Muriel Chahine strikes again with this ingenious deck bag that converts into a day pack! “I really like it,” she wrote in her email. “Quite a bit smaller than the bulky ones everyone has (11+ liters) and of course way lighter. I left the front two straps longer to easily Read more
Michael from Hamburg, Germany, emailed to show me how he cleverly modified his heat sealing iron by replacing the rounded aluminum foot with interchangeable feet he fabricated out of scrap aluminum. Well done, Michael! This is the type of DIY genius that needs to be shared. If you have some Read more
I’ll admit I was skeptical when forum member @oldcanuck first emailed to say he was planning to try powering his fabric welding iron the old-fashioned way, using his wood stove. He assured me that there’s an area on the stove that maintains a consistent 210-220° C though, and I had Read more
Due to its size, the 2-Person model is the most time-consuming DIY Packraft to build, and the most challenging model for a first-time builder. As you can see, however, forum member “Opie” did a great job on his! Opie posted details of his 2-Person DIY Packraft build on the DIY Read more
Customer Steve Gurney sent me these great pictures from his first trip in his DIY Packraft Skeena. Steve was one of the first people to order the new orange fabric, and I think it looks fantastic! The Caples River, near Queenstown, New Zealand, looks amazing too. “Lots of people comment Read more
Recently I’ve had a few customers send me some construction tips and build reports that you might find useful. Build Report: Barbara B’s Skeena build report is one of the most detailed I’ve received, and it contains some great tips from the perspective of a first-time builder, plus some stunning 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 more customer build reports, check out the links near the Read more
Update: Gustav’s detailed fabrication instructions are posted here! If you’ve ever tried fishing from a packraft, you know that it’s nearly impossible to hold a fishing rod and paddle at the same time. Gustav K. has come up with an ingenious solution to this problem – a lightweight and flexible Read more
Ken S. sent me a build report with excellent photos and detailed descriptions of his V3 DIY Packraft build, including tips about what worked for him and what didn’t. I’ve turned it into a web page here. It will be most useful as a reference for people who have purchased Read more
Several months ago I received an email expressing interest in the DIY Packraft kits from TJ Miller, Director of the Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation at the University of Alaska Anchorage. TJ had grand plans of getting his senior students to build packrafts and use them on an Read more
Tim from www.cubenmaker.com recently sent me these pictures of his newest creation, which is version two of his lightweight pontoon katayak! The text below is Tim’s, with only minor editing on my part. Click to enlarge the pictures, and also check out Tim’s website to see several more lightweight boats he Read more
Adam DiPietro documented the build of this beautiful red and black V3 DIY Packraft, and he sent his pictures and comments to share with everyone! I’ve posted the full report here. Thanks, Adam!
Check out this stowable spray deck that Dom Adcock added to his V3 DIY Packraft! I’ve posted more detailed pictures of the construction process on a dedicated page here. (Photos by Dom, used with permission.) Excellent work, Dom!
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