DIY Packraft Closed for ~August

Thanks to everyone who has supported DIY Packraft over the years!

I will be embarking on a solo packrafting expedition for several weeks later this summer. 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 sense, DIY Packraft owes its existence to the idea of this trip. I’m very excited about it, but since everything DIY Packraft-related is done by me without any employees or outside help, that means DIY Packraft will be effectively shut down while I’m away.

I plan to leave at the end of July, and my return date will depend on how long it takes for me to complete the roughly 700 km (450 mile) journey. If all goes according to plan, I should finish in late August or early September. (I’ll post information about the route after I return.)

What this means:

• I will be unable to respond to support requests from customers who have questions about assembling their packraft kits while I am away. Most questions are already answered in the instructions, but please consider this if you are thinking about constructing a packraft kit during this time.
• No orders will be fulfilled while I’m away, and because it takes time to fulfill new orders, I will have to stop accepting new packraft kit orders about two weeks before my departure date (I’ll post a “last call” deadline as we get closer to that date, but expect it to be around mid-July).
• I will be unable to respond to email inquiries, social media posts, and direct messages.
• To prevent spammers* from flooding the DIY Packraft forum, new forum member registrations will be temporarily disabled.
• In order to prevent spammers posting malicious links, new “Comments” will be held in a moderation queue and will not be visible on the site until I return.

The good news:

• I am hopeful that new fabric will be ready in September, soon after I return.

Thanks for your understanding!

~Matt

* I have already implemented a number of software-based anti-spam systems, but these aren’t perfect and I’m still in a constant battle to keep spammers off the forum. It requires daily oversight, and when one spammer gains access for a few hours I receive emails from legitimate forum members who are understandably upset about receiving spam messages… I shudder to think about what would happen if I let it run wild for several weeks.