Episode #2: Whitewater Packrafting Gear

In the second episode of our A Beginner’s Guide to Packrafting Podcast (& occasional YouTube video) Series, Tony Miely talks whitewater packrafting gear. While he doesn’t review the full spectrum of boats, paddles and helmets available (that would take hours!), he offers an overview of the gear people need to get started with whitewater boating. And he makes a few solid, high-quality brand suggestions. Tony is one of the long-time owners of 4Corners Riversports, the premier boating store in SW Colorado. He is also an accomplished Class V kayaker.

Transcription: A Beginner's Guide to Whitewater Packrafting Gear

Introduction

Hey y’all. This is Lizzy Scully, co-owner of Four Corners Guides and Co-author of The Bikeraft Guide with Steve Fast Binder, AKA Doom. We run a multi-Sport Adventure Guide service out of Mancos, Colorado.

So we’re not going to get all fancy with this podcast. We’re just going to record some Learn to packraft and learn to bikeraft Q&As with our guides and other experts in the industry. And we’ll throw in some fun adventure storytelling and maybe even some fireside chats that we capture out in the field or at Scullbinder Ranch.

It’s a catchall podcast, so if you have questions, comments, or suggestions, feel free to make them in the comments or emailing us.

Episode #2: A Beginner’s Guide to Whitewater Packrafting Gear

In our second episode of a Beginners Guide to Pack crafting podcast, we’re chatting with Tony Miley, owner of Four Corners River Sports, a large and long-running whitewater boat shop in Durango, Colorado.

In this episode, Tony talks about some of the highest quality packrafting gear for people aspiring to be whitewater boaters. 4Corners Riversports does not sell all the available whitewater boats or equipment, such as Kokopelli Rafts or any of the numerous whitewater paddles out there in the world. But this Q&A and overview will give you a great place to start if you’re exploring opportunities to go whitewater boating.

Tony Miely’s Background & The Growth of Packrafting (01:30)

How’s it going? My name’s Tony, one of the owners here at 4Corners Riversports. I have been here since 1999. The store’s been here since 1983. And we specialize in Whitewater River rafting, kayaking, packrafting, paddle boarding, all that good stuff.

The packrafting community over last few years has grown dramatically. We have so many unique rivers in this area flowing through the desert Southwest that offer great multi-day opportunities, single day trips, lots of good rivers that are hard to access by other means. Carrying your boat in is really the only option.

In some of the cases, people have been doing bikepacking trips and climbing trips and all kinds of stuff where they’ve added on a packraft. So it’s not just boating anymore. You’ve got a whole other way, a whole other group of things to go do out there. And packrafts really offered a unique way to carry gear like that.

Whitewater Packrafting Gear: Alpacka’s Whitewater Series (02:32)

I mentioned earlier we focus on selling whitewater packrafting gear, specifically whitewater oriented packrafts by Alpacka Raft. We mainly sell the Wolverine, the Valkyrie, and the Gnarwhal. All of them have the ability to be a skirted boat or open as a self baler.

In this area, we find we have really cold water. In a lot of cases, the skirted boats tend to do a little better for us. I’ve seen packrafts down in Costa Rica where the self bailer made absolute a hundred percent better sense. People could jump in and out of it more easily. The water’s 70 degrees and you don’t need to be sealed in there to stay warm.

The skirts really we find help in this area. The cold water keeping from constantly being on you gear wise, few essentials that you want to have every time you go out.

Paddles: Heavier & More Durable Models (03:20)

Obviously your paddle is going to be one of your first and most important things. It’s your connection to the water. They run the gamut. And you can spend as much or as little as you want on a paddle.

What you’re getting when you spend more money tends to be you’re going with a carbon fiber fiberglass paddle that is significantly lighter than something that’s going to be more of a basic starter paddle. This is going to be an inject fiberglass shaft. But injection molded blades kind of like a carbon injection molded plastics, it’s not going to be as stiff. It’s going to be heavier.

Durability wise, these are a great way to start out. They can take a ton of abuse in the long run. Most people first paddle is certainly not going to be your last paddles are one thing you upgrade.

