Ambitious About Packrafting? Here’s How to Actually Progress
A yarn for the ones keen to skip ahead
My Packrafting Journey Started with a Reality Check
Back when I first started packrafting, I came from a pretty solid outdoor background. I’d been working professionally in the outdoors for about seven years, and I’d spent a fair chunk of that time on the water too — not paddling, but riverboarding. I’d explored remote, un-run rivers around the world and taken on some pretty full-on missions.
I’d already been through raft guide training, and I understood the value of professional instruction on the river more than in any other outdoor discipline I’d worked in. So when I decided to take packrafting seriously, I wanted to do it right. And hopefully, you’re reading this because you’re in the same boat (excuse the pun).
Because of that background, I reached out to the training provider I wanted to work with and asked the question I now see all the time:
“Would I get more out of an intermediate or a beginner course, given my experience?”
I wasn’t trying to be Billy Big Bollocks. I didn’t think I was “above” doing an intro course. I was driven by ambition. I wanted to get good. I’ve always been wired that way — I want to be the best version of myself in whatever I’m into.
And once I’m in… I’m all in.
Ambition Is Good — You’re Not Wrong to Want to Progress Fast
That same hunger — the ambition that had me firing off emails and trying to figure out how to fast-track things — is exactly what we love to see.
You’re not here for a paddle and a picnic. You’re here because something about packrafting grabbed you, and now your brain’s buzzing with it. You want to be better. You want to feel confident. You want to take on real rivers, real trips, and not just float through it all wide-eyed and winging it.
Honestly? That’s gold.
Ambition like that is what builds good paddlers — the kind who keep showing up, keep pushing, and bring others along with them. It’s good for you. And it’s good for the community.
So if you’re fired up and looking to leap ahead, you’re not in the wrong headspace.
You’re exactly the kind of person we’re stoked to have on the water.
Why Your Outdoor Experience Doesn’t Mean You Should Skip Ahead
When I asked that training provider if I should jump straight into their intermediate course, they told me — kindly but firmly — that I’d get more out of the intro.
And they were right.
Now, your outdoor background will help.
If you’re strong, switched-on, and used to moving through wild terrain, you’ll likely pick things up faster than most. That’s a win. But learning to packraft well is still a process. There are skills and reflexes that just don’t carry over from hiking, biking, skiing, climbing, or even whitewater swimming.
Even for sea kayakers and multisport racers, the crossover isn’t as big as people often expect. A solid forward stroke or the ability to read a bit of Grade 2 whitewater might give you a head start — but it’s not the whole game.
The reality is: everyone’s on their own journey.
And our instructors know how to read that. If it’s clear you’re already comfortable with the fundamentals, they won’t hold you back — they’ll just give you harder objectives. It’s that simple.
But on the flip side — if you show up to an intermediate course without those fundamental skills already in place, you actually lose the opportunity to progress. We can’t build higher until the foundation’s solid.
We end up having to backfill the basics, and the course shifts gears.
You don’t get the full value of the intermediate content, and worse — you might find yourself sitting out a session or learning the hard way after being humbled by the river.
So yeah — you might end up learning the same things you would on the intro course… just with a few more bruises along the way.
The Packrafting 101 Course Is the Smartest First Step
Here’s the truth: our Packrafting 101 course isn’t a sleepy beginner cruise.
It’s not two days of floating around while someone explains how to hold a paddle.
It’s two days of intense, focused progression — tailored to where you’re at.
We cover real skills: reading water, breaking in and out of flow, making decisions on the fly, self-rescue, boat control, river anatomy, group dynamics, risk awareness, and developing judgment. It’s hands-on, on-river learning. And for a lot of people — even those who’ve been paddling socially for a while — it’s a wake-up call in the best way.
Most importantly, you leave with a game plan.
You’ll know exactly what to go out and practice — how to dial in your technique, how to build paddle days, how to push your limits without blowing past them.
That means when you do show up for the intermediate course? You’ll be ready. You’ll have the muscle memory, the boat feel, the paddle fitness, and the confidence to actually take on harder moves — not just survive them.
This isn’t a detour. It’s the on-ramp.
What Real Packrafting Progression Actually Looks Like
Progress isn’t about ticking courses off. It’s not about how gnarly the river was, or whether you stayed in your boat the whole time. Hell, even a tree can run a Grade 5 rapid if all you’re measuring is “gets to the bottom.”
Real progression is about control.
It’s about learning to make easy rivers harder — because you’re putting in deliberate moves, not just reacting. You’re chasing clean eddy turns. Holding a surf. Choosing a challenging line on purpose. That’s what builds skill.
It takes time. It takes practice. And it takes a mindset shift — from “I made it” to “I styled it.”
The truth is, learning to paddle is a long apprenticeship.
You’re not going to walk out of a two-day course as a river jedi. And we’re not here to pretend otherwise.
What we can do is give you a rock-solid framework:
- Help you develop good habits
- Show you what “good” actually looks like
- Set you on a path that leads somewhere real
- And make sure you can keep yourself safe while you’re on the journey
You’ll finish knowing what to practice, how to practice, and why it matters.
And that means every trip you do afterwards will be another step toward being the paddler you want to become.
Real Stories: When Skipping Ahead Doesn’t Pay Off
We’ve seen it plenty of times.
Someone shows up to an intermediate course without the foundations. Fit. Keen. Strong outdoor background. But they haven’t put in the reps — and the river doesn’t care.
Suddenly they’re on the back foot. Eddy turns are a mess. They’re missing ferry lines. Confidence takes a knock. They spend half the day recovering — mentally and physically — instead of progressing.
Not because they’re not capable. Just because the scaffolding wasn’t there yet.
We won’t go into too much detail — this isn’t about naming and shaming — but we’ve had folks with serious outdoor credentials come unstuck.
There was a member of the Defence Force who’d done Godzone and decided to skip the intro. Ended up literally sitting out some sessions.
There was a highly respected athlete — deep in their own paddling discipline, organising events, a real leader in their scene — who pretty much had to start at the very beginning of the 101 syllabus in order to make progress.
And I’m not saying this to throw shade. I’m saying it because it’s easy to see yourself in these stories. We want to help you get the most out of your time on the water — not just hope for the best and cross your fingers.
On the flip side, we had a woman show up to a 101 course who’d been packrafting for a couple of years, all self-taught. She’d done some epic missions with a solid crew. Even made a film about it. She picked up something useful in every single session of that course — because she showed up ready to learn and level up.
Packrafting’s a broad church. Everyone’s path is different.
But the pattern’s pretty clear: come in with the right attitude, and you’ll walk away with the skills that actually move you forward.
You’re Not Behind — You’re Building a Proper Foundation
If you’ve read this far, chances are you’re not just keen — you actually care. You want to do it right. You want to feel solid on the water, not just scrape through.
That mindset? It’s exactly what this sport needs more of.
So if you’re tossing up whether to start with the 101 course or try leapfrogging ahead… this is your sign: backing up and doing it properly is still moving forward.
You’ll get challenged. You’ll get coached. You’ll get a roadmap to actually improve — not just wing it. And when you come back for the next course or bigger mission, you’ll be ready. No gaps. No guesswork. Just good paddling.
Ready to Start Your Packrafting Progression?
If you’re fired up and ready to throw yourself into learning this properly, we’d love to have you on our next Packrafting 101 course. It’s where the best paddlers we know all started — and it sets you up for real, lasting progression in whitewater packrafting.
→ Check dates and book your spot here.
Already done that? Epic.
Let’s talk about where you’re heading next. You’re on the journey now — and we’re stoked to be part of it.
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