Rafting Clothing Guide

What to Wear:

We will provide you with the necessary equipment for your journey down the river. Complimentary gear includes helmets, person flotation devices (PFDs), and paddles. On some of our trips, or on cold days, we will provide complimentary wetsuits, splash jackets, and insulated booties. All other clothing and personal items are your responsibility to either bring along or leave in your vehicle/hotel room. All of our top-of-the-line river gear is environmentally friendly, well maintained, and thoroughly cleaned after every use.

Do NOT wear or bring on the river:

  • Cowboy boots, high heels, flip-flops, or anything similar.
  • Heavy clothing that will weigh you down in the river, such as sweats or jeans.
  • Any cotton clothing (it will keep you wet and cold).
  • Clothing that impedes your freedom of movement, like leather or formal wear.
  • Your own PFD that you use for fishing or jet skiing.
  • Smaller personal items such as jewelry, keys, electronics, and wallets (if you decide to bring, we do have lockers to keep these items safe)

What to wear and bring on the river:

  • Shoes that will stay on your feet in swift moving water or while swimming, and are okay to get dirty or wet. Chacos, Keens, Tevas, and watershoes that have a heel strap are all great.
  • Swimsuits, quick dry clothing, SPF clothing.
  • Sunglasses with Chums, Croakies, or something to hold them on.
  • Baseball cap or visor to wear under your helmet.
  • Apply sunscreen before getting on the water.
  • Dry clothes and towels for after the trip.
  • Water.

For rafting in colder weather, we strongly recommend:

  • Wetsuits, splash jackets, and river shoes (available complimentary at our office); a swimsuit and synthetic layers to wear underneath your wetsuit.
  • Synthetic layers to wear under your splash jacket, such as fleece that will continue to keep you warm while wet… NO COTTON.
  • A fleece or wool winter hat or beanie… NO COTTON.
  • Fleece or wool socks. Once again, NO COTTON.

Layering:

We preach layering in synthetic clothing, which gives you the ability to shed or add layers for the conditions as they change, leaving you happier and warmer! When choosing layering synthetics, you should look for clothing (no cotton!) made of things named -lene for your base layer, such as Capilene, polypropylene, etc. Under Armour is probably the most commonly known example of these. The base layer is usually comprised of leggings and a torso covering of the -lenes. For colder weather, wear a mid-layer of thicker or additional -lenes over the base layer or a wetsuit made of neoprene or terraprene. Alternatively, a fleece or micro-fleece layer in the form of leggings and torso-upper is a great way to go. The outer or shell layer is a form of water barrier, usually a splash jacket or bring a nylon rain jacket for your shell layer and voila’, warm and happy rafter!

Note: We are adamant about our customers not wearing cotton on the river when it is cold outside as a matter of safety. Cotton does not wick water from skin and dramatically increases body heat release, leaving you out in the cold without any insulation. Cold rafters are not happy rafters, and we want you to stay warm and have fun!