DIY Packraft | Site-Wide Activity

spirler became a registered member

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:46:38 -0700

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Flaking/peeling floor in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:44:56 -0700

Hmm, I haven’t heard of anything like that before, but it kind of sounds like the previous builder spread some kind of sealant over the fabric, thinking it would provide extra protection, but it didn’t stick to the TPU very well. Does that fit what you’re seeing?

dayne started the topic Flaking/peeling floor in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 02:59:13 -0700

I recently bought a telkwa from someone in my local community who became frustrated and moved onto a factory built raft. I built a skeen a few years ago so I am familiar with the materials and build process and felt confident i could fix it. The telkwa is complete but after one trip will not hold air. I got it home today and started tracking…[Read more]

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Fri, 19 Jun 2026 02:13:00 -0700

joes's profile was updated

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 02:10:53 -0700

Torzo replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:32:29 -0700

Hi! I could be a bot if you want me to 😉

Torzo became a registered member

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:08:21 -0700

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Thu, 18 Jun 2026 11:29:33 -0700

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Tue, 16 Jun 2026 18:13:17 -0700

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 15:43:16 -0700

Awesome, thanks for posting! I can probably do a multi for you next week – send me an email to discuss. Cheers!

Srdan became a registered member

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:36:57 -0700

joes replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:22:09 -0700

Here’s a less than informational photo of the Skeena I made. This is a calm section of Sandy river in Oregon. Very stable boat, even in class III. My partner has been using it and it’s been the perfect boat to learn on – time to upgrade however..

Any timeline on when/if a multi-coloured Chilko will show up? Curious what’s happening here before…[Read more]

Matt (Admin) wrote a new post

Thu, 14 May 2026 21:35:45 -0700

Tariff Refunds! If you’ve been following the US tariff drama, you may know that the US Supreme Court deemed many of the tariffs illegal back at the end of February. […]

Matt (Admin) wrote a new post

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:22:16 -0700

New Footrest Kit The new Chilko whitewater packraft kit will include an inflatable footrest, and I’ve decided to offer the footrest as a standalone kit too, so those […]

Matt (Admin) wrote a new post

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 17:53:57 -0700

Meet the Chilko Self-Bailer After binning more prototypes than I care to admit, the Chilko whitewater packraft is finally here! As you can see in the pictures below, its […]

Christian001 replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 08:54:03 -0700

I used a heat gun to do some tricky spots on my packrafts. I used the “858D Heat Gun” (search for it on AliExpress). I flattened the smallest nozzle slightly with pliers. This allowed me to direct the airflow much more precisely onto the seams. I don’t recall the exact settings (temperature and airflow) right now, but if you need me to look them…[Read more]

balloonbuster became a registered member

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 16:11:02 -0700

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:01:31 -0700

Welcome!

Just scroll down to the bottom of the topics list when you’re logged in and you should see a form to create a new topic there.

RooflessRider replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:54:42 -0700

Hello,

I really appreciate all the resources posted here and on YT for diy rafts.

I’d like to make a post about a making a diy ‘cataraft’ however I can’t find an option to create a new thread, only reply to existing ones…?

zhanghz became a registered member

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 19:44:30 -0700

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Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:30:58 -0700

Calima replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 16:17:36 -0700

Thanks, then I will stick with the iron and I will test the iron on the banner since I will be reusing it I can make tests there.

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 05:28:01 -0700

Hi, some people have used hot air welders successfully, but I tried it and couldn’t get it to work well myself. I found that I needed three hands, and it was difficult to direct the heat only on the areas I wanted to weld.

I’m not sure if an iron will work on the banner vinyl material you have.

Calima replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:54:16 -0700

Hi!

I would like to make a packraft and I also have some old vinyl banners for other projects, so my question is if you could use this too for the packraft.

I already checked the forums and the mini iron as far I understand wont work really well with 110v, but if it is the best tool for the job then I will buy that one, I can always make it work…[Read more]

Calima replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:49:06 -0700

Hey, human here

LeonChen became a registered member

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Sat, 07 Mar 2026 00:23:22 -0800

Calima's profile was updated

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 23:13:44 -0800

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Ultralight backrest and backband in the forum DIY Packrafts

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 18:09:08 -0800

I don’t normally include the back band parts with the ultralight seat kits, but I can if you want. I think it would work fine, but I haven’t tried it, so I’m not 100% sure. Just send me an email if you’re thinking about ordering one and you want those parts.

