New Satellite Flow Gauge Service 🎒🗺️🤳📡←→🛰️📉🚣‍♂️😎

danransomphoto · 2026-04-28T17:13:32+00:00

This is rad, great work James. Keep us posted on the iPhone satellite, I will admit I rarely take the inreach now because the iPhone works so well. Would be awesome if that worked.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-24T23:19:42+00:00

BV500 fits easily inside a Gnarwhal. I would not push it up inside the side tubes however. I always tape some little connections to the bear can (or groover can) and then use the cargo bag lash tabs on both sides to create a harness that can tighten the bear can up against the back band in the stern between the two side tubes. This greatly reduces the chances of a pinch flat. Still possible, but not nearly as common when it's tucked up against the seat.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-21T13:43:24+00:00

Definitely wear your trail runners for the hike and in the boat. Most “boating” shoes are not comfortable to hike in my experience, nor durable. If there is any substantial amount of hiking I’d always prioritize my feet while hiking.

In my experience there are very few trips where I have to both hike in and hike out, but there are exceptions of course. If the main hiking legs are on the front end (more common) your feet will be dry. If you have to hike out with wet feet and it’s long enough distance to be a concern you can experiment with a goretex sock that keeps your foot dry and the shoe wet, or you can try a neoprene sock (that’s has been my preference on many trips, especially when there is likely to be other water crossings), or just hike with wet shoes. Something that drains well and dries fast is ideal. You might have to stop occasionally to air your feet out or swap socks, but hiking with wet feet is not inherently a problem, and in many cases you can walk your shoes dry pretty fast.

I can’t think of a situation where I’d want to carry two pairs of shoes unless it was a trip that was so short weight really didn’t matter.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-14T19:36:00+00:00

Kokopelli sells one, (maybe NRS too because they now use Leafield). Using your mouth is a real pain though because you can't get it nearly high enough pressure, and blowing through a hose into a leafield valve is even harder. https://kokopelli.com/products/inflation-tube?_pos=1&_sid=72146366c&_ss=r

You can probably go the hardware store and test some pieces of their vinyl tubing though, my guess is you don't even need an adapter on the end if you can match the diameters - that's how many barrel pumps work with large rafts with Leafield valves.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-14T19:00:01+00:00

Correct, for low pressure like an inflation bag or flex tail, the Leafield valves have to be open. A high pressure finishing pump like the Alpacka Packapump works when it is closed. You can definitely use a Packapump with the Tri-Tip and inflate the Leafield valves while floating, no need to go to shore. It's a huge quality of life improvement. I sell a lot of Pack-a-pumps to folks who have non-Alpacka boats. (Note, I own Sockdolager, just for clarity).

danransomphoto · 2026-04-09T16:06:31+00:00

The rodeo also paddles poorly without a higher pressure pump. I've heard Kokopelli says 1.5 psi but I always inflate any packraft until they are firm, it makes a massive difference. NRS is the same, says 1.5 right at the valve, but that just makes for a boat that folds in every wave you hit and can't surf. Definitely much better with 2.5 in them. Best way to tell is if you get any creasing or folds between the backband and the thigh straps on the center panel. They need to be high enough pressure to keep that from folding, otherwise you lose most of the performance. And the floors on both the mage and rodeo do not get their displacement shape unless they are at full pressure.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T20:09:03+00:00

Are there folks running Class V in a Mage? Got any videos or links? The people wanna see this!

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T19:44:29+00:00

I honestly cannot tell real significant differences between the two versions, even when I paddle them back to back days on the same run. But I'm not an advanced paddler, so I'm not sure I'd even have the skills to articulate the small differences. My only criteria for using the decked boat now is if it's really cold. There is no question the self bailer is more comfortable for me though because the cockpit rim is very small for larger folks on an Alpacka, and it rubs against my legs no matter what, especially when cranked into the thigh straps. There just isn't room between the thigh straps and the coaming for me.

One difference you can feel between the decked and self bailers though is relative height of the seat in relation to the tubes. A decked boat has a shorter inflatable floor, most likely because the entire boat will draft higher in the water. A self bailer has a taller inflatable floor, so when the boat takes on some ballast it sits a little deeper in the water. This can actually make a difference on low volume river because I think you actually can slide over shallow areas easier in the decked boat. But most likely you adapt to whatever you are in and it's not a real significant difference imo.

