-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 4 months ago
It looks fantastic! Thanks for posting, Bruce!
-
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Review: Model Airplane Heat Sealing Irons 8 years, 4 months ago
Excellent points, Patrick. I made an aluminum foot for my soldering iron so it had more thermal mass and it worked pretty well, but the tools required and the amount of work involved in shaping the aluminum makes that approach impractical for most people – it’s so much easier to buy something that works out of the box!
Please let us know how you…[Read more]
-
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Review: Model Airplane Heat Sealing Irons 8 years, 4 months ago
Hi Michael – I use the side and the bottom and the tip of the iron when working on the seams, depending on the situation. You can iron a strip narrower than the bottom of the iron by ironing over a convex bowl or narrower form (details in the V3 instructions), and you can also try putting masking tape on parts of the iron to insulate areas you…[Read more]
-
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 4 months ago
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 […]
-
It cost me about $80USD total to get it to Tasmania via a US freight forwarder.
When I first ordered the site was quoting me $140 AUD postage which is a bit of a deal breaker.
I notice now its only quoting about $100AUD.
So I probably wouldn’t have bothered with the forwarder now.However the postage times from the forwarder are generally fast.
They often have special rates for DHL, FedEx, UPS etc. So it ends up taking 2-4 Days from Los Angeles to Tasmania.-
Thanks for the feedback, Aaron. I’ve been refining the estimated weights used to calculate the shipping costs of the different kit variations so they’re closer to the actual weights, and that’s probably why the shipping price has changed. Smaller kits with lighter floor material and/or no extras can weigh under 3 kg, which is one of those thresholds where the price jumps up on overseas shipments. Thanks!
-
-
Hi Eleonora, unfortunately I don’t have an answer for you and I doubt you will receive one here anytime soon because I have only a few customers in Italy and I don’t recall any of them having used a freight forwarder. You might be able to find more information elsewhere online – if so, please tell us here. Also, sometimes the direct route is the most cost-effective even if it isn’t cheap. Thanks!
-
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic bikerafting advice in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 4 months ago
Hi Matteo – welcome to the forum!
All of the DIY Packrafts are capable of carrying over 100 kg. I probably wouldn’t use an Ultralight packraft for bikerafting though, as the ultralight fabric is more fragile, but you could do so if you were more careful.
Each DIY Packraft kit comes will scrap fabric to make attachment points and grab loops, and…[Read more]
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 4 months ago
Beauty!!
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Alternative sources for fabric and other materials in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 4 months ago
Hi Mike,
Most of the fabrics available are only coated on one side, except for the heavier fabrics in the DIY Packraft shop, and possibly some sold elsewhere. I used to have fabrics with PU coating on the other side from the TPU, but PU is not as good as TPU. You will find that most PU coatings are not airtight or waterproof and can rub off with…[Read more]
-
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 4 months ago
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 […]
-
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Review: Model Airplane Heat Sealing Irons 8 years, 4 months ago
I have used a 20W soldering iron and it worked fine – it sounds like that iron will work if the advertised temperature is accurate.
-
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 4 months ago
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 […]
-
Anyone have any data on the speed of a 2 person packraft?
-
The 2-Person model is constructed like the Skeena and the seat can be placed in the middle, but it is slower and more awkward to paddle because it is much longer and wider.
-
-
Matt (Admin) and
Raimondas are now friends 8 years, 4 months ago -
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 5 months ago
Awesome!! Thanks for posting, Jeremy!
-
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 5 months ago
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 […]
-
Hi Katie – for now the V3 is only available as a kit. I may offer plans at some point in the future, but probably not as I’ve had issues with people buying a set of plans and then trying to use them to make money. Thanks for your interest!
-
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Ultralight DIY Packraft in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 5 months ago
Cool! Thanks for posting 😀
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Heat-sealing tools in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 5 months ago
Thanks for your review, Bruce!
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 5 months ago
Great shot! I love seeing DIY Packrafts in what to me are exotic locations!
-
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 5 months ago
That’s a big rubber duck 😀 Looks great!
-
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 5 months ago
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. […]
-
Matt: AWESOME link to this man’s quest to build a 2 lb float tube. I read through all 22 pages of posts spanning 5 years of research and design. Fascinating stuff. We lost a good one when he died.
-
Hi Derek, that’s great! Too bad that site doesn’t exist anymore… I see that the page was saved in the Wayback Machine ( https://web.archive.org/ ) in 2015, but I didn’t bother to make an account and check to see if all the info is there.
I’m not aware of anyone else who has posted anything similar, but if you find something, please post a link in a comment here. Thanks!
-
Oh, good find – thanks!
-
-
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, New DIY Packraft Design Available Soon (and a small rant) 8 years, 5 months ago
Hi Mark – I will be designing a V3 version of the Ultralight packraft, but it will be slightly different because it will not use double-sided TPU fabric, so it will take a bit longer.
-
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, New DIY Packraft Design Available Soon (and a small rant) 8 years, 5 months ago
Thanks, Brian – that means a lot to me! Best regards
- Load More