Most of the weight savings in the ultralight seat kit comes from the seat bottom, which…[Read more]

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Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:04:17 -0800

Andriy replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 07:38:32 -0800

It’s a good idea, but I made boats for friends for special military operations. Speed, simplicity, and weight are essential there. They take several boats. Usually, when a mine hit, they threw the boat away. If it survived, they unscrewed the plug, threw it away, quickly deflated it, and left. There are several spare plugs in the pocket. If the…[Read more]

Christian001 replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:50:36 -0800

Hi Andriy,

you don’t need two valves. One is enough. I use a clothespin, one end of which I’ve shortened slightly. This allows me to insert it into the bottle valve. This holds the lower flap open, allowing the air to be released.

Andriy replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:23:16 -0800

The translator did not translate correctly. These two valves are lighter than one Boston valve.

Andriy replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 15:20:09 -0800

I want to show you how I make the valve. The only drawback is that you need to make two of them. One to inflate, the other to deflate. But it’s still easier than a Boston valve. I can’t post a photo of the boat without permission, since I designed it myself, so I’m posting a photo of the valve so you can understand the principle on a boat with a…[Read more]

Andriy replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:56:34 -0800

I use a translator, so please excuse any mistakes. I want to share my soldering iron modification. I combined two soldering irons. I took the base from a mechanical one and the handle from an electronic one. I drilled an additional hole in the base for the temperature sensor and also made a hole in the handle (in the plastic) for the wires.…[Read more]

Andriy replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:46:07 -0800

Hello, everyone! I am not a bot. How do I post on the forum? I would like to share my experience in making accessories. I have some interesting ideas.

Floater started the topic Ultralight backrest and backband in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 02:52:03 -0800

Does the ultralight seat kit come with what is needed to add the backband to the backrest? Has anyone tried this out, or does adding all the extra material mitigate the weight benefits?

lvwagner became a registered member

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:28:25 -0800

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Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:42:35 -0800

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Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:24:43 -0800

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Sun, 25 Jan 2026 22:50:19 -0800

morphy_richards replied to the topic Which Packraft? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:53:47 -0800

Thanks 👍

iovodeverett became a registered member

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 18:50:26 -0800

Lee replied to the topic Which Packraft? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:34:14 -0800

I’m 6’2” and have an Atlin and the lightweight. I fit easily in both. I have the largest atlin and with a bike mounted up front I have plenty of room for my legs with room to spare, and enough clearance from the bike that I can paddles hard without feeling jammed up.

When the bike isn’t up front, I can have a full backpack up there and it ma…[Read more]

morphy_richards started the topic Which Packraft? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 07:59:53 -0800

Hello, I’m hoping to get a packraft and use it on some expeditions this summer. I’m quite a tall person, 6″ 2′ and I’m hoping to use it on bike packing adventures.

I will most likely use the Packraft on rivers, it’s unlikely to be whitewater with my (quite big) big stowed on board.

Because of my size I keep looking at the XL Skeena but for the…[Read more]

morphy_richards replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 07:50:42 -0800

Hello! I’m not a robot, honest !

gbarker replied to the topic Layering fabrics? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 19:09:51 -0800

Before building a skeena, I designed and built a packraft of my own which involved layering up two layers of approximately 250gsm fabric together. These were TPU coated on one side only, with the coated surfaces facing inwards. It did work OK except for a few wrinkles and as noted above, the laminated fabric is stiff.
I wasn’t overly happy with t…[Read more]

Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Layering fabrics? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 18:51:07 -0800

Yes and no… You can layer fabrics together to make something stronger, but you can’t iron directly onto TPU without making a mess, so at least one of the fabrics has to be coated on only one side. The woven fabric is less resistant to abrasion than the TPU (and soaks up water and dirt, etc.), so depending on the application, that may or may not…[Read more]

Mrmagoo started the topic Layering fabrics? in the forum DIY Packrafts

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 18:18:20 -0800

Would layering fabrics together with a clothes iron create a stronger fabric than a single heavier layer? Or would the resulting fabric loose too much flexibility? What would the result of layering two 190GSM fabrics together for a floor be vs a single 475 GSM floor?

Mrmagoo replied to the topic Intrigued by ultralight roll top packraft. Tell me why it's a bad idea in the forum DIY Packrafts

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 21:54:10 -0800

The roll top closure doesn’t intrigue me as much as the 3 piece construction does. According to anfibio that results in lower weight for the same fabric strength. Not sure how true that is, but their RTC is pnly 2.6 lbs for 210D fabric. Planning to make my first packraft in the coming months.