Grand Canyon Rafting: Favorite (& Hated) Gear

Drybags are a must on a rafting trip, and they’re not something you want to skimp on (unless you’re not concerned about your gear getting wet). Invest in good drybags that will keep your gear dry in the event of a flip. I carried all my gear in three Watershed bags – two 75-liter Colorado bags and one 22-liter Chattooga bag as my day bag. These bags are incredibly durable and, most importantly, waterproof. Would 100% buy and use again. Everyone on our trip who went with less expensive options (because these bags aren’t cheap), wished they had spent a little more for Watershed bags. Just remember to keep the zippers closed when they’re not in use to prevent sand from getting in the zippers.

I did a lot of searching for a speaker to bring with me on the trip and landed on the Tribit XSound Go Speaker – it’s Bluetooth, has fantastic battery life, is USB-C, has an IPX7 waterproof rating (i.e. can be fully submerged into 1-meter deep water for up to 30 minutes), and is plenty loud. It can also control your phone’s media with the speaker’s buttons. I beat the crap out of this speaker and filled it with sand and water on multiple occasions; it’s still going strong – highly recommended.

My Bogs Classic High Boots were a must-have, possibly my favorite piece of gear on the trip. I wore them nearly the entire time we were at camp and they kept my feet both dry and warm. If you’re wondering why you need a pair of waterproof boots, it’s because you’ll not want to get your feet wet going in/out of boats to get things (e.g. food and drink) or when you’re going pee (you pee in the river). Love these things.

I brought two different pairs of gloves on the trip thinking that I would row with each of them. Neither worked out. Fortunately, another member of the trip had an extra pair of Glacier Gloves they let me use. The Glacier Gloves were the only gloves I rowed in (and I rowed with gloves on for probably 90% of the trip). Fingerless gloves were a terrible mistake. Would 100% use glacier gloves again.

Despite the naming conventions of Paco Pads being incredibly annoying, confusing, and not at all intuitive, they are great products. I had a Full Paco, which is 1.5 in / 3.8 cm thick, and my partner had an El Grande Paco Pad, which is 3 in / 7.6 cm thick. I was incredibly jealous of the El Grande Paco and felt like my Full Paco was nothing next to it. If I were to do it all over again, I would get myself an El Grande.

You spend a lot of time at camp on a Grand Canyon rafting trip, and while at camp, you’ll spend a lot of time in your chair (yes, bring a chair). I had a NEMO Stargaze, and it was awesome. Did the rest of the group make fun of me at first? Yes. Were they all jealous of my chair by the end of the trip? Yes. It’s surprisingly easy to set up and break down. My only complaint is that it just barely fits back into its bag (i.e., I wish the bag was a little bigger).

One thing that I was incredibly grateful to have brought with me was plenty of locking carabiners. I used these to attach my gear to the boat – my day bag, cell phone case, water bottle, and map. I would have at least six with me (and would be sure to have an extra). I would recommend not using the auto-lock or twist-lock carabiners as the sand (which gets everywhere) really gunks them up. My screwgate carabiners worked far better (despite also getting incredibly sandy).

I used a Pelican R60 Waterproof Case to hold my phone while on the boat. I attached it to the boat with a cam strap and with a locking carabiner that I attached to a thick piece of cord threaded through the wider handle. I kept my phone in here because 1) it is waterproof (the case) and 2) I didn’t trust my phone elsewhere. We had one member of our group who lost a phone to the river, and I had no plans to do the same. In addition to my phone, the case also held a few other smaller pieces of gear.

This may be more of a winter necessity, but I can’t imagine it would be any less great to have along during months with more daylight – light-up bocce ball was a huge hit on the river. We had a number of games with us (including Spikeball, Kuub, and a light-up Frisbee), but bocce was by far the most popular. Maybe it depends on the group, or maybe bocce is objectively the best of the beach games. Regardless, I suggest bringing something in this vein for the group to play.

Yes, the Watershed Drybags are awesome, but that doesn’t mean you should have some extra protection for your gear. I used (thick) contractor bags inside my dry bags, dry boxes, and ammo cans as a second layer of protection against water. Are these absolutely necessary? No, but I found them useful (and durable). They also help to keep dirty gear separate from clean gear (e.g., your boots).

If you’ve never had split tips before, consider yourself lucky. I thought that “I would be fine” as far as my hands went, but I was quickly proven wrong. You’ll want (and need) some hand cream, lotion, or moisturizer with you in Grand Canyon, and you’ll want a lot of it. If you have something that you already know works for you, bring it. If not, I used O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Hand Cream and was happy. Lastly, I suggest keeping it handy at all times.

If you want to be everyone’s friend on your Grand Canyon rafting trip, bring a Thera Cane Massager. If you’ve never seen one of these before and the sight of it scares you, fear not. It will quickly become your new best friend – especially if you’re rowing. It’s a simple but effective device (i.e., a curved piece of plastic with some nubs) that can do wonders massaging your shoulders and back. You should probably bring two because once you let the group borrow yours, it’ll be tough to get it back.

I had three cameras on my Grand trip – my phone, my expensive camera, and my GoPro. The GoPro was awesome for keeping out all day, taking videos of the rapids, and playing with on the boat. This is literally one of the use cases it’s designed for – an extreme, wet, and hostile environment. If you want to capture content without worrying about your phone or camera being destroyed, I recommend adding a GoPro (and some stick/pole/mount) to your packing list.

I spoke to many rafters before starting my trip; one thing nobody ever mentioned was walkie-talkies. Yes, you can use hand signals to communicate on the river, but wouldn’t walkie-talkies be better? I thought so and brought a set of DEWALT DXFRS800 Heavy Duty Walkie-Talkies. They worked out great. We had one on each boat and one for our kayaker. They have an IP67 rating, which means they’re dust/sandproof and waterproof when submerged at 3 ft / 1 m for up to 30 minutes. We charged them with our Jackery power bank (they’re not USB rechargeable), and we were glad to have them with us.

Every boat should have at least one guidebook, and it’s not a bad idea for passengers to have their own. If you’re a fan of thru-hiking, then you already know about FarOut Guides – and now they have a guide for the Colorado River through Grand Canyon as well! This came out shortly after I finished my trip, but I wish I had had it along with me to supplement the RiverMaps Guide (which I also recommend – check that you’re getting the most current edition). Just make sure you’ve got somewhere to stash your phone for the rapids (like the above Pelican case).

Yes, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Pods are an ultralight piece of gear, but they’re also incredibly useful for organizing gear inside of a 75-liter drybag. You don’t have to get something this light/expensive for your clothing (that’s what I used the pods for), but I would suggest having something to separate your clean/dirty clothing and/or your river/camp/costume clothing. Or you can just be a savage and throw everything unfolded into your bag – whatever makes you happy.

I would never go on another Grand trip without Tupperware. Leftover dinner? Want to pack breakfast for lunch? Lunch for lunch? Snacks? Get a Tupperware. Just make sure to get a plastic one (glass on the river is not a good idea). I also suggest getting one with a latch/locking lid. Sand can gunk up the screw-on or press-on lids.