Of course, it’s not really pitched at people too lazy to walk around lakes (although it does work for that rather specific scenario). The RuckRaft ultimately is for outdoor enthusiasts who want to combine hiking and swimming in their multi-sports adventures. The idea is to journey across all aspects of a landscape in an authentic way – to stand atop its highest peaks and dip in its deepest, coldest waters. The best of both worlds.

We wanted to just jump in and go from A to B without any limits and take all we needed with us.

The founders of Above Below – Yorkshire brothers Tom and Will Watt – call this approach “cross country swimming”, which they define as multi-day trips across land and water. During their childhood adventures in the Lake District, Scotland and further afield, the duo can vividly remember “walking around lakes and wishing we could simply swim across and keep hiking, or seeing rivers and thinking how epic it’d be to float along with the water from campsite to campsite”. So they decided to do just that.

As Will explains: “We always saw the water as an opportunity, rather than an obstacle, and our dream was to open up the landscape. We wanted to just jump in and go from A to B without any limits and take all we needed with us. So, over the years we experimented with ways to transport our kit across water, even starting with tying luggage straps to large children’s swimming inflatables. Slowly we began to create our first tow raft and after a series of design prototypes, extensive product testing and tweaking, the RuckRaft was ready to go – and we’re proud to say it works like a dream.”

The RuckRaft is a U-shaped rib boat designed for stability and buoyancy, with the load – housed in an XXL waterproof dry bag – wedged between the arms of the raft and held in place by sturdy straps and clips. Another strap connects the RuckRaft to your waist, ensuring it floats neatly behind you as you swim. The raft itself inflates in 30 seconds via a two-way value (no pumps required, just your lungs), and is made from tough, marine-grade Rivertex materials for enhanced durability. The 120L capacity dry bag (70cm wide, 95cm deep), into which you can easily fit a 15kg expedition backpack, is fully waterproof, has no zips and features a neon orange colour to keep you visible in the water. The RuckRaft weights 1kg, packs down pretty small and costs £139.99.

Read more at:
abovebelow.sc