Like I said, it’s your connection to the water and having that nice light feel in your hands is a really important part of the experience.

Paddles

Lightweight vs. Heavy + Breakdown vs. 1- or 2-piece (04:26)

And then as you do longer and longer trips, say a 10- to 15-day Grand Canyon trip. You’re paddling 275 miles, so you’ll feel every ounce after paddling that far. A nice paddle goes a long way.

The other thing to look for with paddles is how they pack down. A lot of times for packrafting, you want a paddle that breaks down into smaller pieces. If you’re going to be doing a lot of hiking with it, this is great for packing.

1-piece and 2-piece

Now if that’s not your main focus. If your main focus is more river running, you can get a two piece and get this one piece solid paddle. They tend to be a little lighter because you lose the joints. These joints, that’s going to be your weak spot in any paddle, so the more joints you have, you can have a little bit of play or potential weak spot if you’re not using them to pack in and out.

Paddles: Aqua Bound + More on Breakdowns vs. 1-Piece Paddles (05:22)

A lot of places consider maybe it’s up piece or a one piece paddle. You are packing them around a lot. You have four pieces the best way to go, so these are all going to be geared towards General River running.

Aqua Bound makes this one. This is called the Shred. It’s your injection molded blade, more starter paddle.

4-piece Whiskey

And then this is called the Whiskey. This is probably the lightest whitewater packraft paddle that we carry. I would say maybe if you’re running a lot of shallow rocky rivers and stuff, this isn’t going to be your best choice.

Bigger volume, deep water, flat water. This is a great choice. Being lighter, it isn’t going to be quite as durable and then kind, falling right in between those two.

Paddles: Werner’s Sherpa & More on 1- and 2-piece (06:05)

You have something like your Werner Sherpa here and this comes in one piece, two piece, four piece, straight shaft, bench shaft.

You’ve got a lot of options here. This is a really, really heavy duty whitewater, solid fiberglass blade. It’s also available in full carbon. You can get really get crazy and spend some money. But these are incredibly durable.

Use this for running small, narrow creeks, lots of rocks. This is going to take that abuse, so that’s something to keep in mind is where am I going to be going? What am I going to be doing? That’s something everybody has to answer for themselves. You’re figuring out what you want to do next and not necessarily.

PFD Considerations (07:00)

comfort

Probably the most important pieces equipment that you’re going to have are your PFD. What you want to look for here in the life jacket, your PFD, is going to be comfort. You are spending all day in this and everybody’s body is shaped a little different. There’s a lot of adjustability on all these life jackets.

I highly recommend trying on several. Everybody’s body shapes different. Different PFDs are going to fit differently on different people.

Packraft setup

And the other thing to consider is how your packraft is set up. You’ve got a back band in there, so your PFD is going to hit right in here [Tony points to lower back]. You want to make sure that the back band is not interfering with the back piece of your PFD.

Some life jackets offer a thinner material on the backside. And that’s something to consider if you’re running into that back band. Or if it is hitting in a weird spot for you.

Stohlquist

And this is Stohlquist. This is one of our most popular life jackets. It’s nice low profile, very open in the shoulders when you’re taking paddle strokes. It really does not interfere. Moves well with you. Good clamshell pockets and basic stuff there. This is a good type three. It’s considered this will get you everywhere from the Grand Canyon, westwater, Dolores, whatever you want to do.

Rescue PFDs for Whitewater (08:08)

This is going to meet all Ranger improvements. You want to make sure that you are US Coast Guard certified on any life jacket you have. Should have a US Coast Guard cert on there [points]. If you are been in the game for a while, there’s some other options out there.

This is a type five rescue. PFD offers a full harness. You’ve got a full belay loop built into this thing down here, a few extra different pockets. You’ve got a quick release safety belt to tie into a tow harness into someone swims. You can clip onto their boat, get it to shore if you need to do live bait rescues, this is where this is going to be.

This is the Green Jacket from Astral, the limited edition one where the wild things are kind of fond print on this thing, but this is kind of one of our bestselling type five PFDs.

