Sockdolager Equipment

04/21/2026

Super cool footage from a packraft flotilla running Sockdolager, courtesy of Landon Sawaya. This crew did a self supported trip with 13 packrafts and 2 hardshells during last month's record heatwave. Link to his full trip report is in the comments.

(Footage is a composite edited to look like they are all running next to each other).

03/23/2026

It’s been a wild week in Central Oregon. Record hot temps, not a cloud in the sky, and the Deschutes hasn’t been diverted for irrigation yet. Figured we better get it while the getting is good. It’s a tiny consolation for the nonexistent snow pack, but it did make for a pretty decent week of paddling. Highlight reel is on YouTube.

03/12/2026

Throwback to 2016 exploring some Colorado plateau canyons. For a season or two I paddled this now discontinued Aire Bakraft and affectionately called it the green banana. This is at least partially the predecessor to the very popular Aire Spud IK, but much lighter. I think I need to track one down again for nostalgia sake. It was a fun and fast boat, and super rigid compared to Alpackas before they got the temper assist valve and full length floors (and the packapump.) Be fun to paddle again and compare it to all the latest generation packrafts. Perhaps the biggest knock against it was how hard it was to carry your gear. The tizip really is a game changer. Would be fun to modify one today with better thigh straps and a foot block to see what it could do. Rumor is there is a group of ELF boaters in Idaho who have snatched up all these on the used market and hidden them deep in the Owyhee canyons.

02/25/2026

Ran a small batch of Captain’s Bags this week in blue and yellow. Half of this batch is going to but the other half is available on the site. This color way is a stock option for a limited time, so if all black is a little too boring this could be a good option and save ya $20 over a fully custom build.

02/19/2026

Stacking throw ropes in the shop today. Stuffed with love by yours truly. Getting some easy training in for the Olympics this summer, I think we need to figure out who has the fastest stuff in the game.

02/18/2026

The Gatorade blue water on the Smith River is really something magical. A few more snaps from the weekend at Boatsmith.

02/17/2026

It's only February so the competition for "best packrafting video of the year" isn't exactly full of entries, but this one certainly has my early vote. Great work from Sam Hooper and crew, really beautiful edit!

January is hardly the ideal time for a Cataract Canyon packrafting trip. Friends warned me as much, but my eagerness to trade some Interior Alaska winter for...

02/17/2026

Finally made the trip down to Boatsmith this year, and now I wonder what took me so long. The Smith system is really stunning and the energy from hundreds of stoked boaters is insane. This is Quinton running Surprise rapid on the South Fork.