José

Excellent question, and I’m surprised it hasn’t come up before! You’ve prompted me to make a dedicated page about this topic (so it won’t get buried here in the forum over time). It’s a work in progress, but it’s posted here: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/packrafting-paddles/

Usually leaks are caused by debris in the zipper: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/why-is-my-airtight-zipper-leaking/

Hi Aaron – sorry I didn’t see this until now. There’s a bug in the forum software that was holding posts with multiple pictures in a hidden section, waiting for moderation, but it wasn’t notifying me about them. Hopefully I’ve fixed it now… we shall see. Don’t be afraid to email me if you don’t get a response within a day or so.

Anyway, your…[Read more]

Very interesting! Until now, the low melting temperature of DCF has been a problem for heat sealing, but it looks like they have formulated a type of TPU that is weldable at a lower temperature – very cool. Unfortunately the price will be prohibitive for many people, but if someone manages to get a sample of several meters and wants to try making…[Read more]

Very creative tip – thanks for posting! I can see this being especially useful for spots where I accidentally damage the TPU on the tube fabric. Cheers!

Interesting! I got some samples of TPU sheets too, but I haven’t had time to experiment with them yet. In a way, it’s a “solution in search of a problem,” but when we find that problem it will be an elegant fix. A higher melting temperature will make it difficult to use though.

Yeah, I apply the Seam Grip to the TPU side (shiny outside) of the fabric in spots like that if they’re somewhere that will be noticeable on the inflated packraft. If it’s somewhere hidden, like near where the tube meets the floor on the inside of the packraft, I apply it to the inside of the tube. Cheers!

Hi Jason – excellent question! Your heat sealing looks great. The bond strength between the TPU layer and the woven fabric is slightly less in the 450 GSM fabric than the 250 GSM fabric, so this is to be expected. (In the packrafts, the tube-to-floor joints are designed to minimize peeling forces, so don’t worry about this.) I will add a note to…[Read more]

Thanks for the detailed comments! I’m working on ways to make the cut lines better in the Ultralight fabrics… it’s pretty difficult on those thin fabrics. Thanks for the tip about placing the darker fabric under the tube fabric – I’ll add that to the instructions.

I’ll add a note to the pressure fit valve product page indicating that if people…[Read more]

I know a number of people have added zippers to both of those brands and it should work the same way. Cheers!

It’s the same – just a bit cheaper to change the plug. Cheers!

@rookienewbie Yes, it should work exactly the same. Cheers!

Thanks for posting this, Harald. I will add a link to this post in the Germany section of the Will I Have to Pay Taxes or Import Duties page so more people will see it. Cheers!

Great work, Arnold! Thanks for posting!