One of APA’s most important goals is to ensure that packrafters, novices and veterans alike, approach the sport with a conservative and respectful attitude, and carry with them appropriate equipment, skills, and knowledge for their selected itinerary. Safe packrafting is critical for protecting our values:
- Safety: Let’s keep our family, friends, rescuers, and bystanders safe from packrafting accidents.
- Wildlands: Let’s protect the wild country that we love to explore by reducing the need for costly rescues that damage wildlands resources and values.
- Access: Let’s minimize our physical and social impacts, and behave responsibly to ensure that packrafting always has a place on public and private lands.
Here are some of the projects and campaigns we are working on to promote safety in the sport of packrafting:
- Working with regional outfitters to provide affordable swiftwater safety and paddling skills clinics for packrafters around the USA
- APA sponsored outings to provide education and mentorship
- An annual Packraft Roundup to build community, mentorship, and education
- Maintaining a vibrant packrafters forum…packrafting.org…to share information
- Helping to arrange speakers and special events with valuable safety messages
