As the raft approaches a standing wave, Bradford hops off the craft, jumps into the wave, and sets up for the tube. It’s like a poor man’s step-off. Or maybe step-offs Zambezi style.

By combining an improved hull with performance features from the Valkyrie V3, Alpacka Raft calls the Mage “the fastest, smoothest, and most responsive traditional whitewater packraft” the ...