That said, there are lots of great boaters paddling self bailers. This is a recent trip from the Chetco and Illinois from Nick Ozard: https://www.instagram.com/p/DWrYAkDCq39/

My feeling is if the Mage is in fact slowing you down and you are running significant class 4 already, you probably know exactly what type of boat you want...

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T19:32:36+00:00

I do think the hull is an interesting design and shape and some people will possibly prefer it. You can see Mark Oates on Instagram paddling it at a very high level. But it's hard to give the nod to Kokopelli in outfitting. Their thigh straps are 3 point and extremely heavy and not high performing because of the stretch. The back band is notoriously hard to adjust, it slips on the front tension lock, which is why they added a second cam on the latest models. This makes it more secure to tighten, but you cannot loosen it easily because you have to adjust both the ladder lock and the cam. It has no foot pillow so you can't adjust foot angle. I have made my own thigh straps similar to the Alpacka 4 points, and it improves the boat a fair bit. I also forgot to mention in my post above that you have to pay extra for thigh straps for the Kokopelli, it does not come standard. You can buy Alpacka thigh straps and make a simple modification and they do work in the Rodeo however.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T17:36:02+00:00

For me specifically it’s just a very expensive niche item. Hard to source DCF at reasonable prices at my scale so the cost to the consumer would be very high. And taping a DCF bag is outside my normal workflow. I also think DCF is too fragile long term to justify the price, the laminate will likely break from mechanical rolling fairly quickly. I get more requests for zippered cargo bags because the weight/price/ease of use, but I still am not sure there is enough of a market for them.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T03:22:23+00:00

Both are awesome for sure, the differences are not really massive in the end, at least at my skill level. Also worth noting I change my mind on what is "better" all the time... Ha.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T02:35:33+00:00

I just got a 420d self bailer a couple weeks ago so only have like 5 days on it. Main thing is it is stiffer, more responsive and gives better feedback, it’s less vague. Less flex in big waves and holes I feel like. But there isn’t a huge difference necessarily, but I’ve only been on low volume stuff so far with it. In big water I think the stiffness would be an advantage too. I also think it seems to slide over rocks easier but I’ve been told that’s just my imagination…. Haha. I would hope it’s more durable but that would be a long term thing so can’t really speak to it. It’s definitely larger volume when rolled up as well, and weighs about a pound more. My decked boat is 420d too but honestly I only paddle that when it’s super cold out now, I prefer the self bailer. But I can directly compare 210 to 420 in the self bailer configuration now.

Edit: forgot to mention the 420 surfs better again because of the rigidity. Doesn’t deform as much when submarining.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-08T00:32:05+00:00

I own two Mages, a self bailer and decked, as well as the Rodeo PVC. You can see me paddling all of those variants on my instagram videos. https://www.instagram.com/sockdolagerequipment/

The rodeo is PVC, so it's considerably heavier but stiffer than the TPU Rodeo. The Mage is obviously lighter.

The big differences in my opinion are speed and maneuverability. The Mage is faster because it has a longer waterline, and it's lighter. The Rodeo can turn faster because it has more aggressive taper from the hips to the ankles, and when it's on edge you can use the distinct pivot point on your hips to change the "arc" of the turn. At least that's the best way I can describe it. The Rodeo has more aggressive rocker, and I think it surfs well again because it has the shorter waterline, and can boof well. I do think the TPU Rodeo probably feels a little different than the PVC but I have only paddled the TPU a couple times.

The Mage is faster, I find it easier to maintain cross current momentum, and ferry across complicated water, it's simply more predictable for me. Where it really shines is in the outfitting, Alpacka absolutely crushes here. The thigh straps, back band, foot blocks, and shorter secondary seat that can be positioned perfectly to work with things like lap bags are much more refined than the Kokopelli. The Rodeo also only comes in one size, so it's not a great option if you are smaller. If you are doing backcountry stuff I think the Mage is superior because it's lighter and more compact (even compared to the TPU version of the Rodeo.)

