PACKRAFT REPAIR

Packrafts are made of lightweight materials and will require maintenance and repair under normal use.  Knowing how to repair your raft is essential to a successful packrafting experience.  Read the the information in these tabs carefully. Be Prepared! Be patient! Use an extra pair of hands if available. Dealing with tape, glues, and fabrics can easily get out of hand. Think through your repair before starting. 

A note on fabrics:  Demonstrated here by Alpacka and the materials they use but it will work with most fabrics use for packrafts.   Alpacka’s current fabric (from 2014 on) has urethane only on one side (the outside) of the fabric, which significantly improves tear strength.  The inside of these tubes resembles a woven fabric and does not feel smooth like plastic.   This is called the “Uncoated” side.  It is important to know which type of fabric you have so you are prepared to fix it.  Look inside the dump valve, or stick your finger inside and scratch the fabric, if it feels smooth and a bit shiny, then it is double coated.  If it looks and feels like a nylon jacket, its a single coated fabric.