Packrafting is growing in popularity and many people are now looking at those blue lines on the map much closer to see what potential adventures await.

However it needs to be tempered with the safety element, as like any new emerging sport, accidents can happen and sometimes without experience these can be fatal.

That said if the sport is approached in the right way, the danger element can be limited and the fun factor enhanced.

This is an interview with Mark Waring an enthusiast advocate in the packrafting scene and someone who admits to learning the ropes slowly and carefully to get the most out of any wet and dry trip.

The advantage to packrafting is the weight and bulk of the kit is fairly small and ‘relatively’ light. Meaning you can walk into mountainous areas carrying your ‘boat’ and explore inland waters virtually unexplored by anyone else.

This becomes more exciting when you know where to go which offers the most exciting landscape, such as Scotland and Scandinavia.

This podcast is an introduction to the sport and some background information and where to go, what it costs, the safety element and some of the adventures awaitng to be had.

Part two will be a discussion with Mark, David Lintern and Debra West regarding a recent trip they took to Swedish Lapland down the river Kaiten. A long hike into the mountains, a 140km paddle, concluding with a hike out in one of the most spectacular countries in the world lasting over a week meeting no other person on route.

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