How to Pack a River Raft

If you are taking a raft on a whitewater trip you must pack to flip. This means that all the gear in your boat must be secure enough to stay in the vessel in the event that the raft flips over in the river. This technique is especially important on a multi-day river trips. You do not want to lose all your food, sleeping gear and warm clothes to the bowels of a rapid! Here is how to organize your raft.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• At least 12 cam straps of varying lengths
• At least 2 locking carabineers
• Airtight, waterproof containers for food, camping gear and clothes
• Raft

1. Start with a clean, dry, empty, fully inflated river raft. Secure your oar frame to your boat if you are using one. Pile all the gear that must fit in the raft beside it.

2. Consider the order of use for the items going in your raft. Do you have food that will be used on for lunch in just a few hours or dinner supplies you will not need until evening? Do you have the first aid kit (which should be accessible at all times) or the snacks for day three? You can pack things that you will not need for the day on the river in more inaccessible places.

3. First pack rigid, square objects such as a kitchen box or ammo cans full of food. Place these items next to the thwarts of your raft. Distribute heavy items as evenly as possible. Run cam straps under the raft thwarts and around these items. Tighten the cam strap buckle over the top of the object to secure it to the thwart. Run cam straps through handles of objects if available.

4. Pack more flexible items such as dry bags full of clothing around the large immobile objects. Secure with cam straps to the thwarts as well as to items that are already secure. Pack items as close to each other and the floor of the boat as possible.

5. Ensure that cam straps are neatly daisy chained at their ends, and that the way you have packaged your gear does not provide foot entrapment opportunities.

6. Pack day packs and personal day gear (rain jacket, snacks and water) where they are easily accessible in the river raft for use through out the day. Use locking carabineers to secure them to D-rings or handles of ammo cans.

7. Check your gear. Pull at it. If it comes loose that means your river raft is not rigged to flip. Figure out which items are not secured and fasten them down better.