Here in the northern hemisphere, summer is getting closer and people are dusting off their paddles and planning trips for the coming months. If you want to meet other packrafters, share stories, and learn from their experiences, check out these Read more
Note: There is a bug in the forum software that causes some people’s full names to be displayed next to their forum posts, even if they have selected the “Private” option next to the name field when they signed up. Read more
This is just a quick post to let you know that the 210D camouflage fabric is now in stock, so that means there’s nothing left on backorder. Now it’s just a matter of catching up on the orders that were Read more
This is just an FYI that I’m making some improvements to the DIY Packraft website behind the scenes, with the goal of making the various pages load faster for you. In theory, this should only improve your browsing experience, but Read more
I borrowed this book from my local library and I liked it quite a bit, so I thought I’d post a review here in case you’re looking for a paddling book. I might make book reviews an occasional feature of Read more
I’ve added a quick video to the inflation bag instructions page. If it helps you, please “like” it on Youtube 🙂
I made a quick video of me making an inflatable seat from a seat kit, to go along with the text+picture instructions. It’s not the current seat with dedicated tie-down points, but the shape and number of baffles is the Read more
I noticed the FAQ menu was getting a bit long, so I’ve reorganized it to (hopefully) make it easier to navigate. I’m also adding some more content, such as this page I wrote about directional stability, or why packrafts don’t Read more
The airtight zippers and green fabric have arrived! Camouflage fabric should be here in about a week. There’s a bit of a backlog of orders that were waiting for the zippers – I’ll do my best to get them shipped Read more
Updated March 12 Because DIY Packraft is a very small business with limited funds for purchasing stock, I can’t keep a lot of supplies on hand, so when one person makes an unexpectedly large purchase of something (zippers, for example), Read more
I’ve uploaded a new video showing the V3 DIY Packraft construction process for those who have purchased a kit. The video password is the same as the password for the rest of the instructions. Have a look!
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 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 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 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 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, 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, 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 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 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 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 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 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 Read more