“My packraft seems to be losing air slowly…”
Sound familiar? Before you start hunting for a puncture, there’s one often-overlooked culprit worth checking first: a missing gasket (O-ring seal) inside the valve cap of the Alpacka Raft Temper Assist Valve.
Under normal circumstances, the gasket sits firmly in place and won’t fall out on its own. But if you’ve packed your raft with the valve cap left off — or even just loosely closed — the gasket can quietly slip out without you noticing.
Why the Valve Cap Matters
The valve cap on the Temper Assist Valve isn’t just a dust cover. It serves two critical functions:
Complete airtight sealing of the inflation chamber, and preventing moisture from entering the packraft interior.
In other words, the valve is only truly sealed when the cap is screwed on. The raft is not self-sealing without it.
How the Temper Assist Valve Works
The Temper Assist Valve features a wide-bore opening that makes both inflation and deflation remarkably smooth. It’s not a simple one-way valve — instead, it works in conjunction with a spring mechanism that opens as air passes through and closes automatically as internal pressure rises. This design is what allows you to achieve high air pressure with relatively little effort.
That said, all of this performance depends entirely on one condition: the valve cap and its internal gasket must be intact and in good shape.
Field Fix: What to Do If You Lose the Gasket
If you discover a missing gasket out in the field, here’s a practical workaround: wrap a small piece of plastic bag around the valve and screw the cap down over it. It’s not a perfect seal, but it’s more than enough to get you down the river or off the mountain safely.
Two Habits That Prevent Most Problems
① Keep a spare gasket in your repair kit. It’s a tiny component, weighs nothing, and could save your trip.
② Always close the valve cap before packing or rolling your raft. This single habit eliminates the most common cause of gasket loss.
These two steps alone will prevent the majority of Temper Assist Valve issues — and keep that slow air leak from becoming a slow trip leak.
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