PackRafting

What can you tell me about it? When I was a kid we did a rafting trip on the Chama in New Mexico. We only got off to potty, eat and sleep. I found a place that I would like to hike. However there are some places that need to be swam and paddled! This is very exciting for me! I LOVE the water! I am a river rat! Grew up on the Pecos and the Guadalupe rivers. So I accidentally came across Packrafting. It just showed in my feed on youtube. So I look up the rafts and see that these rafts are like 4lbs!!! So now my mind is blown and I am in research mode! What can you tell me about packrafting and the gear???

I too think packrafting looks amazing, and I would love to try it. However, the equipment is very expensive, something like $600 minimum for an entry level packraft, the last time I checked. And, that doesn't even account for personal flotation devices (PFDs), paddles, etc. If you like DIY projects, there is a website that sells kits (search diypackraft). Good luck!

I have a pfd and paddles, all I really need is the packraft itself. I have seen them for as low as $200. Would I get the lower-priced one? No. I would worry about the quality. Between $300-$700 seems to be the median price for a decent one.
This will be one of my spring day trips. After that I'll try an overnighter.

I'm dipping my toe in the water, so to speak. Not sure I'll go all the way to packrafting whitewater, but I just nabbed an inflatable dinghy on sale and I'll be trying it out in some small lakes and slow streams nearby first, to see if I like it.

Like Hey I already have a paddle and PFD, from a used kayak setup. I can also try out some of the bikepacking bags I nabbed (also on sale) because I want to try that out, too.

If it turns into a more serious relationship, I'll post here.