DIY Packraft Internal Drybags

January 29th, 2025

It's a known issue Alpacka’s “Small” cargo fly dry bags were sized for the V2 and don't fit in the V3. I emailed them about this and the recommendation was “pack them loosely”, which for me was a dealbreaker.

Also, the bags that Alpacka sells are the most reliably waterproof dry bags I have found, which makes them awesome for canyoneering but overkill for use inside a Tizip. 

For these reasons, I made my own and they are half the weight of the blue ones while being longer.

I used Ultra 200x which is an ideal material for these because it's light, strong, and seam tape sticks to it very well. Its durability is probably excessive and lighter materials (DCF) could be used. Cheaper materials can be used too, but I feel less confident in the way tape sticks to Ecopack.

Mine are 24” in circumference and 36” long. I made them with a hexagonal flat base to make packing easier, but a flat, tapered design like Alpacka would be easier to sew and tape. I sewed buckles into the seam about 10” from the bottom so they can be clipped in place. My buckles don't match the Alpacka ones but that's fine because I put my own inside the boat. They just have to be for ¾” webbing.

I taped the seams with Challenge Sailcoth’s tape, but I think Tyvek tape (most packrafters have it) would work well. The top of the bag has a plastic stiffener sewn into a rolled hem (you could use Velcro instead). The closure buckles are just attached to short webbing pieces sewn to the rim.

In testing, they are certainly not as airtight as other dry bags, but they are good enough for me. It is extraordinarily rare that these bags will come in contact with water (I once had a full Tizip blowout while paddling and only about a cup of water got inside). In the case of a large gash or other blowout, these should keep important items dry enough. The pair weighs 8oz.