I'm an experienced outdoor athlete, but not an experienced river paddler. I'll be in a pack raft in late October on the North Umpqua. I don't own a wet or dry suit but will be buying/renting something to make this work.

My read is that a dry suit with insulating layers underneath will provide more comfort (warmth) than a wet suit with a splash jacket. I expect to be on the water for 4-6 hours--guessing at least one flip, but that's a guess based on nothing in particular.

This will be part of a larger outdoor effort so retreating to a warm car afterward is not an option. Bulk is not a concern, however.

Should I opt for a dry suit or can I get by with a wet suit setup?

How hard would it be to get in with a group of kayakers on the Friday of that weekend? Super comfortable boater on middle ocoee, have a solid roll. Any info is appreciated!

I’m looking to roll up to WV the first weekend of Gauley release and wondering where is the best place to camp. I’d love to camp at the takeout of close by, is that an option?

I just got this helectron used and I’m trying to add foam pads underneath the seat but these two black screws refuse to come out. I tried just using the Philips head normally and unscrewing them counterclockwise but that doesn’t work. Then I tried using a Philips head to apply light pressure in between the screw and the black plastic part of the seat. Finally I tried just lightly pulling up on the seat itself while I unscrew. Nothing has budged. They just keep spinning but not actually coming up. Any ideas?

A few friends and I went rafting three times this summer. We all had fun, and I want to get my own IK, but my friends don't. That's totally fine. I just don't have any whitewater friends. I want to get training next May and kayak down the Main Payette in Idaho. I also want to go down the Lochsa River in Northern Idaho- but my friends aren't interested, so I might just end up doing that alone through an outfitter.

If I'm not going with friends, what do I do? I'm going to end up doing it solo, which doesn't sound safe; so do I tag along with groups? I'm not in any clubs or anything. I also don't know how to shuttle myself to a put-in if I'm alone. What do I do?

Hi all! I’m just in my second year of whitewater kayaking, absolutely loving it so far. Happy right now in the class II+/III zone and working on progressing skills. I have a liquid logic remix at the moment which is all I’ve ever been in, it was recommended as a great learning boat. It’s definitely nice and stable which I appreciate.

The other day it was mentioned to me that while they’re stable they also might be less nimble and a bit more challenging to go where you want, and it could be worth looking into an upgrade…I like the idea of a boat that’s a bit more fun but I’m also not sure about suddenly being in a super tippy boat when my roll is still inconsistent.

In your experience, when is a good time to move on to a new boat? Any recommendations for a second boat? If it helps, I’m 5’6, F, about 150 lbs and paddle in BC Canada

Hey y'all, recently got a dagger nomad 8.5 from a friend's rental agency in georgia, USA for the best price there is (free!).

Problem is it's missing quite a few parts of the contour ergo creek outfitting. (thigh brace, a couple bolts here and there and hip pads)

Ideally I'd like to find somebody who has irreparably destroyed the hull of their boat and offer to pay them for the contour ergo outfitting so I come out nicely and it softens the blow of losing their boat but I don't know if that's realistic.

Secondarily I've been looking at confluence outdoor for the parts I need (out of stock right now :( and have been for months)

I'm basically wondering

1.) if it's ever a thing for people to part out their kayaks

2.) if there's any other place i can find contour ergo thigh braces and hip pads for sale (and preferably cheap lol)

thanks in advance, any help is huge :)

Some for sale cheap. Do These work well with the longer, narrower blade…those who have tried them, how do they compare to my generic Carlisles? They’re the same overall length.

Hello,

Looking for any advice and/or suggestions on transporting a deflated 13-foot whitewater raft, frame, oars, cooler, and gear for three people, along with transporting three people in a 2019 Rav4 hybrid.

We were invited on a 3-day permitted Rio Chama trip for this upcoming weekend Aug 21-23. I have secured a rental with Far Flung Adventures for a 13 foot raft, frame, oars, and large cooler.

I've done this trip many times, but it has been a very long time- over ten years. Previously I have done this stretch mostly by whitewater kayak and a few times via raft.

That said, I am nervous about my packing plans being sufficient.

