Whitewater Rafting the Grand Canyon – Master Packing List

Here’s the irony.  A year ago this very week we were packing up the motorcycle for a five month trip across nine countries.  To the left you’ll find a photo of the total of our gear.  Yesterday we packed up the Honda Civic for the first leg of our trip to Arizona.  We easily have five times as much gear for a 25 day river trip through the Grand Canyon.  Go figure.  I did a packing list for that trip as well.  Comparing the two is humorous sitting here now.

We’re checking our list and checking it twice.  I thought an online packing list would both help us to get organized as well as aid those taking future trips with a little advice on what to bring and what to forgo.  I’ll update this list after the trip with thoughts on what was actually needed.

To start, we’re using Moenkopi Riverworks as our outfitter.  They will be providing boats and rigging, food and kitchen necessities.  Camping equipment, entertainment and river gear (Moenkopi will provide basic river gear if you don’t have it) is up to us.  That’s the basic breakdown.

Keep in mind that this list is for two people unless otherwise specified.  I’ll provide links to the gear used where possible.

Note:  Comments in BLUE are post trip comments about the usefulness of the item.

Dry Storage

Moenkopi provides one dry bag and one small ammo can per person.  We anticipate using those bags for tent, sleeping pad and other “mostly dry” storage.  Our personal dry gear for two includes:

• 2 X Pelican 1200 Series  – Personal Dry Boxes
• Pelican 1300 Series – Camera Dry Box
• Pelican 1600 Series – Martini Making Kit ( ridiculous)
• Watershed Chattooga Dry Bag – Miscellaneous
• Watershed Yukon Dry Bag – Personal Clothing
• Watershed Colorado Dry Bag – Personal Clothing
• Watershed Westwater Dry Bag – Jackets, Coats and Accesories

We actually could have used more of our own dry gear.  We used 3 Moenkopi drybags in addition our own.

Sleepin’ and Chillaxin’ Arrangements

This is our awesome two person camping setup.  We wound up using all of this gear just about every day.

• Tent – Alps Mountaineering Equinox 2
• Sleeping Pad – Big Agnes Hinman Double Self Inflating
  • Big Agnes was awesome in doing a warranty replacement on this pad after the motorcycle trip last winter.  Highly recommend these guys.
• Sleeping Bag – Big Agnes Dream Island 15 Double Wide
  • Note:  The sleeping bag has a sleeve that the sleeping pad slips into so you don’t roll off of it in the night.  The ultimate combo for couples tent camping.
• 4 feather pillows – Snazzy
• Sheets and Pillow Cases, Extra Blanket
• Camp Chair – Alps Mountaineering Riverside Chair
• Card Table – Alps Mountaineering Eclipse Checkerboard Table
• This turned out to be particularly handy.  Perfect for riverside scrabble and card games.

River Gear

Since this list is for everyone’s reference, not just river guides.  I’ll run through my personal river gear list.  (Glad to have every bit of it)

• Dry Suit – Kokatat GMER Gor-Tex Meridian
  • Dry Suit Booties – NRS Freestyle Wetshoe
• Non Dry Suit Shoes – Astral Brewer
• Personal Flotation Device – Astral Green Jacket
• Boat Bag – Salamander Big Mouth 70
• Hip Bag – NRS Guardian Wedge Waist Throw Bag
• Helmet – Sweets Strutter
• River Knife – Bear Claw
• Fox 40 Classis Whistle
• K-Pump – K100
• 2 Pulleys, 2 Prusiks,  6 Locking Carabiners, 6 Cam straps of various lengths.
• Generic Water Bottle
• Mini Medical Kit

Personal Clothing

This is just my personal clothing.  Though Keli has a knack for usurping my things and I’m sure much of it will wind up shared.  The girl loves the fleecy pants.

• Heavy Jacket – Columbia Men’s Powderkeg Interchangeable Jacket
• Used just about everyday
• Light Jackets
• Columbia Men’s Ascender II Softshell
• Used often
• Other Similar Softshell
• Didn’t take
• Full Length Zip Fleece (Farm All)
• Used often
• Vests
• 2 X Columbia Men’s Cathedral Peak II Fleece
• Used everyday
• 2 X Pioneer Wear (Defunct Albuquerque Clothing Company) Down
• Didn’t use
• Pants
• 1 pair Trusty Levi’s 527 Boot Cut Jeans
• Wore for an hour and fell in the mud – nice to have though
• 1 pair Mountain Hardware Men’s Yumalino Fleece Lined
• Fleece lined outdoor pants are the most useful trousers on the canyon







