Lightweight is best. If you and someone in your group decide to share a tent, you’ll benefit from having less weight to carry, and more space amongst you in your packs.

The sleeping bags that work best for this trip are bags designed for summer months. These tend to be light and compact sleeping bags. Look specifically for bags that are categorized as “ultralight” or suitable for backpacking, as they can compress down to a minimal size. Sleeping bags that are rated for temperatures below 9c/48f might be excessive for this trip; however, individual preferences vary, so choose based on your comfort with nighttime temperatures. Avoid bulky sleeping bags so you can allocate more space for food and other gear in your pack.

Keep in mind we will be in and out of water everyday. Choose footwear that is comfortable while wet, and comfortable enough for the final hike out of the canyon. Adidas Terrex Hiking Shoes are a great choice, and can be worn throughout the entire trip. Another good option are Solomon Trail Running Shoes. As we walk along the river, our shoes will get small rocks in them, so we recommend decent hiking socks or NRS Hydroskin 0.5 socks. You can also bring some sandals / slides for at camp. We don’t recommend rafting in sandals as you’ll need good traction and entire-foot protection while walking on and around rocks.

We will be getting wet every day while on the river. Water clothing during the day is best. Be sure to bring at least one long sleeve shirt and leggings / pants to protect against sunburn, and river safe sunscreen. We also recommend bringing a swim suit, lightweight rain jacket, light puffy jacket or fleece and dry clothes for camp / evenings. Merino wool is best for quick drying and smell resistant properties.

Our drinking water along the river will come from both natural springs and river water. You’ll need to bring a filtration system before being able to safely drink from water sources on this trip. There are an array of filtration systems on the market, but bringing a water bottle that doubles as a filter might be the best option for you. We recommend the LifeStraw Go Series Water Filter Bottle – plastic version.

If you already own a filter such as a pump filter that attaches to your water bottle, that works great as well.

We avoid bringing squeeze bottle filters as they are susceptible to punctures and often have smaller filters attached. 

Any personal belongings left unprotected will get submerged and wet at some point on the river. Whether you want to have quick access to your camera gear, or snacks and sunscreen consider bringing a small < 12L  drybag which you can keep in between your legs while paddling.

We will be boiling water for meals two times per day–for breakfast and dinner. The best meal solution is backpacking meals. These are pre-made, freeze-dried and dehydrated meals that are prepared simply by adding water. Popular brands include Mountain House, Good To-Go Meals and Backpackers Pantry. We will spend 7 days on the river. We recommend bringing 2 meals per each day on the river.

Small, inflatable, compact and light pads are best. Sea to Summit and Therm-a-Rest are two brands we would recommend.

Our guides use the Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow.

Like all nights out camping in the wild, a headlamp is a must. We recommend the Black Diamond Storm series headlamps.

We recommend bringing a long spoon or a long spork. The Sea to Summit Alpha Spork is a great utensil and is long enough to comfortably eat out of backpacking meal pouches! Depending on the food you plan on bringing into the canyon, you might also consider bringing a foldable knife (if you must bring a knife be sure to bring some tape to prevent it from accidentally opening while inside your pack).

This is an optional item. If you choose to bring one be sure to pick a lightweight option. We recommend the Helinox Chair Zero along with the Chair Zero Groundsheet to avoid having the chair legs sink into the sand.

We recommend bringing a small, lightweight and quickdrying towel. The REI Co-op Multi Towel Light is a good example, but anything similar or made with microfiber is a good bet. Look for towels that are marketed as “lightweight”, “quick-dry”, “ultralight” or “microfiber”.

We’ll be directly exposed to sunlight for most of the day during the expedition. Please be sure to bring sunscreen that has River Safe or Reef Safe, and Biodegradable properties. Products that meet this criteria are typically water-resistant, but be sure to double-check, as we’ll be in and out of the water consistently throughout the day.

If you choose to bring shampoo, conditioner, body wash or soap of any kind, be sure to bring a biodegradable product. This will be a requirement if you plan on packing any soap related products onto the river. Products that meet this criteria are typically marketed as “outdoor”, “biodegradable”, “environmentally safe”, “plant based”, “eco friendly” or “organic”.

Although not perfect, the use of these biodegradable products helps minimize our impact and limit the introduction of harmful chemicals into the rivers and water bodies we’ll be traveling through. As a member of this group, one of your main goals will be to promote responsible outdoor ethics, and do your part to ensure that future generations can enjoy these environments.

Our commitment to leave no trace means whatever we pack in, we pack out, including any human waste we produce.

There are 2 things you’ll need: WAG Bags and a 4″+ diameter plastic cylindrical container with a lid. You might also consider bringing a Large Ziploc bag wrapped with duct tape to pack out feminine hygiene items and / or excess toilet paper.

Our waste management procedure in the canyon is as follows: We will poop and deposit our toilet paper into the Wag Bags. When finished, we will seal or tie up the bag and put it inside a container which we’ll pack out of the canyon.

An all in one solution is a product by Cleanwaste called Toilet In A Tube, and can can be found here. WAG Bags can be found here.

These are some awesome Leave no Trace resources we recommend checking out:

How to Poop (Almost) Anywhere with a “Wag Bag”

Take That Poop To Go: How To Use a Human Waste Bag