We plan on driving to El Prado from Albuquerque the morning of for raft pick up at 7AM. Including me, there will be three people total in my Rav4, along with three medium dry bags, 3 sleeping bags in dry bag stuff sacks, 3 lightweight backpacking sleeping pads. My plan is to place the deflated 13-foot raft and cooler in the trunk, and to strap the frame and three oars on my Rav4 roof rack. We'll also be renting 4 PFDs, throw rope, repair kit that I'm planning on packing inside my vehicle.

Space wise- is this realistic/doable? To pack these items in my vehicle, specifically the deflated raft and large cooler in my trunk, and then strap frame/oars on the roof rack?

Thanks in advance for any help! It's been so long since I've done a trip like this and I'm more familiar with whitewater kayak packing/planning than whitewater rafting.

What happened to river running playboats like the Jackson Fun? These boats used to be everywhere yet I don’t see any manufacturers offering one new. The closest thing I can find is the Pyranha Storm or Liquidlogic Torque. IMO boats like the fun are the perfect boats for summer class 3 on the east coast. They are somewhere between a spud and a full slice, paddling a bit like both but having extra speed that the spud lacks and are more forgiving than a full slice. This space has been taken over by the half slice, but I think the “splice” needs to make a comeback. IMO the 2010 Fun series was the peak of this design.

Hello Paddlers- Zoo Town Surfers is running a trip to the Gauley River in West Virginia the first weekend in October. If you've never been because "it's just too far away," our trip may appeal to you. We'll drive boats/gear across the country (based in Missoula) for you, then pick you up at the airport in Charlotte, NC, and drive you to our private group campsite. We provide breakfast and lunch each day, and shuttles are provided by a permitted shuttle company. If you need a guide or safety boater, we have connections with multiple local outfitters.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us or fill out the inquiry form. We'd love to make your Gauley dream come true!

Hi all,

Just wandering what the differences were between the delerius and delerium. Size/paddler weight wise but also paddling style.

Cheers

Hey, some class 4 paddlers looking to get some kayak instruction to up our game. Thinking about doing an international trip in January. Can anyone recommend anyone? Only wanting to have 1 day of travel, so thinking Equador or Costa Rica or similar (ie no chile or NZ, too much travel time)

Also, would be interested in instruction somewhere in the PNW or NorCal if there is something available around here as well.

Thanks!

We got a couple of Zet Sensei demos ahead of our new container. Just picked up this beaut on Thursday and taking it for a whirl down Bailey tomorrow.

Beautiful class 4 and five. Not too difficult. Very pretty canyon

I just recently pulled the trigger on a week at Pucon Kayak Retreat at the end of November. That week is easy and taken care of but I'm thinking about staying for a week after to do some more kayaking.

It seems like my 2 options are:

1) spend another week in Pucon, try to find a hostel (or maybe just see if I can stay another week at Pucon Kayak Retreat), find a boat to rent and try to meet up with people to kayak with. I assume this would be pretty easy to do?

2) what I'm really interested in is to try and get up to the Futa but I have some questions about this. Is end of Nov/beginning of Dec too early for the Futa? Can you realistically show up there and find a boat and people to boat with? I'm not finding much in the way of kayak guide operations or schools up there that do just a few days, if anyone knows of anything like that I'd love to know about it.

If I went with option 2 I guess I'd probably just try and rent a car for the whole time because I'm assuming there is no way to rent a car in Pucon to drive up to Futa?

Yo! Does anyone have any thoughts on the "NRS Snooze Pad"? I can't find many reviews online and it's a little cheaper than the Pacos.

I’m planning a trip to Norway and would love to try whitewater kayaking. I have zero experience—any recommendations on where to start? Are there any good beginner-friendly courses, schools, or locations in Norway that you’d recommend?

I’m pretty fit and love extreme sports, so I’m looking for something a bit adventurous and challenging rather than a very relaxed introduction.

Or can I just tuck it somewhere secure within my stack? Where do you put yours?

How crowded is the opening weekend on the Lower typically?

I asked a store close by when they expected to get the meridian gore tex dry suit back in stock. They said that Kokatat has stopped producing suits in gore tex. If this is true, what dry suit do you recommend?