Matt (Admin)

After a sudden increase in orders last month (thanks in large part to my new friends in Fairbanks, Alaska and Midway, Utah!), I have nearly run out of red, yellow, blue, and black 210D fabric. I have changed the status of these fabrics in the shop to “backordered,” and done Read more

Several people have had trouble finding a suitable field repair tape, so I added my favourite one to the DIY Packraft shop. It’s similar to Tyvek tape, but it’s a different brand. You can learn more about it here 🙂

Here are a few pictures of the new spray deck! It’s made from 210D heat sealable fabric and a lightweight, collapsible aluminum tent pole. The total weight of the packraft, including the inflatable floor and spray deck, is now 2008 grams, or 4.426 pounds. Spray deck kits and instructions are Read more

I’d like to add some green fabric to the shop to complement the red, yellow, blue and black fabrics there now. I’m curious if people like light green or dark green, earthy green or bright green, or maybe something in between. If you like a certain shade (or dislike one), Read more

Some people haven’t been able to find suitable adhesives where they live, so I have added Aquaseal glue and Seam Grip seam sealer to the shop. I only ordered a small number of each, because I’m not sure how popular they will be, so if you want some you can Read more

Several people have asked if it would be possible to make a self-bailing or inflatable floor using the double-layer floor option, and I have finished retrofitting my multi-colored packraft with an inflatable floor in just this way. The inflatable floor is a great success! It adds padding between you and Read more

I just posted this new video to go along with the page I wrote about fixing leaks, which you can read here: Punctures, Leaks, and Repairs.

One nice thing about a packraft is that you can toss it in your luggage when you go travelling and then go paddling at your destination without having to rent a boat. That’s what I did this Christmas, when I visited Vancouver Island. Don’t be fooled by the sunshine – Read more

Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the TIZIP SuperSeal zippers! First there was a delay at the factory in Germany, and then the shipping took longer than usual because of the holidays, but I finally got the zippers from UPS yesterday and now I’m getting the pre-orders out the door. To Read more

@tomi made this funny video of the first test of his packraft made from the DIY Packraft plans! Excellent work! You can ask @tomi about his experience by joining the forum!

Check out the new instructions for installing the TIZIP SuperSeal airtight zipper in your packraft here 🙂

I get a lot of emails from people with questions, tips, pictures, and requests, and for some time now I’ve been thinking I should add a forum or social networking platform to the website so others can benefit from our correspondence. Today I added this feature, which you can find Read more

As many of you have noticed, the new Version 2 plans and DIY Packraft Kit instructions are complete, including videos, text, and pictures. You can find them in the How-To menu above. Here’s the packraft I completed while making the instructional videos:    

I have just uploaded this second instruction video for the kits and V2 plans. Enjoy! Text+picture instructions are posted here.

This heat sealing iron arrived in my mailbox today, and I’m really happy with it! Click here to read my review. Note: This is a post from 2016. See the current iron recommendations here. 

I did it! I’m offering exactly the same zippers available in the best manufactured packrafts, at a fraction of the cost. In order to get them at a decent price, I had to purchase a large quantity (the story of my life). To help balance the books I have decided Read more

  After hiking up our local ski hill yesterday, Nikki and I were rewarded with an exciting ride down!

I just uploaded this video, in which I show the first steps in constructing a DIY Packraft from a kit. The same procedure is used for the new (Version 2) plans, after cutting out the shapes from the fabric. The next videos will be out soon. Text and pictures instructions Read more

I am starting to make my next packraft, and when choosing which colours I wanted to use, I found it helpful to print out several copies of this outline and colour in the different segments with different options so I could see which design I liked best. If you want Read more

I have posted a new video comparing the fabrics I used to make two of my previous packrafts to those that are available in the Shop now. Check it out!

Things have been pretty quiet on the blog lately, and that’s because aside from working at my “real” job I have been working feverishly to finish a new generation of packraft plans, featuring improvements based on my experience constructing and paddling packrafts made from the previously available plans. These new Read more