Folding Canoes, Alan Kesselheim (2001)
One of the biggest hassles on longer expeditions is transporting the silly canoe. Here’s this 17-foot, 70-pound rigid monstrosity that has to perch on top of your car,get strapped onto plane floats, fit inside a freight car, whatever. It’s like taking the piano along.
So it’s very tempting to go with something inflatable, foldable, something that packs down into a duffel and can be reconstructed at the put-in. Problem is, until lately the easy-traveling alternatives have compromised a lot when it comes to performance, handling characteristics, hull speed, and durability. For the most part, despite the convenience, it hasn’t been worth the risk.
There’s one canoe in this category, however, that I would recommend. It is called a PakBoat, and it comes in a variety of lengths and styles to suit varied trip demands. The 17-foot PakBoat weighs 50 to 60 pounds packed in its duffel and can be checked as airline baggage, thrown in the back of a station wagon, and treated like more trip luggage.
At the put-in, it takes about half an hour to assemble the thing, and you’re off. The truly good news is that the tough hull (made of raft material) is extremely durable, the boat is surprisingly fast, and the paddling characteristics are remarkably comparable to those of a hard-shelled boat. The hull has a little more wobble here and there, and it is light enough that you really want to tie it down when you stop, but it actually is a bona fide trip canoe that travels well. You can even change the hull configuration to adapt to the paddling conditions – for example, put more gear in the center and you suddenly have some rocker.
At the take-out, clean the boat, tear it apart, roll it up, and throw it on the bus.