Clothing for River Trips

If you're planning to take a river rafting trip with a commercial guide service, they will probably provide specialized items such as neoprene wetsuit, neoprene boots, helmet, and dry bags in which to pack your clothes. But you are responsible to bring proper clothing and it will be up to you to select clothing suitable for the conditions. Below are some suggestions to guide you and information about particularly desirable clothing for whitewater rafting trips.

Dress for Extremes

Even the most glorious mid-summer weather forecast can still include surprise thunderstorms in the mountains where white water rivers are located. A hot July day can end with a thunderstorm with hail and wind that cause temperatures to plunge in minutes. And mountain storms can be exceptionally violent. We've witnessed a 'micro burst' and it was amazingly powerful, like a locomotive coming down the canyon.

Seriously bad weather is not your only concern. Getting splashed in the bow of a raft can be fun in the sun, but not so much fun on an overcast day. Headwinds can cause bow spray that can keep all raft passengers wet and chilly on an otherwise warm day, and upstream winds are a pretty common occurrence in canyons. And of course, white water rivers are often cold, so any splash can be chilling.

If you plan to go rafting during the spring, all the more chance of less-than-ideal weather. So, on every river trip, bring clothes to keep warm in cold, rain, and wind. But don't bring too much gear. Remember all your personal gear must fit in the fairly limited space of waterproof 'dry bags'. Ideally, you would plan to wear virtually everything you've brought if it turns very cold. And cold-weather clothes don't do much good if they are buried deep down in the luggage when a storm comes up. We keep everyone's 'storm clothes' and wetsuits in a special dry bag that's easy to get to when weather blows in.

Long Sleeves and Long Pants

A day at the beach is fun. A week on the river with limited shade can take its toll. So bring along serious sun protection. Of course you'll want a swim suit, shorts, and lightweight shirts. But light colored long sleeve shirts can be a lifesaver in the hot sun. And pants with zip-off legs are great for switching back and forth between long pants and shorts while on the river.

Synthetics Dry Fast

Clothes that dry fast are a real blessing on white water rafting trips. Wool, while considered the traditional outdoor fabric because it keeps you somewhat warm when wet, is outdated because it doesn't dry out as fast as the modern high-tech fabrics. The new knit fabrics and fleece are better at both keeping you warm, and drying fast if they get wet, and of course they do a better job of keeping you warm when they are wet. Where wool still excels is when standing close to the fire. Bring wool if you just love to cozy up to the fire! And be careful sitting around a roaring fire in fleece pants!

Waterproof Breathable Shell

Bring a top and bottom that are both waterproof and breathable. Think in terms of layers. I recommend you bring a fleece top and fleece pants. And more fleece. Fleece over fleece with a waterproof shell over the top is warm and dry in bad weather.

Wetsuits In the Summer

The gals I travel with appreciate having a wetsuit along on every trip. There is not a much better garment when spending a rainy day on the river. Of course, in extreme conditions, and early spring trips, the only garment is a dry suit.

Bring a Hat, or Two

Ball caps are fine, but it's also nice to have a hat that shades your ears and the back of your neck. So broad-brim straw hats or cowboy hats are great to have on a river trip. Also, rafting retailers sell hat tethers which are short pieces of cord with clips on both ends. To prevent loosing your hat to the wind, clip one end of the tether to the back of your hat and the other to your life jacket. A hat lost to the river on the first day of a river trip is a bummer.

Footwear

In my opinion, sandals that use Velcro to connect the straps have no place on a white water rafting trip. If you're thrown into the river, at the point where you need foot protection the most, to fend off rocks and logs, they can be pulled off by the current. To be barefoot in fast current is a life threatening situation. On the beach, sand can make the Velcro ineffective as a closure. Bring good quality river sandals that use buckles. This is really a matter of keeping you safe, not just warm weather comfort and style.

I strongly advise the use of felt-soled shoes or boots if you're rowing your own raft on very low water trips and very high water trips. Whenever the chances are great that you will be out of your boat, standing or pushing on wet rocks, felt soles are the ticket. They give incredible traction on wet surfaces. Also boots that protect your ankles can prevent some very painful situations when you're standing on a boulder-strewn river bed.

Flip-flops are a joy to have in camp, but like Velcro, they are dangerous to wear while aboard a moving raft. Your feet take a beating all day as they are constantly wet. Going barefoot at a beach camp is fun for awhile, but having some flip-flops to change to is great when your feet start feeling abused. And sometimes the beaches are just too hot to go without footwear.

Bring a pair of tennis or running shoes or broken-in walking shoes for camp footwear and side hikes. If your campsite is not sand, there is a high risk of stubbing toes and cutting your feet. Because your feet are constantly wet and then dry and wet again, sores don't seem to heal on a rafting trip. So any cut or scratch on your feet is just going to get worse each day. Take special care of your feet from the first day. We take several rolls of waterproof rubber adhesive tape. You can find it in the first aid section at your local drugstore. Apply a strip at the first sign of any foot abrasion or nick.

Checklists

Below are the lists of clothing and personal gear each member of our river trips should bring. We reprint thes lists for each participant as a reminder in the weeks before we leave home. A good way to use these lists is to copy and paste the list into a Word document and print it out. Then make a small circle beside each item as you locate that item and put that item into the pile to go on the trip. The circle represents "located" status. Then later, on the day you actually pack to leave, put a checkmark in each circle as you pack that item into your bag.

Here are the personal items.

If you're going on a commercial trip, your guide service will probably supply at least some of the following items. If you are going on a private trip, just add this list to the personal items above.

Sittin' around A wind shell with hood on a chilly day is a good way to go Eatin' Lunch - more eatin' What is she wearing? Party clothes Better bring clothes for cold and rain