The Mage is the newest boat in the Alpacka line up, and it can best be described as a cross between a Wolverine and a Valkyrie. If you just saw it floating in the water, you’d probably think it was a Wolverine. It has a very similar hull shape, but it is slightly longer in the stern, and has more bow rocker. But where you will see the biggest differences are if you flip the boat over.
The floor is what Alpacka calls a “dropped” floor, meaning the floor sits below the outside tubes. This is a big change from the Wolverine’s and Gnarwhals of generations past, this dropped floor creates a very obvious zone of secondary stability and allows you to put the boat on edge and keep it there much easier.
Outfitting
The other big changes are on the inside of the boat - a full length inflatable floor that is much more rigid than a Wolverine. And there is now a secondary inflatable seat. I’m a big fan of this secondary seat as it allows you to adjust the height of your seat with more or less air, and you get pretty significant changes in boat handling from this. I find that if I’m sitting higher, it’s much easier to generate powerful strokes, and I also find it more comfortable for long days in the boat because I get a nicer angle for my legs to rest, and they get less tired. The downside is the boat is less stable the higher you are sitting. I find the stability is much improved when I’m sitting lower, but possibly at the cost of some maneuverability.
This secondary seat also frees up room under your legs for additional storage like a deck bag or lap bag, and of course the Sockdolager seat bag works perfectly in this boat as well.
Performance
For context, I’m 6’1” 215lbs, and I paddle a size large in Alpacka boats. I consider myself a Class III intermediate boater. My preferred trips are multiday backcountry floats on more moderate whitewater. I’ve paddled a Gnarwhal since 2017, and this past season spent about 24 days in the Valkyrie V3. I now have around a dozen days in the Mage.
In terms of performance, this boat fits squarely between a Gnarwhal and a Valkyrie V3. The number one thing that sticks out the first time you paddle this boat is the secondary stability. At first it will feel tippy, but unlike a Gnarwhal, the stability isn’t binary, it isn’t just on or off. In a Gnarwhal you super stable right up until you aren't, and then you are swimming. There is no real feedback to react to before it's too late.
The Mage, on the other hand feels much tippier at first, but there is also the transition zone where you go from planted and stable to getting on edge, before you eventually find yourself flipped over. In other words, you have more opportunity to feel feedback, brace and correct yourself before just auto flipping. It’s a different sensation, and one I’m still definitely trying to instinctively rely on while paddling these newer boats.
Understanding that and mastering that feeling of secondary stability while being on edge is where the biggest performance enhancements come from, and I’ve definitely enjoyed that aspect of this boat. It feels a lot more like you are driving and maneuvering a boat rather than steamrolling down the river. There is a learning curve for sure, and I’ve swam more in the Mage than I do in a Gnarwhal.
Along those same lines, you will instantly feel the difference in speed because of the full length floor that tends to give it a much more streamlined hull that also won’t flex nearly as much when you plug a hole or hit a wave. If you’ve ever felt the sensation of your packraft kind of folding or flexing when in complicated water, that is greatly reduced in the Mage.
The Valkyrie V3 by comparison feels like it has less primary stability than the Mage, but I feel like might even have more secondary stability. For sure in a Valkyrie you are sitting deeper in the water, and feel more anchored to the boat, but it also seems like you have a lot more time to feel the river and make a corrective stroke, because the feedback happens in a gradient rather than "on/off." This is super helpful particularly in crossing chaotic eddy lines and strong currents.
The gradient of stability does not seem as large in the Mage as a V3 - there is a gradient still but the Mage is more weighted to being stable primarily, and less so on edge if that makes sense. My best guess is this is probably because the floor doesn't sit as deep below the side tubes like the Valk.
So in terms of pure performance, the Valkyrie is the obvious winner. If you have a hardshell background, want to step up to Class IV, or intend to learn to roll your packraft, the Valkyrie is a no brainer.
But there are a few situations where I think the Mage is the obvious winner. First and foremost - if you prefer a self bailer. I paddled the self bailer for 5 days this summer in Idaho when it was toasty warm outside, and I forgot just how fun and comfortable a self bailer can be. The Mage is awesome in that setup.
The second situation where the Mage is superior is sizing. The Valkyrie has a pretty narrow sizing window. If you are small or tall, the Valkyrie just isn’t that comfortable. I have done a handful of multiday trips in the Valkyrie this year, and it was a battle strapping myself into it every day. The Mage is far and away more comfortable at my size, the Valkyrie V3 is just a hair too cramped for me.
And the last situation where the Mage is obviously better is for trips where you are hiking. The boat is considerably lighter, 3-4 pounds of weight savings depending on the configuration. It packs up way tighter and more compact to slide into a backpack. And it also has a lot more cargo capacity for those big multiday trips when you want to bring the kitchen sink too.
I think the Mage is a boat a lot of packrafters have been hoping for for a long time. Up until now we’ve kind of been limited with the Gnarwal and Wolverine, and then a pretty big jump to the Valkyrie, which is a pretty demanding boat and requires a pretty advanced skillset. My paddling style fits squarely between the two, and that also happens to be exactly where the Mage excels.
I'm super stoked to have this boat in my quiver, and I expect it will see a lot of use especially on multiday trips. I will still keep the Valkyrie, and think of that as a more "aspirational" boat that I hope I can continue to develop my skills in.
Cover photo: Yours truly on the Lower Lower White Salmon paddling a decked Mage. Photo courtesy of Mike Curiak at lacemine29.com