You Don’t Need a Rescue Vest if You haven’t taken a swiftwater rescue course! (09:00)

Not necessary if you don’t have the training or the skills to perform Swiftwater Rescue. This is overkill. And you’ll more likely to get yourself into trouble trying to use some of these features.

But for someone who’s had Swiftwater rescue training, this is kind of going to be your go-to safety jacket. Again, that’s the Stohlquist and this is the Astral Green Jacket. Those are just a couple examples. Kokotat makes some great PFDs as well.

Inflatable PFDs

So one thing you do want to stay away from in Whitewater situation, so any kind of inflatable PFD people see these in our store. We do carry lake fishermen, paddleboarding on the lakes, that kind of thing. This is perfectly acceptable for lake use in a whitewater situation. This is one, it’s not going to get through any river ranger station ever, but this is not designed to instantly inflate when it hits the water.

Why inflatable PFDs are inappropriate whitewater packrafting gear (09:55)

This has a pull cord. There’s a lot that could happen to you between the time they tip over and if you’re even conscious to pull the cord, this is not going to save you. We do not recommend ever using this in a whitewater situation.

Helmets

This is a PFD (aka life jacket). Buy a new one, buy a good one, don’t buy used.

Next item helmets. These are something that we really recommend people use. You’ll see people out there without them. Wearing a helmet is pretty important.

Find one that fits well and is comfortable. Because again, much like your life jacket, you’re going to be in this thing all day long in a lot of cases. My favorites are the Sweet brand helmets. They’ve got a couple different models.

Sweet Brand Helmets (10:45)

This one’s called the Strutter. I’ll use it for packrafting and anything that is not scaring me. This is kind of my go-to helmet.

I love having full baseball brim out here in the desert. We get all kinds of sun along with the reflection off the water. This helmet keeps the sun out of your face. So you won’t get quite as burnt at the end of the day. And they have great little adjustment here in the back. See it’s not even strapped on…

The Wanderer

Say you want something snug but not uncomfortable. Or that if you’re running something more difficult. Or maybe you just want that added protection or added warmth. Springtime is cold, really cold water often cold temperatures sweet wanderer. A little better coverage comes down further in the back.

More on the sides. There are also removable ear pads to kind of keep your head warmer. These are a great class four or five helmet. Anything that’s scar.

The Wanderer continued (11:42)

If you want that extra protection or you want that warmth, this is a great choice. Price wise, it’s also a really good value. I think it’s one of my best values. It’s 130 bucks carbon ejection carbon into this thing. It’s stiff but not so much that your head’s banging around in there.

So those are a couple of my favorite helmets. Again, comfort is key because you’re going to be in this thing all day.

Whitewater Packrafting Gear: Footwear

Moving on footwear. These are a couple of my favorites, Astrals and got ’em on. I wear them as street shoes. And when they get too stinky here, they move into my river bag. And it’s a continuous cycle for the last 10 years.

Brewer & Brewess

This is the Brewer. The women’s is the Brewess. It has a super sticky rubber sole. This is a low top. A lot of people like it’s called the Rassler. Little higher top does protect that ankle bone, which is really important if you’re porting, scouting, scrambling around on rocks or hiking in or out somewhere for that matter. The high top is definitely kind of a nice option.

Other Shoes (12:37)

This shoe has a really firm sole, it’s lightweight and the upper drains really well. This shoe does really good longer hikes and that kind of thing. Still a fan of astral, but I think that is also a good choice.

Drysuits vs. Wetsuits

Moving on, let’s take a look at dry wear. And let’s talk about that kind of difference here for a second.

So I don’t really recommend wet suits to a lot of folks. If you’re on a budget, you need to stay warm. You’re going to get out there one way or another. You can find wet suits pretty inexpensive. They will keep you warm. They’re kind of clammy, you’re wet and they’re not super comfortable because they’re real tight on you even when they’re broken in fit correctly. I really try to push people towards buying a drysuit.

Why Drysuits are Better (13:37)

Basically you’re wearing a full Gore-Tex suit that doesn’t allow water in. Theas are a couple of my favorites, this is the Kokatat Icon. This is going to be a back zip dry suit back opens up, climb through the there. You’ve got Gore-Tex socks built into this kind of one size.

