Pacradomus: some experiments with a packraft as a mini-house

[Kosmo Maton]

Hello,

I am posting this in parallel to a post at packrafting.org, as I have been told it might be of interest here. I do realise there is a 'packraft' section on this forum, but I feel this is not entirely about packrafting per se. Moderators: feel free to move if wrong choice.

For a while I have been pondering how one might live a self-powered, mobile, healthy and acceptably comfortable life; and how this might work on a societal scale.

After acquiring a packraft this has gone from speculation to a little experimentation. This is my particular take at 'lightweight travel with packraft', featuring a big duffel bag on the bow to keep all your stuff, and simple tricks to make the packraft into a mini-tent with minimal extra gear (the whole thing floats, but can equally be used on land too).

Don't expect an account of 5 years on the (watery) road. These are just first attempts.

Read and watch pics at http://veminra.net/#Seahorse%20noocracy%3A%20the%20pacradomus

The weights involved here (20kg and up a bit) may seem out of place on a '…light' forum, but we are talking 'home' rather than 'pared-down gear set for a specific trip'.

I hope this is useful. Comments welcome. Keep the groove,

K.

Edit: let me add a picture:

[James Castleberry]

Thanks for the link! Dmitry Orlov (cluborlov.blogspot.com) has often extolled the virtues of boat living, especially in an uncertain future. I think you have done him one better!

[Kosmo Maton]

And thank you for your link, James! I hadn't heard of him, but his site looks most interesting (and funny).

I just read his "New Age of Sail" article. It is very close to what I have in mind in many ways; though he seems less optimistic about the chances of technological progress to keep that 'uncertain future' from sliding back to pre-industrial material levels. Alas, ain't no crystal ball to see the truth of the matter.

Part of my point is that we don't need to wait to feel the pinch of fossil fuel dearth, climate change, or what-have-you, to enter that new age of sail (and horses etc.). It seems a good thing to try even if calamities do not happen, a good thing to have tried even in the 'carefree' 1990s. And *particularly* if we manage to pull off the energy/resources/tech challenge, to combine the best of the pre- and post-industrial modes.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Why not!

But why don't you turn the boat over and sleep under? It seems that a CCF foam pad would work as floorboards for the boat under way and could then be used for sleep. I get the willies thinking about sleeping in the boat and poking holes it it. I do get the comfort of a rubber bumper all around sleeping in it upright.

[Kosmo Maton]

Hi Dale,

> why don't you turn the boat over and sleep under?

Mainly because I wanted a system with which you can sleep on the water, too. And I just happened to find the 'nest' formed by the hull tubes and the air seat surprisingly comfortable. Plus, turns out the tent-like setup is a great body-heat trap, reducing the amount of sleeping textile you need.

If you didn't have the floatability requirement, your suggestion might work. However, due to the shape of the boat (it is not very big, and curved) a stable and sufficiently protecting shelter might be tricky. Of course, you could just play the filling in a sleeping pad/deflated packraft sandwich.

Poking holes /is/ a risk. Though it would not be that big when moored on a proper patch of water. When deployed on land, I've used a sleeping pad under the bottom of the boat (also for added insulation) and taken the usual care to remove stones and thorns first. Still, best to always carry tape.

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