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 stock.
I was finally able to order more fabric earlier this year (at grossly inflated prices), and barring any further delays it’s looking like the first shipment will arrive in early August.
Unfortunately this first shipment is only a small test batch that the factory made before processing the main order, and it might not contain enough fabric to fulfill all the pre-orders I’ve received, let alone any new orders.
Production of the larger order is well underway though, and hopefully it will arrive a month or two later. That’s just in time for the packrafting season to wind down here in the northern hemisphere, which is disappointing on one hand, but on the other hand, who wants to spend their summer working on an indoor project? That’s what winters are for.
I received samples of the new ultralight fabrics and they look great, so I should be able to start sending Ultralight packraft kits in the fall.
As usual, I have to include my standard disclaimer here: the above dates are not guaranteed, they’re just my best guess based on where things are now in the manufacturing process, so please don’t base your plans around this timeline. As always, thanks for your patience.
In other news, I’ve been using this downtime to create a completely new set of instructional videos for the Atlin kits, and so far I’m really pleased with the results. My goal has always been to eliminate any guesswork from the packraft assembly process, and this is the seventh generation of DIY Packraft kit instructions, so by now I’ve received lots of customer feedback and I’m able to anticipate common questions and warn of potential mistakes before they come up. I’m sure that new questions will arise, but I think the Atlin is going to be the most straightforward DIY Packraft kit to construct (so far).
4 Comments
Uncle Fred · July 21, 2022 at 12:11 pm
Hey Matt, do you feel you’ll have enough TPU fabric at some point this year where we could order it by the yard? This stuff is great for all kinds of little projects. I’m thinking of using TPU to create the frame for an inflatable sail.
Matt (Admin) · July 21, 2022 at 1:36 pm
It’s possible, but please don’t rely on it. Selling bulk fabric creates inventory problems because I need four different fabrics to make each packraft kit and when I sell bulk fabric as well then it becomes impossible to keep the right amount of each fabric in stock for the kits because bulk purchases are so unpredictable. If it only took a month or so for me to receive a new fabric order then it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but unfortunately it takes over six months, so if I don’t keep tight control over the inventory then there are long periods when I can’t sell any packraft kits, which is my first priority. I might occasionally offer some of the less popular fabrics for sale in limited quantities to re-balance my inventory though.
Uncle Fred · July 21, 2022 at 3:27 pm
I understand. Maybe you could do something akin to what ripstopbytheroll does. They make/order a set amount of square yardage for a fabric type. Once it’s out, it’s done for the season until they can order more. Their site even shows how much fabric they have left to order.
This way, it wouldn’t interfere with the fabric needs for your packrafts.
Price it accordingly to make that worth your while. I’m sure you’d get orders. Where else can I get TPU fabric like this as a Canadian?
Matt (Admin) · July 24, 2022 at 12:55 pm
Somebody should do this, but there are a few reasons why it won’t be me. First, selling bulk fabric is very boring – unroll, measure, cut, pack, ship, repeat. There’s no price that would make that a fulfilling job (for me). Second is the opportunity cost – any time I spend selling bulk fabric is time I’m not spending working on packraft stuff, and I already have more ideas than time. Third is the money problem – I don’t have cash to invest in extra fabric. Fourth is the storage problem – I don’t have space to store extra fabric.
There’s definitely a business opportunity here, but anyone who dives in will risk competing with established companies that aren’t currently offering the same products but easily could. If you’re not adding value to a product (by turning it into a packraft kit, for example), then it’s hard to compete with a larger company that can afford to buy big quantities at lower prices.