Marine

Backpackable boat unfolds and inflates into paddling form

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The available camouflage cover for the K-Pak retails for $129
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The available camouflage cover for the K-Pak retails for $129
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The K-Pak folds up in thirds and packs into the accompanying backpack
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
K-Pak backpack with paddle and PFD
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The Folding Boat Company shows the K-Pak at Overland Expo East 2016
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The Folding Boat Company was one of the local North Carolina outdoor companies exhibiting at the recent OX East show
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The inflatable seat of the K-Pak makes for a more comfortable vessel, and the inflatable beams add buoyancy
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
The K-Pak folding boat deflated and folded flat
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
A look inside the K-Pak boat
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
Unlike folding boats with separate frames and skins, the K-Pak features a more integrated design meant to be set up and folded as one
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas
You probably wouldn't want to go airplane camping/paddling with a rigid kayak
The K-Pak is designed to be used for fishing, hunting and other sports
On the water in the K-Pak
The K-Pak hikes to water's edge on your back
The K-Pak all packed up and ready to hike
The K-Pak's backpack isn't small, but at 21 lb, it should be manageable enough
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As we've seen over the years, the compact, portable watercraft market is always welcoming new additions, including recent launches like Oru kayaks, the DinghyGo 2 catamaran and the Onak canoe. Usually these vessels rely on either folding or inflatable hardware to compact down to trunk or carry case size, but some, like the GoBoat, use a combination of both. The K-Pak from North Carolina's Folding Boat Company is another, using a blend of folding skeleton, inflatable inserts and fabric outer skin to travel to the water on your back, set up in minutes and get paddling.

The idea of a folding frame supporting an outer skin is nothing new. It's a formula we've seen used by Klepper, the oldest folding kayaking company out there, as well as others. Unlike the dual-component skin/frame seen on some other folding boats, the Folding Boat Company's design integrates the anodized aluminum frame inside the puncture/abrasion-resistant poly fabric skin, making for a more portable package and fast, simple set-up. The frame never has to leave the skin, folding down and snapping into form from inside.

The key to the K-Pak design is a segmented frame that works like a beefed-up tent frame, its short, connected segments locking together into the greater structure. Instead of simply nesting inside one another, as on a tent, the K-Pak segments secure via plastic connector sleeves. Lock the eight connector sleeves and the K-Pak springs to life from loose, flat skin and bones to three-dimensional boat.

The K-Pak folds up in thirds and packs into the accompanying backpack
C.C. Weiss/New Atlas

The inflatable seat and floor inserts are also integrated into the single body and inflate to shape with a hand pump. These pieces provide added paddler comfort and improve buoyancy on the water. The only external components not integrated nicely inside are two cross members that snap into the frame to increase structural integrity.

If you're familiar with these types of boats, you might notice the folding/inflatable design bears some resemblance to the Pakboat, and that's not coincidence, nor copycatting. After developing a prototype, the Folding Boat Company's Pete Flood worked with Pakboat's Ralph Hoehn to fine-tune the design into its current form.

The Folding Boat Company estimates a four- to five-minute set-up time for its 9.2-foot (2.8-m) boat, and it shows it happening in about four minutes in the rather purposefully slow instructional video below. We're guessing you could beat that time handily when in a hurry or just as easily multiply it when taking your time on a sleepy, sunny day.

The set-up time is quick, but not necessarily quicker than other folding boats. Where the K-Pak design really shines is in folding down into a simple single-piece (+ 2 cross member) package that you wear on your back. Once the frame is flattened, the boat folds into thirds and slides into the backpack, the cross members resting on top. Other folding designs pack down into multiple bags, shoulder bags, roller cases, etc. The K-Pak backpack is a nice, relatively streamlined alternative that can also carry a folding paddle and PFD.

At 21 lb (9.5 kg), the K-Pak isn't any heavier than a trekking backpack loaded with gear. The pack's large, rectangular form might slow you down a bit, though, especially if you're bushwhacking and scrambling through heavy brush.

On the water in the K-Pak

The Folding Boat Company launched last year, and we got our first look at the recent Overland Expo East show. The K-Pak retails for US$875.

The video below provides a good 40-second look at what the K-Pak is all about.

Source: Folding Boat Company

View gallery - 15 images
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2 comments
KonstantinTabakov
I have such a kayak since 4 years, gumotex safari, only 10kgs and comes with a backpack :D
sk8dad
Packrafts have been around for decades with many models rated for class III whitewater.