in the patterned base and am always looking for how far I can push them. Admittedly, I'm kind of abandoning tele for these kinds of things due to never finding a suitable boot that fits so props to you for toughing it out.
How much did you have to fight with keeping things dry, or are you and your partner just dialed? I feel like it would be a struggle for me on a trip like this.
Thanks for posting.
I was exclusively in packrafts for the past ~10 years, until last summer when I bought my first kayak. I split my time in them 50/50 over the course of the past ~8-9 months. Lots of nuance to be learned in the hard boat.
Skins: depends on the day and the crew.
This trip was pretty easy to keep things dry. You have to be disciplined about shedding layers to keep from wetting them -- which can be challenging when it's as windy as the first 4 days were. When we rolled into camp each night usually the only wet clothing would be our socks. I bring 'sleep socks' to change into at camp, so I have warm/happy feet all night and dry ski socks to put back on in the AM.