The leather irons from Aliexpress.com or Amazon.com, shown in the videos above, are my preferred irons for assembling DIY Packraft kits. They’re hot enough, they maintain a consistent temperature, they’re robustly built, they’re the right width for heat sealing the packraft’s seams, and they’re affordable.
These irons aren’t perfect out of the box, however, so I made the above videos to show you how to make the necessary modifications.
To purchase a leather iron, type “leather iron” in the Aliexpress.com or Amazon.com search bar. The branding is inconsistent, so don’t bother searching for a company or model name – just scroll through the pictures and pick one that looks similar.
- Try to find one that is designed for the electricity grid and plug shape where you live (North America, Europe, etc.).
- Make sure the iron you order has a temperature adjustment function (a graduated dial or a digital display with buttons). Some irons are not adjustable or have only two or three settings – avoid those.