Did I see?

NaturalPath · Post by **NaturalPath** » Fri Apr 25, 2014 9:22 pm

Hey AT;

Well, I won't really have a chance to try it out until the ice melts, but it is just as I expected it to be, as far as material, workmanship and design goes. It is a bit bigger than I had expected, when folded up in the bag, but that's not a deal breaker, because it still only weighs about 4lbs. I'll be making some modifications to suit my own personal preferences, like adding some nylon strapping to the underside of the bow, to protect it somewhat from abrasion due to landing on rugged shorelines. Also, I will be adding some nylon strapping on top of the bow, with a loop right at the tip of the bow, to be used as a hitch, in order to tow the Packlite, as a cargo trailer, behind my AdvancedFrame. I may also try my hand at designing a removable tracking fin, but that will be later on. I will be adding a heavy canvas covering for the floor of the Packlite. I use my kayaks with my hiking boots on, and the floor usually takes a lot of punishment. I used a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet in my AdvancedFrame, and that's worked out real well, so I figured I'd use some heavy canvas in the Packlite to keep the weight down. All these modifications are for my own personal preference, and I'm not, at all, suggesting that AE did not do a good enough job on design. I understand that they wanted to make it a light as possible, while still retaining enough durability to suit its purpose. The things that I'm adding won't add all that much weight, but I feel they are needed for the way I intend to use the Packlite. I also made a very minimal seat for it, which is wrapped in towel material, which can be used to wipe down the Packlite before I pack it up.

NaturalPath · Post by **NaturalPath** » Sat Apr 26, 2014 7:13 am

Just to finish things off, so that everything is perfectly clear, here is a picture of my little Intex pump, with the modified Packlite adapter on the end of the hose. It just pushes on, and pulls off. When it's off, the fitting on the Intex pump does fit over the twist valve on the Packlite also, so it can be used to pump up the floor.

Post by **JCOOLEY** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 8:32 am

ATPringles wrote:JCOOLEY, the storage bag for my Packlite is stamped, on the inside, with "Coach". Any idea why?

Also, I have a few air pumps, but only the one that came with my West Marine AE boat has a notch in the end that holds the various sized input adapters. Is there a way to buy a couple of those tubes that have that slot, or to make a slot in the other pumps? I hope that's clear. Somebody who's handy probably would already know what to do... .

I tried my Packlite in the pool the other night (Rolling night at the pool!). It tracks nicely. I think it tracks a bit better than my whitewater kayak, though no where near as well as my sea kayak. I would expect it to not track as well as the sea kayak, but was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get it to go straight. I thought it would be a bit more like my whitewater boats. I'm excited about getting it outside to explore a couple of backcountry lakes.

Thanks.

Pringles

Coach is the person who inspected before being packed up.
NaturalPath is very handy and did a great job to get the adaptor to fit to the non-Advanced Elements pump.

ATPringles · Post by **ATPringles** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 2:50 pm

Thanks for the answers. I'll try the modification to the tube.

Natural Path, having just driven through your neck of the country yesterday, I can see why you might be interested in reinforcing the hull a little. It's beautiful country! (But so many places are.

)

NaturalPath · Post by **NaturalPath** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 3:54 pm

Hey AT;

Just a tip..... Before you cut the adapter that came with the Packlite, find some garden hose that you think might work and cut the 1" piece of that first. Then see if that 1" piece will fit on the end of the pump hose you intend to use for your Packlite. It should fit on quite snug. It will loosen a bit over time, and use. Once you are satisfied that it fits well enough on the end of the pump hose that you are gong to use, if you don't have another expendable flex hose, like the one that is on the Packlite adapter, you will have to cut the adapter where I indicated in the pics, and see if that piece of 1" garden hose fits nicely inside the hose on the adapter. Once all that is done, it's just a matter of gluing the piece of 1" garden hose inside of the Packlite adapter hose. Any type of glue that works on plastic should be fine. I used that two part epoxy that comes in a syringe. If you have any problems just give me a shout and I'll do what I can to help you out.

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. Did you get a chance to look around the area a bit? I can't get enough of it, and there is a lifetime of exploring in this immediate area, so I won't run out of new places to see. If you would like to see more of it, just check out my blog at;

http://presentlytravelling.wordpress.com/

Now that the ice age is over, I've been getting out and about again, and I have a feeling that the first launch of the Packlite will be happening quite soon.

ATPringles · Post by **ATPringles** » Mon Apr 28, 2014 4:14 pm

Thanks for the added information!

I didn't get much time to look around, but it is certainly a beautiful area. I can't complain about where I live, though. It's different than the Shield area, but nice in a different way. So many places... .

Pringles

Hailey · Post by **Hailey** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:45 am

ATPringles wrote:Drats. I'm likely to have to buy one. Are they durable? I don't have an alpaca, but I got a flytepacker raft. It is light and fits in my pack, but the thing doesn't like to be steered. Also check this amazing review of https://legalsteroids.best/ Legal Steroids and find the best bulking cylce. This weights about the same and has a pointy end, so I hope that helps with steering! It looks fun. Thanks for the info.

Oh, the Flytepacker uses the airbag pump to blow up. It's pretty ingenious. I was surprised at how well it worked.

Alapacka Packraft For Great Lake USE, RECOMMENDATIONS?