Kokopelli's Recon is, like any other packraft, purpose-built. Not for off-the-line racing, nor for the kids to beat up, this is a phenomenally constructed lightweight raft that will soundly haul you and your gear (MTB, skis, rollerblades, whatever) across the lake or downriver to the next take-out for your overland adventure. It's slow, but I expected that. It's light, and I expected that, too. It's rugged, and simple to set up. I paddled mine across a desert reservoir for its maiden voyage. Outbound for 0.7 miles to some cliffs, the lake was relatively flat. Boat rubbed up against sandstone and barely scuffed. I headed back to shore. Within perhaps 20 paddle strokes (go with a short paddle - I'm happy with 205-210cm which forces a high-angle approach, needed for tracking) I was blasted by a windstorm. Inside of two minutes, the lake went from mild boat wake to 3' waves and 40mph winds. A wakeboat captain stopped to offer me a ride, which I refused. I wanted to see how Recon would handle those conditions. No problem. I was getting popped up and down by wind chop and wave, but never did I feel unstable or on the brink of getting blown over. It's a little workhorse. Taking it down some Class 1 in a couple of weeks, just to see how much gear we can load. Great packraft.
