"Established in 2007, MRS packrafts have quickly become the boat of choice for adventure racers, and they are now partnering with the ARWS to bring their rafts to teams around the globe."

With a diverse product line, from ultralight to whitewater, self-bailing to expedition, MRS has the perfect boat for any situation.

“I am thrilled to work with ARWS,” says MRS founder YanLuo. “They are a group of like-minded individuals who share my passion for competition. Competition is a powerful force for good, which pushes us to be our best, to learn and grow, and towards success. I am excited to help promote the sport of Adventure Racing and inspire others to get involved. I look forward to what this partnership can achieve.”

For that competitive edge, the tandem MRS Barracuda R2 and Barracuda R2 Pro (which includes both whitewater deck and self-bailing options) offer unrivaled speed in the packrafting industry. Sleek and nimble, with precision tracking, the Barracuda line is perfect for the long paddle sections characteristic of many ARWS events.

Michael Garrison, Executive Director of the US Adventure Racing Association and a longtime adventure racer himself, saw firsthand the advantage that the Barracuda brings. “It was pretty demoralizing, watching all of these teams in MRS packrafts fly past us on the river,” he said after the 2022 Endless Mountains Adventure Race in the United States, part of the Adventure Racing World Series.

In 2023, he invested in the Barracuda R2 Pro in preparation for the Nordic Islands Adventure Race in the Faroe Islands, also an ARWS qualifier. “I finally felt like my paddling effort was translating into earned speed,” he said, “and it’s the first time I have experienced that in a packraft.”

USARA 2023 National champions Team Bend Racing won Expedition Ozark this year and in their review of the equipment which helped them win the race, published on Gearjunkie.com they said,

“For adventure racing, we need to have fast, durable, and light boats that can fit two people and all their gear. Enter the MRS Barracuda R2 Pro, “The Ultimate Adventure Race Packraft.”

“It comes as either a self-bailer boat, or with a removable spray deck and spray skirts. Either option works depending on your team and their skill sets. We opted for the removable spray deck and spray skirts, and we couldn’t be happier. The skirts have neoprene edges that are easy to take on and off (extremely important when racing) and that don’t let any water in. We paddled multiple big water Class III rapids and ended up with less than a gallon of water in our boat.

"The handles are placed well, and make carrying it very comfortable. The T-zip, while a little on the smaller side, fit all of our dry bags nicely inside the boat. This helped keep our cockpits clean and less clogged up with our stuff. And seats blow up, making it a very comfortable seating arrangement, especially for the long-haul paddle legs."

MRS packrafts are available for purchase from authorized distributor Microrafting.com. For more information, visit the MRS website.