International Travel with a Raft?

I just returned from a trip in the Patagonia region of Chile over the Christmas/New Year Holiday. Any river runner dreams of escaping winter in the northern hemisphere and running south to summer in the southern hemisphere. With aqua blue water and spectacular mountain landscapes, Chile is paradise for river runners. I traveled with my family and some friends. My son Miles and I planned to kayak many of the whitewater rivers and of course we had some paddle boards, but I wanted to make sure we had a boat that my wife, daughter and any of my friends could use to get out on the rivers. 

At only 55lbs the Hammer Cat is not under the 50lb airline rule, but its not over weight for what airlines will accept and I figured a little oversize baggage charge would be well worth the fun of having light and portable boat for adventuring in Patagonia. I used the burrito wrap that comes with the boat and a little extra duct tape for good measure, threw some paddles in a ski bag and rolled into Denver International Airport ready to deploy some creative language if anyone at the airline decided a "boat" couldn't go on a plane to South America. No one batted an eye and somehow I wasn't even charged for the over weight "bag". This continued on domestic Chilean flights and soon we were pumping the Hammer Cat up on the side of the Tigre river ready to wash off 2 days of travel with our first Patagonian river adventure. 

Over the 2 weeks we used the Hammer Cat on several rivers and ideas of future travel with this boat got my wheels turning. By adding the splash guards this would make an excellent self support boat that would open up all sorts of international destinations and river adventures. 

For me international travel with a DIY ethic makes the experience more unique and memorable. I love being self sufficient and exploring a new place on my terms. Having gear that can travel with you can open up these experiences. Drop us a note on any travel ideas you might have with a Hammer Cat, we'd love to hear from you! 

-Mike Harvey