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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 1 month ago
New Year, New Packrafts?Happy new year! 2022 was a difficult year in many ways, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped keep DIY Packraft afloat by placing pre-orders […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Workspace Suggestions in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 1 month ago
Here are my recommendations: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/what-size-work-surface-do-i-need-to-assemble-my-diy-packraft-kit/
Cheers!
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 2 months ago
Hi Christian, here’s a video showing how I modified my paddle (it sounds like Uncle Fred did something similar): https://www.diypackraft.com/2019/09/19/convert-a-kayak-paddle-to-a-packraft-paddle/
Also, here’s a post about how another person made his own paddle from carbon fiber tubes and sheets, in case you want to try making one from scratch: ht…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 2 months ago
Yes indeed – after almost an entire year, all of the DIY Packraft kits are back in stock.
It will take me some time to fulfill the pre-orders, but my goal is to ship them all out before the end of the year. […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 2 months ago
Email sent!
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 2 months ago
Hi Fred, this is great – thanks for posting! There’s lots to learn from here and I’d like to move it to a dedicated “build report” page so more people will see it. If you’re up for it, I might ask you for some more pictures to illustrate the text.
Cheers!
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 3 months ago
If you’d like to save some money on a DIY Packraft and give to a worthy charity at the same time, you can bid on a $200 (CAD) DIY Packraft coupon at the annual Rotary Club online auction. At the time I write t […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Fabric suppliers in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 3 months ago
Hi Damo, the only suppliers I’m aware of are ExtrimTextil in Germany, Seattle Fabrics in the US, and Aliexpress in China. I didn’t like the fabrics from Seattle Fabrics (melting point of fabric too similar to melting point of coating), and the reviews of the fabrics on Aliexpress are pretty bad (the coatings easily delaminate). In your case the…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 3 months ago
Excellent work, Damo! I look forward to your feedback. Thanks for posting!
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 3 months ago
Update: December 13 – the fabric is here in BC, it has cleared customs, and all the paperwork is done. Now it awaits transportation to my shop – only a few more days!!
More than ten months after I ordered this […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Paddle length for minimal water dripping in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 4 months ago
Cool – I’ll be interested to know how it works out. I’m sure lots of other people experience the same thing and I wonder if what works for my paddle works for others. Cheers
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Paddle length for minimal water dripping in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 4 months ago
I use a 240 cm paddle and it does drip a fair amount if I leave the blades unfeathered (blades at the same angle), so I don’t think a longer paddle is necessarily the solution, but it could help. I feather my paddle to 30 or 60 degrees so the top blade is flatter when the low blade is vertical in the water, and then water doesn’t run off the top…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 5 months ago
After being out of stock for nearly two years, the Ultralight DIY Packraft kits are back and better than before!
I’ve just received a shipment of beautiful new lightweight ripstop fabrics in red, yellow, blue, […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 5 months ago
Wow, beautiful – thanks for sharing!
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 5 months ago
Luc Mehl, the well-known Alaskan adventurer and author of The Packraft Handbook and http://www.thingstolucat.com, is now offering an online packrafting course.
Luc and I have exchanged a few emails over the […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Heat Iron Exploded! (Anyone has one in Germany?) in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 6 months ago
Yikes, that could have ended badly!
I’m not aware of any time limitations for the irons – I have left my irons plugged in for much longer than two hours without any sign of problems, and I haven’t heard of anyone else having this problem either, so I think maybe you were unlucky and received a bad iron. It’s unfortunate that it takes so long to…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 6 months ago
Haha, that’s great! This project really does appeal to a certain type of person – there’s surely another type that ends up shelving it unfinished, but those people don’t tell me about it so it’s hard to know how many there are. It is pretty gratifying to see the “repeat offenders” though!
I think you’re right that the Anfibio self-bailing tube…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Pieces not aligning with dot/slit (3RL, 2RL) in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 6 months ago
Excellent! 😀
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years, 6 months ago
Updated August 18, 2022
Finally, the first fabric shipment is here! That’s the good news.
