Comments on Equipment for River Rafting Trips
For many of us, acquiring and messing around with our whitewater rafting gear is a passion. There's much more to our rafting and camp equipment than simply a one-time shopping event. The gear dimension is a favorite aspect of the sport. And there is much time to think about it between river trips. Perfection is always a few little tweaks away. So, with no further ado, here are some random thoughts that shape my gear selection:
Quality and durability
It's easy to rave about the need for quality when so much is riding on the performance of your river rafting gear. But that doesn't necessarily mean cost. For me, it's more about design and engineering, than cost. And certain items are simply right, regardless of the cost. I'm still using some little $5 chairs I found at WalMart about 5 years ago. The materials are good, the design is simple, they're light, compact, and reasonably comfortable, and they have lasted well. They've stood up to my two 6 ft sons. I've been back there a few times looking for more, but no luck. The shelves are now filled with junk. Keep your eye out for little marvels of equipment that you happen to stumble onto.
I've seen a weak old boat punctured in the first 5 miles of a week-long trip. It was patched, in part, by sewing up the gash with dental floss. I've got to give credit to the group who made the repairs, but I sure wouldn't want the stress of that old thing popping again hanging over my head for a whole week. What a way to put a damper on a river trip. Your time on the river is precious. Don't compromise quality when it comes to your vacation.
Opportunistic shopping
There is lots of rafting gear that few or no merchants sell. Hand washing stations, sand anchors, really comfortable and efficient camp chairs, fixtures to attach ammo boxes and rocket boxes to frames and floors. Be on the lookout for the rare items, and the bits that you can cobble together to make the stuff you need. Looking for this stuff is half the fun. Our hand washing station is made from a collapsible leg from a camera tripod, attached with a C-clamp to a drywall bucket. A foot-powered bulb pump from a outboard motor gas line sends the water up to your hands, and the soapy water falls into a collapsable bucket. The whole rig disappears into the boat, with all parts tucked into the bucket with the collapsible bucket nested over the top as a lid.
Everything in its place
Each year we seem to take less gear. We don't do without, we just take less. Or maybe it just seems that way because each year our equipment sort of sifts its way into the boat, settling down into a tighter and more compact load. Gear selection becomes a matter of figuring out what things go best where. Loading the boat each morning becomes a simpler and simpler task each trip we take.
Beware of entrapment hazards
I strive to get everything into a box, mesh bag, or compartment and leave nothing to be loose on deck. You don't have to flip the boat to kill someone. Entrapment may be the number one danger on the river. Keep a tight ship. Stories abound about entrapment hazards where folks fall overboard and yet catch a hand or foot in a loose coil or loop. Inspect your boat regularly. The sport can bite and the pain can last a lifetime. I strive for a compact load. Nesting is good. Protruding is bad. Sharp ends or loops are the worst of all. And no knots in any rope on deck. A rope overboard with a knot in it will hang up immediately between rocks and stop your boat in its tracks. No joke, it's Murphy's Law. In fact, all rope needs to be in small net bags; you can buy them cheap at REI.
I've heard "he who dies with the most straps wins". I'm in good shape in this contest. But straps are an entrapment hazard too so I watch where I use them. And they stay in a bag when not in use.Ample safety gear, easy to get to
A z-drag kit, a collection of odd 'biners and bits of webbing, a few extra pullies and perlon for prusik loops, a 200' length of Spectra, a good first aid kit and a signal mirror. We keep all of this stuff in a large NRS Bill's Bag, lashed into the bow of the boat, and we fill the rest of the bag with storm jackets, fleece, hats, gloves, rain pants, spare PFD and a wet suit. The weight of it keeps the bow down, and by loosening one strap, the entire kit is available to grab and run with in an emergency.
Less is more
I've created a nice little tool box that I'm gradually eliminating tools from! Why take a Dutch oven lid lifter when you can use a pair of channel locks? Dual purpose your gear as much as you can. Avoid redundancy and wasted weight. Decide who is bringing what. Rely on reliable and like-minded friends so that together you have 'just enough, nothing less, nothing more'.
GPS makes for better and safer trips
Most people equate GPS with finding their location and finding campsites and features in the river corridor. But another great benefit is to always know your speed. While on the river we are vagabonds, but calculating vagabonds. We want to drift and wander, and linger at the historical and geologic features we find, but we still want to make it to camp at a reasonable hour. Our GPS makes this happen.
Prepare for temperature and weather extremes
In a separate document I've provided our equipment check lists. Probably more important than all the group gear is the list of personal gear, no boater should be without. White water happens in the mountains. So does major weather, and it can change fast. Not only do we all carry clothes for both extremes, but we keep those clothes readily accessible. But to keep the weight down you should plan to wear just about everything you brought when it gets cold!
Tight Camp
And while we're on the subject of weather, be sure to make your camp storm-proof each night. You just never know what weather is going to drift in by morning. We've camped too close for comfort to a "micro-burst". It sounded like a locomotive coming down the river a couple hours after we retired for the night. A very scary experience. Flattened the tents with us in them. Chairs and camp gear scattered in the wind. I still remember the sheer terror, sure we were about to start a forest fire, as I looked out the tent door to see the 50 foot plume of glowing embers explode from our fire-pan. We never saw it coming. But never again would we be complacent.
Bears too
I've given up hanging food in trees because they always get it! Instead, we lash all the coolers and dry boxes into a huge cube and leave them on the beach. When I hear them banging on the cube, I come out with air-horn blazing!
Your safety rides on the quality of your equipment
But more importantly, the safety of those trusting souls you are taking with you is your responsibility. They may not know the difference and may not realize the compromises that you have made. So, when you're responsible for others you owe it to them to do the best you can to prepare and to ensure their safety to the degree possible with quality equipment, well maintained. Couple that with as much knowledge as you can soak up. Practice throw-bag drills. Talk safety. Teach the kids to care about safety.
SYOTR Will