When Sheri Tingey’s son returned from a summer-long trip through the Brooks Range after navigating the rivers in a Sevylor Trail boat, he asked his mom to build him a better boat: The boat he left Anchorage with weighed 3 pounds; the boat he returned with weighed over 13 pounds because it had required so many patches. A long-time designer and sewer of lightweight clothes and gear for skiing, kayaking and dog sled racing, Tingey knew that she could build a better boat. She dove in, started designing and the rest is history. Alpacka Raft became an LLC in 2001. Her first boats, hand-built and designed for wilderness, became available for sale in 2002. In 2007, she moved Alpacka Raft to Mancos, Colorado.