After being out of stock for nearly two years, the Ultralight DIY Packraft kits are back and better than before! I’ve just received a shipment of beautiful new lightweight ripstop fabrics in red, yellow, blue, and black – I don’t Read more
Luc Mehl, the well-known Alaskan adventurer and author of The Packraft Handbook and www.thingstolucat.com, is now offering an online packrafting course. Luc and I have exchanged a few emails over the years, so he’s not a total stranger to me, Read more
Updated August 18, 2022 Finally, the first fabric shipment is here! That’s the good news. The bad news is that there isn’t enough fabric here to fulfill all of the pre-orders (or any new orders), and due to more production Read more
Updated June 28, 2022 Unless you’re new to this website, you know that DIY Packraft has been suffering from the same supply chain problems that are affecting other industries, and it’s been many months since I’ve had any packraft kits Read more
Inspired by bikerafting, the Atlin’s wide bow creates a stable and buoyant platform for carrying large loads. For more information about the Atlin, watch the one-minute intro video below and check out the product page in the shop. People on Read more
It’s snowing outside here now and all the lakes and rivers are frozen, so editing this vlog-style video was a nice change of scenery for me. It’s footage from a solo packrafting trip I did last August in Nanika-Kidprice Provincial Read more
This is just a quick follow-up to my previous post – I received some positive feedback about the pre-order idea, so now I’ve made it possible to pre-order (backorder) the packraft kits in the Shop. These orders will ship after Read more
TL;DR: Normal order processing times are about a week, but I’m out of fabric, so packraft kits will be unavailable for several months. Sign up here to be notified when kits are in stock. Happy new year! Like many businesses Read more
2021 has been a good year for DIY Packraft, but the supply chain problems that have been plaguing the world have caught up with me and I’m sorry to say that the Telkwa, Ultralight, and 2-Person kits are all sold Read more
Update: Shipping times are mostly back to normal. You may have seen in the news that the Canadian province of British Columbia, where DIY Packraft is located, has experienced severe flooding and that all the highways and railroads leading to Read more
If you’d like to save some money on a DIY Packraft and give to a worthy charity at the same time, you can bid on a $200 (CAD) DIY Packraft coupon at the annual Rotary Club online auction. At the Read more
James Cummins sent me an excellent build report detailing his experience assembling first one, and then another DIY Packraft Telkwa kit. He shares some great lessons and inspiring photos, so please check it out here. If you’d like to read Read more
Good news for everyone who has been waiting for airtight zippers to be back in stock – they arrived today! Now I’m catching up on backorders and I’ll do my best to ship them as quickly as possible. Thanks for Read more
Update: offcuts and scraps are now available in limited quantities in the shop on a trial basis. I have a lot of fabric pieces that aren’t useful to me but they could be useful to someone else – things like Read more
Updated March 19, 2021 After being out of stock for about half a year, a new shipment of packraft fabric arrived in February and I received a large number of orders as soon as I announced the packraft kits were Read more
I am very grateful for the number of people who placed orders immediately after I announced the new fabric shipment had arrived, and now I am working to fulfill the orders as quickly as possible. DIY Packraft is just me Read more
At long last! The Skeena, Telkwa, and 2-Person packraft kits are now available in all colors and sizes, and spray decks and spray skirts are also available. (Bulk fabric sales and Ultralight packraft kits will not be available for the Read more
The past several months have sure tested my patience, but barring further delays, the new DIY Packraft fabric shipment will arrive in 2-3 weeks (early to mid-February). Then I will start making packraft kits again! Orders will be processed in Read more
The American Packrafting Association is hosting an online whitewater packrafting skills clinic called, “Boat, Don’t Float” presented by Mark Oats. I’m not associated with Mark or the APA, but it looks like a really cool event, so I will be Read more
I have just finished editing a “highlights” video from the 30-day solo packrafting/hiking trip I did this past summer, so if you’re interested in seeing what that trip was like, please check it out. I’m also working on a written Read more
Since I announced there had been a delay in the fabric manufacturing process, a number of you have asked to be notified when the Skeena, Telkwa, or 2-Person packraft kits are back in stock. I’m delighted that you’re keen to Read more
I have returned from my 30-day hiking/packrafting trip and I look forward to sharing the details of this fantastic voyage with you, but first I have a large backlog of emails to respond to and plenty of work to do Read more
I am embarking on a solo packrafting expedition for several weeks. This is the trip I have been dreaming about for many years, and it’s the reason I started making packrafts in the first place, so in a very real Read more
This is just a heads up that tomorrow will be my last trip to the post office before I leave for my month-long packrafting trip, so today is your last opportunity to purchase a fabric sample pack, valve, etc. (packraft Read more