Troutsman

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!

I hesitate to recommend a DIY Packraft for unknown whitewater conditions… so much depends on the conditions and the paddlers’ skill. I assume the race organizers wouldn’t send you into unsafe conditions though, so it’s probably not a bad option. It would be a lot of work to make something you’re not passionate about though, so it might make more…[Read more]

I have tried many adhesives and do not recommend any of them, but two that other people have recommended (I have not used them because they’re not available where I live) are HH-66 and Stabond. They will stick to the fabric, but I don’t know if they’ll stick to a magnet. You may have better luck heat sealing a piece of fabric over the magnet to…[Read more]

In your situation I would rent packrafts for the event – much less stress and more time for training.

You can iron attachment points to the inside of the floor piece where it’s exposed between the ends of the tube pieces… that’s probably easiest.

It’s just double coated, and that’s where the extra weight comes from.