I had to check it was't April 1st, but this was the main item on yestedays Wikipedia:

'A Halkett boat is either of two types of lightweight inflatable boat designed by Lt Peter Halkett (1820–1885) during the 1840s. Halkett had long been interested in the difficulties of travelling in the Canadian Arctic, and the problems involved in designing boats light enough to be carried over arduous terrain, but robust enough to be used in extreme weather conditions.

Halkett's first design was a collapsible and inflatable boat made of rubber-impregnated cloth. When deflated, the hull of the boat could be worn as a cloak, the oar used as a walking stick, and the sail as an umbrella. This was followed by a two-man craft that was small enough to fit into a knapsack, and when deflated served as a waterproof blanket.

Although widely praised by Canadian explorers, the market for Halkett's designs was limited, and he was unable to persuade the Royal Navy that they would serve any useful purpose in general naval service. Efforts to market them as platforms for fishing and duck shooting failed, and they were commercially unsuccessful. Only a single Halkett boat, that of Orcadian explorer John Rae, is known to survive today.'

Anyone ever tired anything like this?

The Sock

Sorry, haven't heard about that one- but the description reminds me of my canoe: http://www.allycanoes.com/ I have the 16.5 DR model. Total weight is 40 pounds.

If your "knapsack" looks like this then you're good to go:

or you could always tie the pieces to a frame-pack.

It would probably be the worst possible umbrella, but it is a really good canoe for though rapid conditions. The shape is "just right" for excellent handling and make splashing water go mostly outside the canoe, not inside it, and there is a certain flexibility ("spring") in the construction which makes it really good for going through waves. If you only do flat-water stuff it is a bit slow. I haven't tried the newer version, but rumors are that the canoe is basically the same as before, but with minor improvements.


The trouble with dragging that over land is not the 40 pounds of canoe - it is the 250 pounds of gear that you've stuffed inside it!

That looks like a good idea. I've friends in florida i worry about, in case they get hit by a hurricane. They might need something carryable to cross water to get out. It can be land, then water, then land....
Thanks; I'll look into that.
The Sock

I've heard good things about the alpacka rafts. They even get a bit of whitewater use by experienced paddlers. They're light, portable, and reasonably durable. They do cost close to $800 though, so if you're only getting a raft in case you need it for a hurricane, you could buy a dozen Walmart rafts for the same price.

And for fun, here's some class III whitewater packrafting in Alaska:



It looks like you can even carry a reasonable amount of gear on one!

The "Halkett boat" was highlighted yesterday.

Survival-wise, I'd rather have a Inflatable Single Place Life Raft. It's worn like a vest/Beltpack or it comes in a small duffel.

It would sure be good for that, but it is also rather expensive.

If your friends have room for storing it, a rigid canoe may be just as good for them. It would be heavier (or expensive!), but you can drag a canoe through mud and grass with the load inside it.

The Ally construction is really cost effective only if
a) the ability to pack it in the trunk or carry it is really important
OR
b) you do white water stuff.

Oh, and do get a pair of wheels - on hard surfaces it is really great to be able to wheel the canoe with the load inside it. Basically a pair of wheels where you balance the canoe, and you need some kind of V-shaped frame so it doesn't slide all over the place. Something like this:
Example
If you have friends who can weld they could make one of those in a couple of hours.


Come to think of it, I've heard some good things about the Packrafts / Alpacka rafts too. I'm not familiar with those. I don't think the models I've heard of can come anywhere close to the load capacity of a canoe, but for all I know they come in big sizes, too.

A plastic sea kayak would work well for this application, especially models with an enclosed cockpit. A wheel set could be easily added to the load.

A canoe could carry a larger load, but who wants to store a 13 foot long canoe in their garage as a "just in case"? I'd rather store a couple square feet of deflated raft. A four-person Walmart raft will only set you back $40 and weighs 10-15 lbs. The quality is horrible, and I'd never want to take one on any serious water, but for emergency use it seems like the perfect combination of ease of use, carrying capacity and price.

If you're already storing a canoe though, it would make sense to just keep what you have and are familiar with.

I've heard some spectacular testimonies to the Alpacka raft, too... Someone tipped me about this link:
Alpacka raft FAQ - cargo weight

It appears that you add more cargo at the cost of less manouverability. The issue is not how much weight you technically can carry (A LOT), but how slow the raft becomes to paddle and manouver. Not to mention what a pain it will be to carry all that gear over land. (Of course, there are numerous devices that allow cargo to roll on wheels on pawed surfaces). The packraft biggest asset is how it augments your walking backpack (or cycling) trip with the capability of using water for transport, at the expense of only a few pounds. This will work very well for a single healthy person, but not for a faimily with kids or elderly people.

Alpacke rafts are great, but for emergency evacuation a canoe with wheels to roll on may be better. Particular if you have a family with you.