• 1 pair Simms Cold Weather Pant Fleece Lined
  • This is seriously one of the best pairs of pants I’ve ever owned
  • Fleece lined outdoor pants are the most useful trousers on the canyon
• 1 pair Columbia PFG Blood & Guts Convertible
• Used sometimes
• 1 pair North Face Paramount Peak II Convertible
• Used often
• 1 pair Carhartt work pants
• Used often
• Shirts
• 6 Synthetic Button ups – Various manufacturers
• Used everyday
• 2 Cotton t-shirts
• About day 17 you’ll be happy to have them
• 4 Synthetic t-shirts
• 1 Simms Cold Weather LS
• Used very often
• 2 Wool flannels
• Almost never
• 1 Heavy Wool Sweater
• Never
• Base Layers (perfect amount of base layers) 
  • 2 X Mysterioso Tops
  • 2 X Mysterioso Bottoms
  • Mysterioso Socks
    • This stuff is as good as it gets for cold water/weather base layers
  • 3 X Marino Wool Tops
  • 2X Various Bottoms
• 10 Pairs of Socks (5 Wool – 5 Cotton)
• 10 Pairs of Underwear (5 Synthetic – 5 Cotton)

Shoes

• Muck Boot – XtraTuf
• Unless you’ve been to Alaska you’ve probably never heard of these, but they’re the tits
• Used until busted (Now six years old)
• Hiking Boots – Asolo Fugitive
• Used just about everyday – excellent boots
• Chaco Flip Flops
• Used until busted

Accessories

• Hats
• Carhartt Quick Duck Insulated Cap
• Used seldom
• Carhartt Men’s Akron Hat
• Never Used
• Stetson Gun Club
• Used every day – perfect sun hat for November
• Sunglasses
• 2 X Polarized per person
• We both needed our spare – bring one
• Day Pack
• Columbia Montlake Backpack
• Used for hikes
• Hip Pack
• Not used much
• Gloves
• Cabella’s Waterproof Utility gloves
• Keli used hers – I never used mine.

Personal Hygiene and Domestic

• Large Bottle Dr. Bronner’s
• 2 X Tooth Brush’s per person
• 2 X Tubes of Toothpaste
• Hair Brush
• Hair Ties
• Mirror  (for toilet kit and emergency use in a pinch)***NPS***
• Tampons / Diva Cup?
• Hand Lotion
• Hand Salve
• Aloe
• Sunscreen
• Chapstick
• Washcloths
• Mole Skin
• 2 X Hankercheif
• Razors
• Razor Blades
• Spare Contact Lenses, case, and rinse
• Rubber Banks
• Safety Pins
• Needle and Thread
• Personal Meds
• 2 X Bath Towels
• Sarong
• 303
• Baby Wipes
• Newskin Spray

Miscellaneous Equipment

For two.

• 2 X Petzel Head Lamps
• 2 X Energizer Spare Head Lamps
• 2 X Pocket Knife
• Ground Tarp
• 2 X Personal Hot/Cold cup – Stanley Outdoor Mug with Clip
• Must have
• Thermos – Stanley 1.1 Quart Vacuum Bottle
• Extremely good to have
• 5 X Butane Lighter
• Only lost one
• Plastic Bags
  • Trash Bags
  • Ziplock Bags Quart
  • Ziplock Bags Gallon
• Stamps, Envelopes, Addresses, Money Calling Card for Phantom Ranch
• Spare Batteries for Everything
• Birthday Candles
• Can of compressed air
• Tupperware for lunch
• Must have

Cameras

• Canon Rebel – For beautiful flat water scenery
  • Extra Camera Battery / Memory Card
• Olympus Stylus Tuff – Waterproof and indestructible
  • Extra Camera Battery / Memory Card

Used both cameras everyday

Licenses

Arizona Fishing License.  You can buy them online here.

Fishing Supplies

• Fishing Rod
• Lures and Snap Swivels
• Extra Line
• Pliers

Games

• Pictionary – Four dry erase boards and markers
• Too much to deal with
• Deck of Cards
• Used often
• Killer Bunnies
• This games should be banned from earth
• Checkers
• Once in a while
• Boggle
• Never
• Scrabble
• Often

Books

• Belknap’s Waterproof Grand Canyon Guide Book
• Colorado River in the Grand Canyon 4th Edition
• Whatever else you’d like to read
• Other Suggestions
  • Bird Book
  • Yep, those are ravens as well
    

  
  

  • Geology Book
  • Really would have liked to have one of these
  • Star Book

Things Would Probably Bring if we had Them and/or Time/Funds to Get Them

• Binoculars
• Got a pair and didn’t use them