Hi My Name is Erik Halfacre and today I wanted to make a video about how we attach our packs
onto packrafts.
We've got a couple of different systems here: We've got the Packtach system by Alpacka,
and I wanted to talk a little bit about that but Ialso kind of wanted to show you maybe
a little bit of a cheaper way to accomplish a very similar attachment and something that
you don't have to order from Alpacka.
So, if you get your boat and you want to go out and do something right away and you haven't
ordered the Packtach system and you may be on Google finding this video, you can go out
today and get this hardware and go put it together and get in the water.
So this here is the packtach system by Alpacka.
This is on one of our original two boats.
It works pretty slick.
These just hook over these little hooks here and then you just pull until it's tensioned
and when you have something on there it will cam back and lock itself in place.
We'll show you that here with a backpack in just a second.
So what Jenna here is demonstrating is the Alpacka Packtach system.
She puts her pack across the front there, loosens the tensioner there.
It's real similar to the tensioners they're using on some of the new Big Agnes tents.
It comes over through the hook, and then you just pull it until it's got tension and it
automatically cams itself back and it locks into the teeth that are on that side.
You can see them right there.
And then she'll go ahead and do that with the other side.
And then that backpack is on there nice and secure.
So these little figure nine hooks right there, those are what we're going to be using.
On the boat that we're installing them on today we're actually replacing some older
plastic ones that we did have on all the boats.
All of our boats had the plastic ones on the left there until just today and all summer
long we only broke one of them across six boats that had them so they work but I think
the aluminum ones are going to be a little bit stronger and they weigh just a hair more.
In addition to that we're also going to be using some two millimeter accessory cord.
Okay so the first thing I've gone ahead and done to create our alternative to the packtach
system is I've cut this piece of two millimeter cord and I'm leaving a lot of extra past this
loop on each side and we're cutting it to go across there.
We want to leave plenty of extra because we've got a couple of knots to tie and then we'll
trim it up at the end.
So first thing we're gonna do is we're gonna take this rope and we will fold it half so
that we can find the center point and then we'll come back and you want as much loop
here basically as you want in between your hooks which here we're going to leave it probably
about five inches or so.
Fold it again and when you get to there you've got two separate loops that are equally spaced
off the center.
Now try to hold the one between your fingers while you put the loop through the other one
and then you're just going to take everything including that other loop, trying not to lose
your spot on it, so make sure you're holding that folded.
We're just gonna pull it all right through that loop there and then I'll cinch it down
and then we'll do the exact same thing with the other side.
Take that loop, pull it up enough so that we can fit all the rest of it through there
and we will pull that through and cinch it in
place and then what we'll end up with, if you look at it here... let's see... is two
equally spaced hooks on our line.
So next we're going to take the line and we will just go ahead and feed it through the
loop on each end.
We've got that one down there and then this end down here and then we'll just kind of
pull the ends until we get those hooks stationed right about centered up like that.
So, then we're just going to take and use whatever your favorite knot is for such things,
in this case I'm just going to go ahead and tie a square knot; nothing fancy, to secure
it on both ends.
And you want it to be fairly tight.
You know, we've got a little bit of slack in there and that's okay but you don't want
it to be real slack.
And then, that is secure.
Then we're just going to come along, leave ourselves a little bit of tail, but just a
couple inches because we don't want too much and then, and then we go ahead and melt that
end.
Then we'll just repeat that on the other side as well.
Lastly we just want to go ahead and tie about three feet of two millimeter cord, or maybe
a little bit more or less depending on what kind of pack you're going to be using, onto
each of the two front loops of the boat, and the I'll show you how it works.
Okay so now Jenna is going to demonstrate this method.
First we pull those green strings off to the front so the backpack doesn't end up on top
of them.
And then, you pull those lines up and over.
And then you're going to hook it through the smooth side of that figure nine hook and then
you pinch it, wrap it around, and you're going to pull it through the side with the teeth
and just snug it, and it holds itself right there.
It's going to hold plenty of tension on there and you don't have to tie any knots.
You don't have to wrap it more than just those two times and then she'll go ahead and do
it on the other side as well.
And there you have it, it is on there good and secure.
So on this boat we have the Alpacka Packtach system and on this boat we have the system
I just showed you how to set up.
Probably, a couple of big differences: this system, bought from Alpacka, that cost nineteen
dollars.
This system, if you're only using the two aluminum hooks, you can get those at REI,
or a variety of other places, but they come on Amazon as well, but I know at REI they
are two dollars and fifty cents for each of the hooks, so you're looking at five dollars
worth of hooks and then a couple of dollars really in the two millimeter cord.
If you have to buy a whole bundle it's five dollars but either way you are looking at
about ten dollars if you buy a bundle of the two millimeter cord and the two hooks or nineteen
dollars for the Alpacka system.
There is also, if you have a pair of boats and you don't mind going with the plastic,
they sell these, they're called Nite Ize is the brand, Figure Nine is the model of hook
there.
They sell four of those and all the cord in a guy line, tent guy line tightening setup.
That costs thirteen bucks, I've seen it at Fred Meyer and online at a variety of places.
So yeah, again, Alpacka's packtach system and then the Nite Ize Figure 9s being used
in much the same way.
So, thanks for watching and if you have any questions go ahead and comment below.