Layering is a great way to stay warm and comfortable while enjoying the outdoors. It’s especially useful if you plan on spending time outside in colder temperatures. You want to make sure you layer correctly so you don’t get too hot or too cold. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

One of the biggest issues rafters face is leaky tubes. Generally, this has one of two causes: pin hole leaks or damaged / poorly maintained valves. Valves problems are by far one of the easiest issues to fix on a raft. The issues that we most commonly see are simply dirt and grime working their way into the valve stems and rubber stoppers. Another common problem for boats can be cracks and fractures in the boot of the valve leading to slow leaks. Occasionally the valve threads can get damaged leading to cracks deeper in the walls of the valve. These cracks can be difficult to assess without physically removing the valve to inspect it. In this video we’re taking a look at how to remove, inspect, and service your valves.

In the world of helmets one size definitely does not fit all. Unfortunately helmet manufacturers are forced to make a very small variety of uniform sizes. NRS for instance typically only has 2 helmet shell sizes yet the average circumference rage of American heads is roughly between 21 and 25 inches. Partly there are built in adjustments in helmets, but what happens when my helmet doesn’t fit properly? We reached out to our friend Kristen at The River Store for some advice on how to properly fit a helmet.

One of the highest utility pieces of gear a rafter has in their possession is their flip line. This line is one of the most essential pieces of gear because there are so many uses for it on the river: from tying up boats, to hanging gear, and of course righting a raft. Until recently flip lines have remained essentially the same since the 1970s. In this article we’re going to take a look at what flip lines are, how they are changing, and most importantly why the thoughts and techniques are changing around it.

The perimeter line is largely a utility line that is strung between 2 or more d-rings around the perimeter of your raft. In this piece we’ll be covering several uses, advantages, and some important thoughts for working with them.

At first our team was wondering what we could say about NRS straps that boaters don’t already know. Everyone has them, they are super ubiquitous, and we all use them for whatever…easy right? Well after talking to several boaters there’s a lot more to the strap game than meets the eye. What size straps should you use for an oar rig? How strong are they? Should we be using them for perimeter lines? What about flip lines? There’s actually a lot to the subject so we thought we’d take a crack at it.

Kayaking has taken an interesting trend over the years by classifying boats. Given the crossover of many paddlers between these sports it is surprising that rafting hasn’t picked up the stratification of boat classes into broad categories. As we get more experienced with a topic we require greater degrees of specificity to describe similar yet functionally different concepts. So, we thought we would take a crack at some boat classification for rafts.

The Clean Principle began life as the “Clean Line Principle.” This principle advises that any webbing or rope loop on a throwbag is a potential snag hazard. These loops can become snagged in trees or on rocks, creating a serious and possibly fatal entrapment hazard. Rescue instructors often point out that “rope and moving water are a bad mixture.”

We’re looking at possibly one of the best drybags for rafting on the market today, the Watershed drybag. These drybags set the benchmark for whitewater rafting drybags. Additionally due to their options and construction they are often considered one of the best whitewater kayaking drybags as well. Watershed Drybags come in a variety of sizes and shapes to fit your needs from single day drybags to multiday expedition drybags.