#6 Packraft design and innovation at Alpacka Raft - Sheri Tingey

Sheri Tingey started working in design in the outdoor industry in Jackson Hole when she was a young adult. It wasn’t until she was in her mid-50s that she founded Alpacka Raft with her son, Thor. After almost two decades battling chronic fatigue, Sheri was ready to get her teeth stuck into a new project. With somewhat serendipitous timing, Thor asked her to build him a boat. And so the vision of Alpacka Raft was born. In this episode she shares some of the evolution of the outdoor gear industry in the USA, including the impact it had when companies went into mass production and manufacturing moved off-shore. She also talks about ‘Alaska Crazies’, the birth of modern-day packrafting in Alaska, and gives us an insight into the beginnings of a new sport and how the packrafting community has evolved over the past twenty years. The creators out there will also love her insight into her inspiration and design process.