New Boston valves are now in stock! This is a slightly improved design over the previous Boston valves, with stronger plastic loops for keeping the parts together when they’re unscrewed. Best of all, the flange on the new valve is heat sealable, so there’s no need to use glue when Read more
When I started the DIY Packraft forum, I figured it would help DIY Packrafters to meet new paddling partners and share tips, but I wasn’t prepared for the number of great ideas that would be posted there. In my last blog entry I featured Eliot’s back band and thigh straps, Read more
Eliot G. kindly sent pictures and descriptions of his spray deck, back band, and thigh straps. I’ve made that into a permanent post here under the How-To menu so it won’t get buried in the blog. I also wrote a page about making a large inflatable drybag for use as Read more
Hey – just a quick update to let you know that I’m back from my vacation and catching up on emails and orders, so please be patient – the normal 1-3 business days for shipping new orders does not apply.
I haven’t made many paddling videos this year, so I thought it might be fun to post a montage of video clips from some of my packrafting adventures in 2017. I couldn’t find any decent royalty-free music, so please add your own music. There’s footage of a V2 DIY Packraft Read more
Nikki and I will be taking a much-needed holiday between December 25 and January 20, so any orders received between those dates will be shipped after we return. I will do my best to fulfill orders received before we leave, but I can’t guarantee I will have time to ship Read more
I’ve made a couple new videos to answer common questions about the DIY Packraft fabrics and my heat sealing technique, and also one showing the different valves and how they work. These videos are longer than my usual how-to videos, and they’re unscripted so I ramble a bit, but you Read more
A couple people have posted some great tie-down designs in the forum since I made my original tie-down video, and after several attempts at combining their ideas with my no-sewing policy, the following tie-down design was born. (I don’t have anything against sewing – it’s great if you have the Read more
Bruce C., a frequent contributor to the DIY Packraft forum and host of the popular DIY Packraft-making classes at the Folk School in Fairbanks, Alaska, has just finished this beautiful Voyageur 2-person DIY Packraft, and I just had to share these pictures he sent of its maiden voyage! Notice the Read more
Recently I realized that a fast-curing adhesive was missing from my field repair kit, and that if something goes wrong on a packrafting trip and field repair tape won’t do the job, I might have to sit around for eight hours waiting for regular Aquaseal to cure. That’s not so Read more
A couple of people in Australia and New Zealand have used freight forwarders to reduce shipping costs when ordering DIY Packraft kits, and I thought I should tell the rest of you about this potential cost-saving step. The amount of money you can save depends on your location and the Read more
This is just a quick post to let you know that the V3 DIY Packraft Deluxe (single) kits are now shipping. I’m currently fulfilling the pre-orders, some of which were placed as far back as August, so please be patient if yours is a more recent order. I’m slowly catching Read more
For trip planning, it’s important to be able to estimate how much water you can cover in a given amount of time. You need to consider wind and current speeds, of course, (especially if you’re paddling in a river or ocean), but all else being equal, how fast is a Read more
Today I’m leaving town for a couple of weeks, but the new V3 DIY Packraft is pretty much ready to go, so kits will start shipping after I return on September 30th. The new V3 packraft instructions are posted under the How-To menu, but because of ongoing plagiarism, access is Read more
Tom F. sent me this video and this link to a forum thread documenting the design and construction of a lightweight fishing float tube (a.k.a. bellyboat or belly boat) using heat sealable fabrics. Unfortunately the designer/builder, an engineer who posted under the name SHigSpeed, has died, but his posts live Read more
Nikki’s parents were visiting over the holiday weekend and they wanted to try out the new packraft, so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures to share. You can see that the weather was much better than the previous weekend! Also, here is a new video of www.cubenmaker.com Read more
For the maiden voyage of the V3 DIY Packraft, Nikki and I spent the weekend visiting some glaciers!
Here are some pictures of the new V3 DIY Packraft. This one is the 120 size, and has a 420D floor (TPU on both sides) and 210D tubes. As it is now, without the top-up valve and tie-downs, the weight is 1635 grams, or 3.6 pounds. The V3 is a Read more
I’ve posted written instructions for assembling the inflation bag kit here. They are text-only, at the moment, but I will add photos and a video soon!
I’ve been working on a new packraft design for some time now, incorporating several improvements over the current V2 kits, including tougher floor material, easier construction, more sizes, and better performance. I might shut down the current V2 kit option in the online shop until the V3 is ready for Read more
Some time ago I posted a page about making your own inflation bag*, and since then several people have asked me to supply parts so they won’t have to spend time and money sourcing them elsewhere. In response, I’ve designed an inflation bag that costs the same as one meter Read more
I’ve just finished writing up instructions for the new seat kits, and they’re posted here!
A number of people have experienced temperature problems with mini irons like the Clover Mini Iron II and the Dritz Petite Press, so I am designing future DIY Packrafts to be easier to make using larger hobby irons like the Coverite Black Baron sealing iron, pictured above. Irons like this Read more
Several people have asked for details about the new ultralight 40D ripstop heat sealable fabric available in the shop. At 100 grams per square meter (3 ounces per square yard), it’s very lightweight and packs down very small (similar to a modern tent fly fabric), but it’s surprisingly strong and Read more