The Paddling Mag team caught up with Kelly Smith, founder of Kokopelli rafts, to chat about the new in 2025 self-bailing Rodeo.
Kokopelli launches Rodeo self-bailing packraft
Kokopelli is a packraft manufacturer founded 12 years ago out of a garage in Denver. Now beyond the garage and on to major rapids all over the world, Kokopelli introduced the Rodeo self-bailing in March 2024.
In the past, Kokopelli has focused on ultralight and extremely carry-in friendly packrafts. The Kokopellie Rodeo is their first dive into creating an advanced whitewater boat. According to Smith, the new design was a collaboration between one of their top whitewater paddlers on staff and several whitewater paddlers throughout the world with the goal of creating a fun, whitewater-ready packraft.
The Rodeo has a hull shape with more aggressive rocker than Kokopelli’s recreational adventure packrafts. Drain holes at the bottom have one-way flaps that close as you move forward through the water, allowing water to drain one-way out the bottom. The entirety of the packraft, both the floors and sidewalls, is reinforced with kevlar making the packraft puncture and tear-resistant.
