When going on a whitewater rafting trip, there are many preparation factors to consider to ensure that you have the best trip possible. These factors include the water temperature, the forecast for the trip, the duration of the trip, and some other good items to bring. Most guiding outfitters will provide you with a list of things to bring, and it is best to follow all recommendations your guide outfitter tells you. When deciding on what to wear for a whitewater rafting trip, consider what the water temperature is like. Even if it is very warm and sunny outside, an unintentional swim in the river is always possible so you should dress for how cold the water temperature is. If you are rafting a whitewater section during the colder months of the year, your outfitter will provide you with a wetsuit and some type of water-resistant top to keep you warm. Make sure to always wear quick-dry layers, and not cotton underneath the wetsuit to stay as warm as possible. Wetsuits provide warmth by heating up the water as it enters the wetsuit. As a result of this, a wetsuit can be very warm when you are wet. However, oftentimes when a wetsuit becomes dry it provides you with very little warmth. For this reason, some outfitters will either provide you with a drysuit or recommend that you rent one from elsewhere when rafting on a very cold stretch of river. Unlike the wetsuit, drysuits keep you warm by keeping your under layers completely dry even when getting submerged or splashed by water. Latex gaskets on the wrists and neck of a drysuit make it so that no water can enter the suit and cause your layers to become wet. This is why for longer and colder whitewater rafting trips, the drysuit is the superior method in keeping you warm.

Another factor to consider when going whitewater rafting is the weather forecast for the trip. It may be sunny and warm when you show up to go rafting, but the weather can quickly take a turn for the worst. This is why it is always good to bring extra warm layers and a rain jacket. If the sunny trip you hoped for ends up being a rainy one, the good news is that you’re already getting wet on the river anyway and so it doesn’t make too much of a difference. In my experience, some of the best and most exciting trips have been when the weather is poor. It doesn’t matter if the weather is bad, as long as you are prepared with warm layers.

The duration of your trip is another big factor that you should consider when preparing for your whitewater rafting trip. If your trip is only a half-day or a day trip, you probably only have to worry about bringing some clothes to get wet, good water shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, extra layers, water, and snacks. Flip flops or shoes that easily fall off your feet are not considered to be good water shoes, because if you happen to fall out of the raft you will most likely lose your footwear. It is also a good idea to invest in some Croakies or Chums if you have expensive sunglasses that you do not want to lose. Basically, anything that you are worried about losing you should either leave behind or find a way to secure it in the raft. This includes phones, jewelry, watches, etc. One of the most common things that people lose on the river is a wedding ring, as a wedding ring can easily slip off of your finger when you try to pull yourself up into the raft. There is no better way to ruin the fun on a rafting trip than by trying to explain to your significant other that you just lost the expensive ring they bought for you, so it is best to just leave such items behind.

If you are embarking on a multi-day rafting trip, your packing list becomes much more exciting and fun. Your outfitter will provide most of the items necessary for a multi-day river trip, such as camping gear and food. This leaves you in charge of packing your own clothes for on and off the river, as well as entertainment for the trip. Entertainment on the river looks a little different than entertainment in our day-to-day lives. TV, phones, and the internet are replaced with books, cards, and fun river games. It is also a rafting tradition to have a costume day on the river, so consider coordinating a costume day with your group and guides. You can fit a lot of gear onto a raft, so you might as well bring whatever you can to create the most fun trip possible!