About this Online Learning Component: The material that makes up the theory portion of our course contains material that is written by IPIA instructors as well as third party information compiled from other sources. All third party material is carefully selected to present what the IPIA feels are clear and accurate descriptions, sound advice and instruction, and best practice when it comes to packrafting safety. In many cases, sections contain both IPIA exclusive content and links to material produced by others.
All third party material is provided as a link to the website where the material is found. A description of the information contained in each link is provided for reference.
THE IPIA INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the exciting sport of packrafting. This course is aimed at providing newcomers to the activity with the information and skill set they need to begin safely navigating moving water of up to Grade II.* Course participants will need to have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to swim, but no previous river paddling experience is required.
Packrafts have a long and fascinating history. Rather than reproducing it here ourselves, we’ve combed the internet to find the best that it has to offer. So before you proceed to the nuts and bolts of the course, we fully recommend you grab a cup of coffee and have a quick read through the following articles that will not only open your eyes to the wonders and potential that packrafting offers (via a few pretty epic videos), but will also give you a better appreciation for the innovation and spirit of adventure that has helped shape packrafting as it is today.
http://packraft.org/packrafting-is-a-traditional-use/–A wonderful and thorough walk through the storied pages of packrafting’s past, courtesy of the American Packrafting Association. This material contains a great video of early packrafting in Tasmania.
https://www.outsideonline.com/1969191/brief-history-packraft–A slightly shorter overview of packrafting heritage from Outside Online, mainly included for the eye-candy video at the end that shows the clear evolution that has occured in the sport in the last decade or so.
https://aquabound.com/blog/whats-so-cool-about-packrafting–An easy to ready article written for paddle maker AquaBound that extols the many uses of the modern day packraft.
https://winterbear.com/packrafting/packraft-makers/–An independently written article by Paxson Woelber detailing the plethora of packrafts on the market today. Written in 2017, it is the most comprehensive list we’ve seen and is good enough to leave you wondering how to decide between all the options!