I use it often for a short paddling while hiking with my girlfriend - it is okay for 2 small people, but only for short time. If you want to use it for two people and two backpacks it is much to small. We use the MRS Barracuda R2 Pro for two person hiking and pack rafting trips its awesome and very much space for backpacks and two people. And you can do some wild water rafting with it!