This is the men’s version with the relief sip in the front. There’s a women’s version with a drop seat because there’s nothing like having an emergency and having to get out of your dry suit in a hurry. No fun.

The double tunnel

The other thing to look for in a drysuit is this [points]. If you are using a skirted boat, this has a double tunnel. So your spray skirt pulls up over this and then this comes down over your spray skirt. It really helps keep water sealed out of the boat.

Drysuits & Skirted Boats (14:37)

You’re still going to get a little through there. There’s no avoiding that. But double tunneled drysuit is definitely a good option for packrafting or if you’re going to hard shell kayak.

If you’re not using a skirted boat, there’s not necessarily a reason to have this. But it won’t get in the way. I generally recommend to folks to get one with a double tunnel in case you ever do decide to go with something with a skirt, whether it’s a hard shell or a skirted packraft. Again, that’s the Kokotat Icon.

Another nice one is the NRS Axiom. This is a front zip. So it’s a little easier if you’re doing solo trips. The back zip is great. But you kind of have to have a buddy to help you. You can do it by yourself. But you need to put a strap through that zipper doing some funky yoga to get it on and off front.

Front Zippers in Drysuits (15:30)

Zip dry suit here comes diagonally across the front here. It still has that nice double tunnel. This is the full, these boats to these suits are very full of Gore-Tex shell highly breathable, and just some of the best material out there.

Don’t Wear neoprene under your drysuit!!!

One thing I’d like to mention with dry suits. With any kind of technical gear, but in particular, when you’re purchasing a Gore-Tex suit. Gore-Tex is designed to be highly breathable. A lot of people will put on underneath these layers like some sort of neoprene or non breathable type layer. It’s defeating the purpose of the Gore-Tex.

Wear Merino wool or something else breathable!

So always make sure you’re wearing something like a Merino or a poly fleece kind of material that’s going to breed and allow moisture to escape out of there. Don’t put on a hydro skin or some other kind of thin neoprene layer that’s not going to breathe. It’ll just clam up inside there and you’ll be less comfortable and they make some really nice union suits.

One piece zipper suits from both Kokotat and NRS and Immersion Research. All these companies make really nice ones.

Sundry Items that should be in your whitewater packrafting gear kit (16:20)

A couple other little odds and ends, things to take along on your boat and things to not do.

Carabiners (aka “biners”)

Let’s talk carabiners for a second. What we’ve got here are three different types. Two locking– one’s a screw lock, one’s a twist lock– and one here is a non locking biner.

non-locking (NO! NO! NO!)

We get a lot of questions. People show up with a non locking carabiner. And they’ll put it right here on their life jacket. And then they’ll get in their boat. You can see in there [points into boat] you’ve got your D straps and you got a back band straps. And what can happen if you have your non locking biner and you’re sitting in there. Well you’re pushing the biner around, and it can clip through one of those straps or rope or anything.

And then there’s nothing stopping from just getting pushed in and open. And now all of a sudden you are permanently attached to your boat. You can’t reach back there. You don’t know how or why it’s happening.

Non locking carabiners are a safety hazard. Leave them at home!

Non locking carabiners are a safety hazard out on the river. Something to keep in mind, you should never have one of these clipped anywhere inside on your boat or on your person. They’re good around camp maybe for hanging stuff. A dry line, that is the best place I can think of for a non-locker.

Just make all your carabiners locking! (17:51):

Just make all your carabiners locking. And make sure you actually close the lock. Because if you don’t close a screw lock, you’re in the same position as if you’re using a non locking biner. But once that carabiner’s locked, you’re not going to have that safety hazard of potentially getting clipped into something you don’t want to be attached to.

Screw locks are almost even better. This is just a twist lock. Push and twist and that pops open. It automatically locks. You can’t mess this up. That’s probably the safest way to go if you’re unfamiliar with dealing with carabiners on a regular basis.

Whitewater Packrafting Gear: Sundries

Whistles

Other important whitewater packrafting gear for safety… This is little fox 40 whistle. It’s a $7 piece of equipment. And it can save people’s lives. There’s a lot of different ideas out there about how to use whistles. One blast, two blast three blasts, and just make sure you and your team kind of communicate and know what to expect when you hear whistles going.