The bad news is that there isn’t enough fabric here to fulfill all of the pre-orders (or any new orders), and due t […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years, 6 months ago
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback!
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I would be interested in other DIY ironed projects.
Ultralight camping pillow?
Sleeping pad?
Maybe DIY paddle kits?
Matt knows what I want. Fabric by the yard purchases. Well, that and I could see a few other things that really should be here to flesh out Matt’s offerings:
1. Anfibio’s lifejacket. This inflatable jacket is perfectly fine for all but the worse whitewater. It pairs great with a pack raft.
2. Anfibio’s packraft packsuit. Anfibio has great packraft gear that just doesn’t ship to North America due to “insurance reasons.” As a business, they may be open to partnering with you. This is a win-win. We could get our hands on this gear, and Anfibio and Matt would profit.
3. MRS packraft large and small Skegs plus an official way to make them slot in and removable.
4. Matt could sell the Flextail pump.
5. High-stance inflatable backrest. Basically, this would fill in the rear area to create a very firm and upright inflatable backrest. This allows for a forward and aggressive stance. I’ve created one on my own boat, and it makes the seating position far more comfortable and helps in the transfer of energy in the stroke.
6. Spray skirt upgrade. The spray skirt as available could potentially use an upgrade. The combing ring is, in my option, not robust enough to handle large whitewater. Second, there isn’t a lot of flexibility if a user adjusts their sitting location forward. If you do this, it creates a significant pressure point added at the base of the skirt. Check out Anfibio’s sprayskirt design where they add an additional angled fabric between the deck and the chest. I think this would greatly improve the design. The sprayskirt should also have suspenders.
7. Footbag with Tizip.
8. Bow bag with roll top or Tie-zip.
9. Leg straps
10. Inflatable sail with a clear interior. If Matt permits fabric sales, I’ll probably make one of these this year.
11. A few odds and ends could be offered for a really complete storefront including:
UWHPE rope
Titanium rope knife
1″ and 3/4″ buckles, D-rings, square rings.
1″ and 3/4″ polypropylene webbing in black, blue, yellow, and red.
Kit building items like packraft blocks, Talcrum powder, Fisker shears, Seam Grip, and straight edges.
IP68-rated radio (A good option might be the ELIDA-branded one from Alliexpress. I’ve used it over an eight-day backcountry portage trip with great success. It’s the only radio I can find at this price point with USB-C, easy to-read display, a week-long battery, and fully waterproof.
Definitely a more stealth color. By that I mean a nature color like green, brown, Camo etc. The high visibility colors is what is keeping me from buying at the moment.
I still have enough camouflage fabric to make a few kits, so if you would like one, just order a different color and in the Order Notes box ask me to make it camouflage instead 🙂
Yes, no problem – here’s a picture of the digital camouflage print: https://www.diypackraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DIY-Packraft-4.jpg
I concur with Fred’s suggestion on a spray deck upgrade. The combing is poor in the current design, and makes the skirt nearly unusable. I am considering cutting the deck off my raft entirely.
How about an inflatable floor to make the boats self-bailing? It doesn’t seem that difficult – just an extension of the seat with a couple more baffles, and voila.
The best thing you can do is to replace the provided blue tube with a large one off Amazon. You can find it by searching for “Nylon Tubing 1/2 inch ID Pneumatic Hose Tube Pipe” and selecting “3/8″ ID, 0.47″OD, 10 feet” If you’re in Canada, it will take some time to get this tube as it’s from the states. When adding it, shift it around a bunch while feeding it into the combing ring, this will allow you to fit in as much of the tube as possible. The more tube you can get in there, the better. This is a huge improvement. You’ll also want to glue velcros along the deck and sew velcros into your skirt. I use ten strips. It’s not an issue with pulling the skirt off, but these help getting the skirt on a lot.
The self bailing boats and bow bag kits sound very intriguing to me!
Thanks for all you do here Matt, I’m so psyched with my new Atlin.