Congratulations on being invited on your first multi-day river trip! If you're like most people, you're probably wondering what gear you'll need for the adventure. And, you've come to the right place! Most of the gear you'll need for a multi-day river trip is specialized and likely not something you already own, so unless your friends have multiples to spare, or you're going on a commercial trip that provides equipment, you'll need to invest in a few new items. Colorado Kayak Supply (CKS) put together this guide to help you gear up for your first awesome river adventure. There is a lot of gear out there, and making the right choice can be overwhelming if you don’t have someone pointing you in the right direction.
Chances are you already have a tent, sleeping bag, and decent outdoor clothing for camping, but you are going to need some good dry bags, a PFD (lifejacket), a helmet and other basic river gear to make your first trip a success. I’ve used a lot of gear in my time as a river trip enthusiast, and I hope that some of my tips + reviews will be helpful to you in navigating your gear choices as you invest in the items you need to be ready for your first trip.
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If you're going on a multi-day river trip, you'll need a couple dry bags to keep your clothes, camping gear and other essentials dry. There is a staggering selection; from duffels, to roll tops, to backpack-style NRS Bill's Bags. Think of dry bags as an investment, and don’t go for the cheapest thing that will get the job done. There is no bigger bummer than when your stuff gets wet because your dry bag leaked. You'll need two drybags: a large overnight bag, and a smaller personal bag for day use. The best overnight bags are the ones that are built-to-last and user friendly. After owning many different styles of drybags, I’ve found that I prefer duffel-style bags, since they allow for easier gear access. A bag around 80 Liters should do the job, but I used a 110 liter NRS Bill's Bag for a 2 1/2 week long Grand Canyon trip. This bag will carry your sleeping bag, pillow, tent, warm layers, personal sand mat, book, extra clothes ( & costumes)!
The best overnight bags are the ones that are built-to-last and user friendly. After owning many different styles of drybags, I’ve found that I prefer duffel-style bags, since they allow for easier gear access. A bag around 80 Liters should do the job, but I used a 110 liter NRS Bill's Bag for a 2 1/2 week long Grand Canyon trip. This bag will carry your sleeping bag and pillow, tent, warm layers for camp, a set of extra clothes and a personal sand mat. Avoid bags with zippers over about 50L; If the zipper fails, especially on a large bag, you are in not the greatest situation on a river trip. There isn’t really much of a back-up plan and the zippers get defeated by small grains you can barely see, like the silt that is ever-present in the water on many desert river trips. A roll-top bag or roll-top duffel is going to be way more dependable. The only exception in my opinion is the Watershed closure system, because it can’t break like a zipper can.
When you're on the river, your overnight bag will be packed away most of the day, so having a personal “day bag” that is small and convenient is important. This bag has the items you want to keep closer to you during the day, and it will help make sure that you have what you need if the weather changes. Stay Away From Clear Personal Bags! Crows and Ravens are very smart creatures and have become accustomed to seizing the opportunity to steal food, or what they think might be food, from river campsites. On runs like the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, Crows are known to look through the clear drybags when your back is turned, and if they see anything shiny or something resembling food, they will peck holes in your drybag to get to it.
What To Pack In Your Day/Personal Dry Bag
- Rain Jacket / Splash Top
- Dry snacks
- Sunscreen & Chapstick
- Insect repellent (and a mosquito net, if recommended)
- Quick-cooling scarf or sarong (to dip in water and cool-off)
- Camera and/or iPhone
- Small Rechargeable Battery Bank
- Headlamp
- Warm Hat & Sun Hat
- Any personal medications
You will definitely want to invest in a new PVC-coated sleeping mat for your multi-day raft trip. These PVC-coated mats are most commonly referred to as “Paco Pads” are truly 100% waterproof and made specifically for rafting. What they lack in packability they make up for with comfort, durability, and dependability. These things are so waterproof we actually use them to float around in flatwater like pool toys! The PVC that these are made out of is as durable and thick as the PVC used to construct rafts. They boast the best puncture resistance of any inflatable pad. You would literally need to camp on shards of glass for one of these to spring a leak.
PRO TIP: Put your Paco Pads on the ground first, then place your tent over the top. This protects the floor from puncture and creates a comfortable pad to crawl around on. Also, the landing pads may be muddy or dirty from being on the boats all day, so setting them up underneath your tent keeps the dirt outside. Bring a sheet or a tapestry to lay down on the tent floor before your sleeping bags! Tent floors tend to be dirty and throwing this down as a rug of sorts makes it easier to keep the tent clean.
A lifejacket, aka PFD is an essential piece of gear. Get a Type III PFD, something that is comfortable, low profile, and functional, without being more than you need. I highly recommend Astral or Kokatat PFDs. These offer industry-leading features and durability with excellent flotation. Stay away from Type V Rescue Vests. These will cost you another $100 and you don't need their additional features.
Along with a PFD, you’re probably going to need a helmet. On many river trips you will only throw your helmet on for the bigger rapids, but on others, the continuous gradient (slope) of the river means that you’re hitting rapids all day and you’ll be in your helmet pretty much the whole time you’re on the water. Examples of this include Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River, or Arizona’s Upper Salt River. Chances are, someone has a lender helmet or something that will work for that first trip, but having your own helmet means that it fits correctly & comfortably, and you aren’t stewing in someone else’s old sweat all day. Wearing a helmet in most cases isn’t a fashion statement. While many people buy helmets based on the way they look, I would recommend heading down to your local retailer and actually trying some on before pulling the trigger. Buy a helmet that is what you need, without features you don’t. Outside of crazy people running big waterfalls, you won’t ever see someone on a raft with a full-face helmet, and it's pretty rare to see a full-cut helmet either (helmets with rigid ear protection). Stick to half-cuts with a decent brim and you’ll thank yourself.
You’re going to be spending a lot of time on the boats in the sun during a multi-day rafting trip, with little shade availability. Sunscreen starts to feel like it’s not doing anything and you’ll be miserable on some floats if you don’t have a good strategy for keeping cool and protected. Sun-protection layers are a must-have for any multi-day rafting trip! I highly recommend buying a silkweight NRS long-sleeve tee-shirt. These provide the same sun protection as a rashguard, but are breathable and will keep you cool on a hot day.
The majority of injuries during river trips tend to happen in two places: climbing on and off boats at camp, and while scouting rapids. Many of these injuries happen, in part, as a result of poor grip from poor footwear. Especially on trips with very rocky beaches and scrambly scouts, closed-toe water shoes are where it's at. You can shop my favorite brands below. Stay away from open-toed shoes, as well as flip flop sandals. While you’ll see a lot of guides wearing sandals like Chacos, the truth is that you end up chipping your toenails, cutting your feet, and getting rocks in-between your shoe and foot all the time. They are great because they dry quickly, but that’s about it. If you really love your Chacos, save them for camp.
