This iron from Aliexpress was recommended by Bruce Campbell of Fairbanks, Alaska – a man of many great ideas! I bought one to try it out for myself, and I agree that it’s the best iron I’ve used for heat sealing the DIY Packraft fabrics (with one caveat). I’m not Read more…
After Pilotpeat posted a question in the forum about packrafting paddles, I decided to make a permanent page to address the subject in the FAQ. Here’s the paddle page. I also received an email from Kait P. asking about life jackets (“Personal Flotation Devices”), so I started a PFD page Read more…
I don’t know how I failed to notice Molly Absolon’s book, “Packrafting – Exploring the Wilderness by Portable Boat” (2017) until now, but I finally picked up a copy last week and read the nearly 250 pages in just a few days. There are beautiful color pictures on almost every Read more…
When paddling on calm lakes, it’s often possible to enter and exit a packraft without getting your feet wet, but in moving water I find that it’s rarely an option. In fact, it’s usually a matter of scrambling over sharp rocks, jamming your feet between slippery cobbles, or wading through Read more…
When heat sealing TPU coated fabrics together, it’s important to apply pressure to the fabric as it cools, otherwise it tends to buckle and lift before it forms a strong bond, so you end up with bubbles and weak or leaky areas. I used to use a leather glove or 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 the blog, or I might end up posting them somewhere Read more…