Boating Gear Guide

WHAT TO WEAR

Here is an interesting fact, the human body looses heat 32 times faster in water than in air of the same temperature. In relation to the water verses your body it's a perfect endothermic equation with water sucking your body's heat away extremely fast. So why bring this up? Simple. If you prepare correctly and wear the right clothing you can be ready for almost anything. What is the right clothing? For Canoeing, Kayaking or Rafting it's a bit different but the basics and the back ups remain similar.

To start with, you want little or no cotton on the water. OK, fine, everybody has a t-shirt along but consider it just along and not a staple. Next a cotton hoody is not a warm or competent piece of outdoor clothing and the same for blue jeans. Cotton is a sponge for water and if you have enough on and end up swimming that equals an anchor. Wet cotton offers zero insulation and dries super slow. I have been preaching this so long it feels like everybody should know this stuff but I see people improperly dressed and without the right gear every year.

Your Dry Bag is a Lifesaver

Don't leave for any river day without your dry bag! Pack it with a FULL change of clothes for the worst weather you could expect. That's not what you currently see out the window or at the time you start your float. When you live in Montana you know how fast the weather can change. It can be 70 degrees at 3pm. This type of wild weather swing catches people by surprise and unprepared every year and sometimes it turns into a very bad scenario. Don't let this happen to you. Take your DRY BAG every time.

Let's look at an example. Say you launch your raft a 2 pm and plan on floating until 7 pm or so. It's a nice day in June, sunny and 73 degrees. We are running a 17 mile stretch of the Yellowstone, east of Livingston. WE HAVE OUR DRY BAG AND ALL THE CONTENTS WITH US. At 4 pm a storm front blows across the top of the Absaroka range and right down on you. In less than 30 minutes the temperature drops to 37 degrees and it's blowing wet snow. After a short burst of many fine words you dig into your dry bag add some clothing and put on your rainwear. You still have 3 hours to go but everyone is dry and while you would prefer the weather to be different everybody will be fine. Without those extra clothes you would have been in a very bad way.

This type of weather happens every summer on most river in Montana. This scenario could easily happen to you, worse has happened to me. For me my dry bag probably saved my life. I was duck hunting in December out in my canoe with a good friend. The sun was not yet up, it was below zero and the car was a mile behind us. As we came around a tight corner there was a down tree and my friend who was in the front leaned to fast to avoid it. The canoe was going to tip and dump us. I quickly jumped out the right side of the boat and grabbed the gunnels which kept the boat upright but I was soaked to the bone. We maneuvered the boat around the tree and to shore. I tore into my dry bag and changed head to toe. In five minutes we were laughing about the close call and hunted the rest of the day. Imagine the outcome of the incident without the dry bag of the full change I needed.

I tell this story and cover this topic with much enthusiasm in hope that you will ALWAYS follow my advice when it comes to safety issues and ALWAYS carry that dry bag. Make sure and look closely at our gear lists and don't hit the river without the proper gear.

Whitewater Kayaking Wear

Starting with the base layer a lightweight to mid-weight synthetic underwear is needed. For your top, some kayakers like rash guards which is a flat seamed smooth synthetic that protects your skin against chaffing from all the strokes and constant movement. Rash guards don't offer much insulation so you need to follow up with a heavyweight long underwear or light fleece second layer. There are many good choices to accomplish this but your core needs to stay warm so find a good combo. Now don a dry top which will keep all that water where it belongs when you are rolling. A waterproof breathable membrane works best as you will vaporize a lot of sweat that will escape from a breathable fabric. A coated non-breathable fabric for a dry top costs less but you will get seriously wet from your own sweat.

On your lower half a good dry pant over the synthetic underwear works extremely well. A high-waist dry pant will mesh with your dry top and keep water to a minimum even during a swim. Some kayakers like neoprene or hydro skin pants, these work well for early season coverage. When it warms up a bit board shorts work because it is easy to overheat when over dressed kayaking. On full days of boating, if the temperature allows, take your dry top off at lunch and let that pile of underwear dry out a bit, this will make for a more comfortable afternoon.

Your feet need booties or wetsuit socks with some kind of sole protection so you can scout from rocky banks. For the hands in super cold water or on windy days, you'll need something because numb hands don't hold on to paddles very well. Neoprene gloves or Pogies are the ticket for inclement conditions and store easily in the boat if it warms up. Under your helmet a waterproof helmet liner or a tight thin fleece helmet liner will keep you ice cream headaches to a minimum.

