{"id":10618,"date":"2026-08-14T11:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/?p=10618"},"modified":"2026-08-14T11:38:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T10:38:22","slug":"deti_na_singlu_na_vltave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/deti_na_singlu_na_vltave\/","title":{"rendered":"The first Moldau on packraft - 9 years old no problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t even have to be ten years old to set off down the Vltava in a packraft. On your own, that is \u2013 by yourself in the boat. But how do you go about it?<\/p>\n

A bit of preparation never goes amiss<\/h2>\n

I certainly wouldn\u2019t recommend becoming a marksman, putting a child in a boat at the first opportunity and letting them drift downstream, or throwing them into the weir\u2019s current.<\/p>\n

We took a gradual approach. So, first of all, plenty of time on the rafts, whilst the young paddler gets to grips with what a flowing river actually entails.<\/p>\n

And then a few paddling sessions on calm water, because without some basic paddling technique and the ability to manoeuvre the boat \u2013 such as turning left, turning right, stopping at the bank and crossing the current \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t let my son into a single kayak, not even on the gently flowing Vltava. You also need a bit of physical stamina for paddling, because no matter how light the paddle is, your arms are bound to ache in the end.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Flat water training<\/p><\/div>\n

Which packraft should you choose for a child?<\/h2>\n

Because children have short arms, they find it a bit harder to paddle a packraft than a kayak. The tubes are, after all, wide, making it harder to reach the water with the paddle. However, these drawbacks are more than made up for by the boat\u2019s stability and manoeuvrability.<\/p>\n

In any case, I\u2019d recommend one of the models with slimmer tubes. They\u2019re brilliant for ultralight use Backpacker<\/a>, or any packraft with a kayak-style cut \u2013 Eddy<\/a>, Eddy SB<\/a> or Eddy HC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have your boat custom-shortened, an internal length of 125 cm will, of course, be too long for a young paddler, but that\u2019s not a problem. Any boat can easily be shortened by adding an inflatable footrest<\/a> and EVA backrest<\/a>, it\u2019s no problem to adjust a packraft to fit a child perfectly.<\/p>\n

For our first trip, we took the Ultima Eddy packraft. We just left the spray skirt at home \u2013 you really don\u2019t need it on the Vltava.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Choosing a paddle<\/h2>\n

The answer here is simple. As light as possible. And ideally with a smaller rod diameter to suit small hands. We often take TNP Jago<\/a> 2 pieced.<\/p>\n

To the Vltava River below Koruna<\/h2>\n

For our first trip, we chose our local spot on the Vltava below Koruna. We\u2019ll leave the car up above D\u00edv\u010d\u00ed K\u00e1men by the train station, take the train one stop to Ple\u0161ovice, and then head straight for the water. The little packrafter will, of course, carry his own boat down to the water without any trouble. He\u2019ll inflate it himself, set it up, and he\u2019s ready to go.<\/p>\n

Luck is on our side \u2013 the Vltava is very full today and flowing brilliantly \u2013 someone\u2019s turned on the tap at Lipno.<\/p>\n

To start with, he\u2019ll run the hose over a few more times, then we\u2019ll stop at the turnaround and get going.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, for the first few minutes, Honz\u00edk is a bit daunted by the water, which is flowing rather briskly by Vltava standards, but that fear quickly fades and by the time we reach U Rohana he\u2019s paddling like a seasoned canoeist. Sandwiches and lemonade are a must, and off we go downstream. Round the rocks and through the swaying rapids, further and further.<\/p>\n

Comments about \u201cextreme fun\u201d and that \u201cit\u2019s better than doing it as a couple\u201d and \u201cthat she can do whatever she likes\u201d only serve to confirm that nine years is certainly not too early. Perhaps, on the contrary, it\u2019s too late. It\u2019s hard to say.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Vltava below Koruna is the most beautiful anyway<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

Small rapids will delight a child\u2019s heart<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

I\u2019ve got some basic paddling technique, but it still doesn\u2019t hold properly sometimes\u2026<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

A relaxing time on the Vltava<\/p><\/div>\n

At D\u00edv\u010d\u00e1k, just dry off the boats, pop them in your rucksack and follow the lovely red-marked trail back to the car. Hiking with the boat in your rucksack is, of course, all part of the fun. It just wouldn\u2019t be the same without it\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"

Stay Wild, Be Free<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You don\u2019t even have to be ten years old to set off down the Vltava in a packraft. On your own, that is \u2013 alone in the boat. But how do you go about it? A bit of preparation is a good idea. I certainly wouldn\u2019t recommend acting as a spotter, putting a child in the boat at the first opportunity and sending them downstream, or throwing them into the turbulent waters of a weir.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,43,231,232],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ultima-packrafts-vypravy","category-jak-na-packrafting","category-nase-reky","category-packrafting-s-detmi"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10618"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10639,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10618\/revisions\/10639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimapackrafts.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}