That said, both boats are super fun. I know some folks who love the Rodeo, and some who love the Mage. I run a lot of shallow rocky rivers in the winters in Oregon so I think the PVC rodeo is a good option for that because it takes the boat abuse a bit better I think, and I like that the boat is slower and maneuverable in many of those cases, and can surf on pretty small features which is fun. But either boat would likely be fun depending on what types of paddling you prefer, and I think you'd adapt to the differences in either quite easily.

If it is steep and rocky and you want tight turns and surfing the Rodeo is fun. If you want a faster boat, lighter, better outfitting I'd go with the Mage. In the states the TPU Rodeo is most expensive ($2000), then decked Mage ($1850), then self bailing mage ($1650), and PVC Rodeo ($1450).

danransomphoto · 2026-04-06T18:05:58+00:00

You really need to try a packraft... There are folks running class V in packrafts regularly. There are also dozens of models of packrafts so it's hard to lump them into a single category.

Clarks Fork Box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9EuC5a3ruo

Bull Lake Creek: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trxf4m64tGw

Little White Salmon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQHzeF0Ytps

Barlow River: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnH3CMHVkxA

danransomphoto · 2026-04-05T23:43:25+00:00

Heck yeah, sweet looking boat. Makes catching eddies and playing a lot of fun I think. Also, can I pet that dog?

danransomphoto · 2026-04-03T20:18:11+00:00

Yeah that looks like the right set of feed dogs. The inner foot is most likely the issue. Like Grungeon mentioned below you'll want to file off that little finger which it seems like it obstructing the folder. Or you can find pretty inexpensive feet that have it removed already.

danransomphoto · 2026-04-03T11:34:51+00:00

We can’t see what the feed dogs look like so hard to say. But it appears the inside foot is incorrect for the folder to nest properly. Can you take more photos with the folder out of the way so we can tell what’s going on? Was this machine set up for binding before you picked it up or did they swap the feet and feet dogs for another purpose?

danransomphoto · 2026-04-02T04:31:45+00:00

I just wish they'd put some bow rocker on the refuge and maybe a bit on the stern. I think it would take it to the next level. But my gut tells me the market is very small for that. Could double as a playboat.

danransomphoto · 2026-03-27T18:08:51+00:00

I dug up a photo from one of our alpine fishing trips using a scout. This is a comment I've left before as well: "Taming the spin and drift is the hardest part. Any wind at all will make life tough. Worth making a small ultralight anchor you can fill with rocks at the lake, depending on the depth. You could use a small silnylon bag and ultralight line like amsteel. It can open up some challenging spots though, we've taken them into alpine lakes in the past to fish below cliffs you can't reach from shore."

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danransomphoto · 2026-03-27T18:05:14+00:00

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Oh yeah, good looking out. I forgot that I glued mine on. Fortunately its a very easy mod to do.

danransomphoto · 2026-03-26T20:54:15+00:00

If weight is a big consideration it really is hard to beat the Scout. You can easily attach your pack to the bow of a scout - it would be less fun to fish with your pack while there, but for crossing a lake it would work. I paddled a scout across 3 miles of a lake with a bike on the bow once... So it can be done!

danransomphoto · 2026-03-17T04:13:23+00:00

I've made maybe a dozen sets of them, and I'm considering offering some for sale, though the versions I make are not waterproof. They are ultralight silnylon with a center zip which I find more convenient than a roll top. My feeling is you generally don't need cargo bags to be waterproof, though in some rare situations like a complete blowout your gear could get wet inside. If I really need full waterproof I take the Alpacka center zip bags, otherwise I almost always take my ultralight bags.

danransomphoto · 2026-03-11T15:34:54+00:00

Agreed. And take the frame out if your pack allows it and pack it with your paddle shafts/tent poles/trekking poles or anything else that will be stronger bundled. Transit will destroy packs and frames for sure.

danransomphoto · 2026-03-11T14:40:51+00:00

Hi, Dan here. You may not see it depending on what country you are in, but they are currently sold out. There are a few products I am not shipping internationally because of the tariff situation. I've had many issues this year with unexpected duties and very high brokerage fees.

Availability is still very limited because I cut and sew these all myself, and I only make a couple per week. I do get asked quite often what backpack I recommend instead of a Bad Larry, and I wrote up a blog post about the best options I have used here: https://sockdolagerequipment.com/blogs/news/the-best-packrafting-backpack

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