Unroll it on the bank, sweep the air bag a few times, top it up by mouth, and you are afloat. No pump. Most people have the technique down on their first outing.
The air bag technique
Unroll the packraft and lay it flat. Attach the air bag to the main valve on the tube. The bag connects straight to the valve and moves a big volume of air per scoop.
Open the bag wide and sweep it through the air in a broad arc, catching as much as you can. Fold the open end over on itself two or three times to seal it, then roll the bag toward the valve to push the air into the tube. Repeat until the tube starts to firm up.
Four to six sweeps gets the main tube most of the way there. It is faster than it sounds. Nothing to charge, no batteries to check, nothing to forget at the car.
Topping up by mouth
The air bag gets the tube close. The last bit of firmness comes from the top-up valve. Seal the main valve, open the top-up valve, and blow straight into it. A few steady breaths is all it takes.
In through the nose, out through the valve. Firm, controlled breaths, not fast and shallow ones. When the tube pushes back against your breath, it is done.
Firm, not drum-tight
Seeka guidance is simple: inflate until the tubes feel firm, not drum-tight. Press your thumb into the side of the tube. It should give a little, not spring back like a basketball.
A drum-tight tube is overinflated. That matters most on a warm day when the packraft sits on a sunny bank before launch. Air expands as it heats. If the tubes are already at maximum pressure before you get on the water, the extra expansion stresses the seams. Firm, and no further.
Temperature on the water and on the bank
Cold water softens tubes. Launch onto an alpine lake or a snowmelt river and the tubes lose some firmness within a few minutes. That is normal. A short top-up by mouth once you are afloat brings them back.
In direct sun on the bank, the opposite happens. The air warms and the tubes tighten. If you inflated in shade and carried the packraft to a sunny launch, check the firmness before you get in. Let a little air out through the top-up valve if it feels too tight.
Check firmness at the put-in, not just at the car. Conditions change over even a short walk.
Deflating and rolling for the walk out
Open the main valve fully and fold the tube onto itself to push the air out. Work from bow to stern, pressing firmly as you roll. Once most of the air is gone, open the top-up valve for the last of it.
A dry packraft rolls tighter than a wet one. Packing at the water edge, shake off what you can before you roll. Fold the packraft lengthways, then roll from the bow. A strap or the carry bag keeps it compact for the walk.
Wet fabric is fine for the day. Rinse and dry the packraft fully before it goes away for longer. Sand and grit that dry inside the tube work against the seams over time.
Common mistakes
Chasing drum-tight pressure is the big one. Firm is the target. Drum-tight adds nothing on the water and puts real stress on the seams in warm conditions.
Dragging a half-inflated packraft across gravel or sand is hard on the fabric. Inflate fully before you move the hull over anything rough. Carry it if you need to.
Sand in the valve is easy to prevent. At sandy put-ins, keep the valve caps on until you are ready to inflate. Grit in a valve stops it sealing cleanly. If it happens, flush the valve with fresh water.
Leaving the top-up valve open after inflation is the last one. Before you push off, confirm both the main valve and the top-up valve are closed. An open valve lets air out slowly across the whole paddle.
Every Seeka self-bails and carries a two-year warranty on materials and welding. Or hire one for a weekend first.