Owyhee River: Packing List and Equipment Suggestions
You'll find a packing list below, plus information on the following topics
- What to wear on the river
- Where to find items you'll need
- How to pack
What O.R.E. provides
We provide our guests with waterproof drybags and boxes for your personal gear, lifejackets, camp chairs, tents, sleeping bags with cotton liners, and sleeping pads. All meals are provided, as are cups, plates and dining utensils.
What to wear on the river and in camp
The weather in the Owyhee River canyon is often warm and wonderfully pleasant. But the weather here is also quite variable: we may experience both warm sun and a cold storm in the space of several hours. Cool or even cold weather as well as wet weather can occur on any trip. So please pay close attention to the proper selection of clothes and gear for your river vacation. Hopefully you’ll never need most of the cool-weather gear that we strongly recommend you bring. But it is vital that you do bring these items just in case!
For cool weather (or when the rapids are chilly)
Appropriate clothing for these conditions is clothing that dries quickly, and keeps you warm even when the garment is wet. Modern high-tech synthetic fabrics such as polypropylene, capilene, and polyester fleece do both. (Wool provides warmth when wet, but does not dry quickly and is less comfortable. Wool is often less expensive, however, especially when purchased from Thrift or Military Surplus stores.)
Think in terms of layers of clothing for changeable and cool weather. As conditions change, you can add or subtract layers as needed. The first layer in cool weather should be long underwear made of synthetic materials such as polypropylene or capilene, which provide warmth and wick moisture away from your skin. The middle layer(s) should consist of polyester fleece (or wool), and will provide further warmth. The outer layer consists of a rain jacket and rain pants (ponchos are not recommended). Rain gear made of modern waterproof, breathable fabrics such as Goretex are best. But for a less expensive option, coated nylon will work, too.
A surprisingly large percentage of heat loss occurs from our heads. For this reason, a wool or synthetic hat will go a long way towards keeping you warm.
Wetsuits are generally not needed (although they can be worn in place of a middle clothing layer). However, wetsuits do make inflatable kayaking more comfortable in cool weather, and for this reason O.R.E. provides wetsuits on a shared basis for kayakers. If you'd like to bring your own suit, look for an 1/8" thick "farmer john" style (which can be worn in conjunction with a sweater and raincoat). Thicker, full-body scuba style suits are warm, but they're less comfortable, and their bulk makes rowing and paddling more difficult.
For hot weather
Nylon shorts, bathing suits, and cotton T-shirts are recommended, as well as a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes. Long-sleeved cotton shirts and slacks may be worn to keep cool and to ward off sunburn.
Cotton clothing is recommended for hot weather only! Wet cotton will lower your body temperature. This is great for keeping cool during a heat wave. But cotton provides no warmth when wet.
On your feet
For footwear while on the river we recommend nylon or canvas tennis shoes, hard soled wetsuit boots, or sports sandals such as Tevas. For extra comfort you may want to wear nylon or polypropylene socks as a first layer. For cool weather and cold water, wetsuit boots work well. Sport sandals and shoes also work well for cool conditions, when combined with thick wool socks or neoprene wetsuit socks. Sport sandals are comfortable for rafting, and are preferred by many of our guides. But they're often more expensive to purchase, and do not protect your feet as well as do shoes.
In camp
You may want a change of shoes, and comfortable clothing for lounging or hiking. While cotton clothing may be worn on shore in dry weather, you may want to bring a second set of polypropylene and fleece for rainy weather.
Where to find items you'll need
Check with local sporting goods stores. If they cater to outdoor sports (hiking, backpacking, etc.) rather than team sports, they should have most of the items you need. Gear is also available through mail order and on-line by contacting REI (800-426-4840, or www.rei.com), L.L. Bean (800-341-4341, or www.llbean.com), or Northwest River Supply (800-635-5202, or www.nrsweb.com).
How to pack
Pack your gear in a manner appropriate for your journey to Jordan Valley. When we meet we will supply you with a watertight river bag into which you will pack your clothing. This "clothing bag" is roughly 14" in diameter and 24" tall. We’ll also provide you with a second, larger river bag (roughly 16" in diameter and 33" tall) which you will share with one other person. Into this "camp bag" will go your tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and other bulky items.
These first two bags are somewhat difficult to get in to while we're on the river during the day. So we also will provide you with a third, small river bag (8" x 13"). This "personal day bag" is the place to store those items you want to keep handy such as as sunscreen, camera, sunglasses or sweater.
Additional packing details:
- These three bags provide ample storage space (more than one might imagine, based on the dimensions cited). However, we generally bring along a few extra bags for overflow items.
- Items that you want to keep handy but which really must stay dry (an expensive camera, for instance) are best kept in a 50 caliber military surplus ammo box. O.R.E. brings a few of these boxes along on each trip to be used on a shared basis. If you would like to bring your own they can be purchased at most military surplus and some sporting goods stores. (Please note that ammo boxes cannot be carried in paddle rafts or inflatable kayaks.)
- The bags that we provide are watertight under most conditions, even when temporarily submerged. However, leakage can occur, so we recommend that you wrap your clothing in heavy-duty plastic garbage bags for extra protection. We also recommend that you pack your camera, binoculars, reading material and similar items in zip-lock style food storage bags.
Packing List
River Gear
- swimsuit, or shorts and T-shirt (avoid cotton shorts)
- tennis shoes or sport sandals, or hard-soled wetsuit boots
- wool or synthetic "ski" hat — for cold/rainy days
- wide-brimmed hat (preferably with chin-strap), or baseball cap — for sunny days (wide-brimmed hats do a better job of keeping the sun off, but baseball caps can be worn beneath the helmets used by inflatable kayakers)
- 2 pair warm socks (wool or synthetic)
- waterproof rain jacket and rain pants
- Polypropylene or Capilene long underwear tops and bottoms ("expedition weight" is preferred)
- warm sweater or jacket, polyester fleece or wool
- water bottle or canteen
- waterproof sunscreen (SPF 15 minimum), lip balm
- sunglasses, with strap (i.e. "chums" or "croakies")
Extra river clothing, camp clothing and gear
- camp and hiking shoes (or lightweight hiking boots)
- 1 pair long pants
- 1-2 pair shorts
- 1-2 long-sleeved shirts
- 1-2 short-sleeved shirts
- socks and underwear
- personal toiletries, including small towel, biodegradable soap, dry-skin lotion, prescription medicines
- small flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries
Optional Items
- a second warm sweater or jacket, polyester fleece or wool, and fleece or wool pants (recommended!)
- gloves (especially if you’ll be rowing or kayaking) — bicycling, weight lifting, or gardening gloves work well
- binoculars
- camera
- reading material
- pen and journal or notebook
- compact fishing gear
- insect repellant
- spare glasses, sunglasses
- small daypack, ammo box, or small dry bag
- beer or soft drinks (up to 2 six-packs per person), wine or liquor — all in unbreakable containers. (We provide coffee, tea, and juice; also wine with some dinners). Please note: Consumption of alcohol is prohibited during the day — but is okay once we arrive in camp.
- People sensitive to the sun may want to bring lightweight cotton clothes (such as a surgeon’s outfit) for sun protection.
Pease do not bring: pets, guns, valuable jewelry, cellular phones, or radios (personal "walkman" type music players are okay).