Knives (18:49)

This is another piece of safety equipment for your whitewater packrafting kit. These are designed to attach to life jackets. This would be a pocket knife (to put in a pocket instead of on the outside of your PFD). Both of these PFDs have little inside pockets designed to hold the knife.

Folding knives

A couple companies are pushing for folding knives as opposed to a fixed blade knife on the outside. I tend to lean towards the fixed blade. But I’ve been paddling a long time. So I’m bias perhaps.

Fixed Blade Knives

But fixed blade knife, you do get throw bag tangled up in something or your friend is tangled up in something.

However, we’ve had people get caught up on their spray skirts on logs and things like that where they need an easily accessible knife to cut that loose. Or they’ve swam into a strainer or something along those lines. It’s good to have a blade of some sort out there with you and easily accessible. Don’t put it in your drive bag in the back of the boat. It should be in the front pocket or along this little knife tab lash here.

Knives on the outside sometimes flip off when you’re pulling yourself in a boat (19:34)

You’ll see every whitewater PFD is going to have one of these. Climbing in and out of boats regularly, I’ve lost a number of the fixed blade knives. I’ve found one in the bottom of my raft once from somebody else who climbed it and dropped it in there.

So a folding knife stuck in your front pocket is still going to be quite accessible and climbing in and out of the boat a lot. That’s probably going to be the better way to go.

Other essentials: Pack-a-Pump (20:00)

Few other essentials like to have on there on water Pack-a-Pump from Alpacka. This thing’s great. It’s going to top off your boat much more easily than any other way. They’re so convenient, so effective. The inflation bag does a great job getting the majority of the air in there. But this is so much easier than wrapping your lips around that valve. It’s small and that’s small and light enough that it’s really not a nuisance. Highly recommend that as an accessory.

Bow Bags

So Alpacka Bow Bags… All these boats are going to have these little tabs here [points to bow of boat]. Designed bow bag is going to clip on there. It’s a super easy and convenient place to store your daily needs. Sunscreen, this little pump for top it off at lunch snacks, that kind of stuff. Great way to do it and it’s really well attached on these boats. It’s external so you have good access to it.

Why it’s better than a dry bag

You can go with a small dry bag. But you’re going to be sticking that behind your seat or up by your feet. You can end up tangling around in air in your stuff, even if it’s clipped in. Swim out of the boat, it’s banging around. You’re going to have to move it again once you’re out.

Those bow bags are designed specifically for the front of these boats and they do a great job of holding your gear tight and keeping it all together and handy.

JAcks Plastic Welding bags (21:29)

A couple other little fun things that like to bring along on trips. This is not the smallest, lightest or easiest thing to deal with. But out here, especially in the desert Southwest in the springtime, we have a lot of really muddy rivers. These bags from Jack’s Plastic Welding are some of my favorites. Take two of them, one or two of these on every trip.

They’re great for scooping water out, letting the sediment settle before you go ahead and try to filter your water. If you’re doing trips where you’re filtering water these are kind of essential. And this just really cuts down on just burning through filters. They’re also useful for a million other things like collecting firewood and groceries and everything else along the way. Probably one of our best selling items here at the store.

Cold Case Gear Phone Protector (22:14)

Cold Case Gear’s Phone protector is another nice one out there. Everybody likes to have a phone camera, not to mention safety these days. Your phone’s practically at satellite SOS beacon. These cases from Cold Case Gear are super simple. They they keep your phone from getting overly hot, overly cold. So it’s helping preserve that battery life.

Also really easy in and out closure. Amazingly dry. It’s going to float. You’ve got a place to clip it in. This is a great product. Bring along with you and keep your phone going for a few days.

Thanks for joining us!

Thanks so much for joining us. If you enjoyed this podcast, give us a shout out or review on Apple Podcast or wherever you found us online. We’ll have transcriptions for all our podcasts on our blog at www.fourcornersguides.com. Cheers.

A Beginner’s Guide to Whitewater Packrafting Gear *New Podcast!*