Just like for rafting the absolute most kick butt early season piece of paddling clothing is a breathable dry suit. If your dry suit layering is correct you can laugh at the water temperature and it is the overall safest method of river dressing you can use. In a whitewater kayak, more than likely, your on board dry bag will have some spare food, matches, headlamp, and a first aid kit, possibly your cell phone but not spare clothing. This is because for whitewater kayaking you are wearing serious stuff from the get go and should be able to survive a night out if you can keep dry. As always, plan for where you're going and what could go wrong and cover the bases accordingly.

Recreational Kayaking and Kayak Touring

This list is totally similar to the Canoe list. If you are a kayak touring person there are some additional items you may need.

For kayak touring your needs are largely similar but you really should have a paddling jacket that seals extremely well or completely at the wrist and neck. Touring kayaks outfitted well can easily be rolled. If you do roll you need that wrist and neck closure to keep out almost all the water. Also, a touring kayak should always have a skirt on it to keep water out of the boat. The narrower touring models can slop water into a cockpit just with the natural paddling motion and with boat rocking.

Check out the lists but follow the basic canoe list for 95% of your needs.

Canoeing

Start with synthetic underwear, layer as needed based on weather and temperature. When it is late summer and hot a lot of potential problems go away in most situations but this information is practical in Montana for 10 out of 12 months of the year.

Next, add a waterproof breathable rain jacket or pullover that seals well at your wrists. A snug wrist closure keeps water from running up your sleeves when you're paddling. Follow with pants (waterproof and breathable) with good ankle closure which will seal off over your ankles. Remember, in canoes the splashes all end up in your lap so the pants are important. Depending on the water temperature you will want good draining footwear like river sandals or insulated neoprene river booties or neoprene socks under those river sandals. The neoprene booties or socks keep your feet warm even when wet and if you go for a swim these protect against scrapes and bumps as well. Your hands might be fine but I always have fleece gloves plus a pair of light neoprene gloves in my dry bag. This will help to protect in cold water, rain and even snow. A really good pair of paddling neoprene gloves will cost 40 to 50 dollars but if you need them you'll be laughing instead of crying.

Of course now to finish the canoe story look at the canoe list and read the dry bag article and you'll be set.

Rafting

This is tricky but, hey, I'm willing to cover it. I want you to be happy on your float because it may just be the best trip of your life. The best news about rafts is that you can take along a lot of gear and more than one dry bag. There are no excuses not to be comfy.

Cold Trips vs. Hot Trips

You know the difference but basically in the heat of the summer you will down dress on a raft. If your covering much whitewater you will have your splash gear close by to put on when needed, even if the air temp is hot you can get cold if you are splashed or go for a swim.

Colder Trips and Whitewater

Early season trips and high water means cold water. It also means it's still that time of year when the weather can flip so go prepared. Passengers on rafts don't do a lot of work so you can get chilly when all that scenery is drifting by. Also one wave can completely soak you so always keep that dry bag handy to grab extra clothes.

Some rafters still wear neoprene because historically they have been a big item of insulation for cold water raft trips. Yes, they work, but they are not all that comfortable and they don't breath well. There is a better way. Dress like a whitewater kayaker. Good outdoor polyester underwear for starters, most mid-weight. For your top half you might even add a second layer before your spray top or dry top. Dry pants or good rain pants with good seals at the ankle and a high waist so it will tuck up under your dry top. Good wetsuit booties or river sandals with wet socks for your feet. Also, now they make some really good river shoes that drain fast and with those wet socks would be a good choice. Now, seal those pants at your ankles tight to your booties or socks. Fleece gloves are ok but will get cold when wet so where the neoprene gloves on the boat and save the fleece gloves for cold morning in camp.

Some people always ask me if they need to wear a helmet as a raft passenger. My answer is always the same, absolutely in whitewater. A loaded raft is heavy and when things get a little exciting you don't want to bounce your head off the frame or catch a flying oar. If you're serious about whitewater and like high water trips a full dry suit is the best piece of personal gear you can own. In a swim it won't leak anywhere and it's the best rain suit made. If you layer under a dry suit correctly you can handle almost any temperature or condition. The last piece to mention is a headpiece and this can vary from a light weight synthetic skull cap that fits nicely under your helmet to a neoprene liner that again will fit under your helmet.

Always remember to pack from a list so you don't leave home without it. Now go stick your face in a wave .

Whitewater Kayaks

Inflatable Kayaks

Touring Kayaks

Recreational Kayaks

Rafts

Canoes