Gear
Working systems, not gear lists. How we organize cooler, kitchen, repair, hydration, and rigging for desert rivers and overland trips.
Approach
Systems before lists
A packing list tells you what to pack. A system tells you how the kit lives on the boat, who is responsible for it, how it gets unpacked at camp, and what happens when something fails. The hubs below sort gear into the systems we actually run.
Gear Systems
Working kits
Each system is a complete kit with the way we rig it, the failure modes we plan around, and the substitutions that work when something is missing.
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Big Water Control System
High-commitment whitewater kit — PFD + helmet + reinforced frame + rescue gear — built for Class IV+ runs.
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Big Water Raft System
Complete oar rig for Class III-V multi-day river expeditions. Raft, frame, oars, and rigging configured for big water on the Colorado Plateau.
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Camp Comfort System
The gear that makes camp feel like home — chair, table, shade, pillow, sound system.
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Cooler System
Multi-cooler organization for multi-day trips — main cooler + beverage cooler + day cooler.
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Dory Oar Setup
Dory-specific oar configuration — longer oars, specific oarlock spacing, spare mount for a rescuable row back.
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Dory with Motor Rig
Mixed-mode rig — a dory carrying a small outboard for reservoir and flatwater sections, rowed on whitewater. Used for expeditions that cross reservoir + whitewater in one trip (Cataract full-system).
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Dry Box Bar Kit
Dry-box-organized bar kit — slots for bottles, tools, and mixers, all cushioned and river-stable.
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Compact Dry Box Kitchen
Minimal-footprint dry-box kitchen for small-crew trips — stove, pots, utensils in one box.
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Low Water Rafting Gear Systems
Gear adjustments for low water — shallower frame, different oar length, rock bumpers, more pins.
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Oar System
Oar setup — shafts, blades, oarlocks, rigging, and spare oar mounting.
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River Bar Kit
Compact dry-box bar setup — shakers, jiggers, glassware, ice bin. Camp bartending as a practice.
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River Kitchen System
Camp kitchen setup for multi-day river trips. Stove, cooler, and dry storage configured to feed a crew from the back of a gear raft.
Rigging & Setup
How it goes on the boat
The boring part nobody photographs. Frame setup, strap discipline, cooler placement, and the small decisions that decide whether day five is comfortable.