Whitewater gear
Paddling in whitewater requires some specialized gear. This section explains it all.
On this page
Personal Protective Equipment on the water
Just like many other activities that are inherently risky, whitewater canoeing has its own set of PPE.
Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
These are also (incorrectly) known as a "life jacket." Your PFD needs to be whitewater-ready. This means it’s a paddling PFD that's appropriate size for your body, adjustable at at least six points, made of a durable material. Cheap cottagey PFDs tend to float up over your ears making it awkward to swim in and reduce visibility in critical situations. If you're getting into whitewater paddling, you'll need to be ready to spend north of $150 for a decent entry-level PFD. Here are some decent starters.
Helmet
A whitewater helmet or multi-sport helmet is required in whitewater. When dumping in whitewater, it's very likely there's rocks around to bang your head on.
Jacob nearly took a rock in the face underwater on one unfortunate run but the peak of his helmet took the blow instead of his face.
Whistle
You need the type without the pea inside. Fox40s are the standard. See the Communication section to learn about whistle signals. It should be attached somewhere with easy access. Many PFDs have a string for a whistle that is just inside the front pouch.
River knife
A river knife is a 3-4 inch blade, often with a blunt tip, that's attached in a sheath to your PFD ready to grab quickly if necessary. Keep this knife sharp and always ready by never using it for anything else. You can read more about what this is for in the When shit goes south section.
Tim once witnessed someone lose their river knife because they were using it for food prep in a canoe. It slipped off the paddle she was cutting cheese on and lost to the river.
What to wear in whitewater
Footwear
Shoes for whitewater need to be closed-toe (but it doesn’t need to be steel-toe!) to protect your toes from banging into rocks, but it also makes it easier to walk in moving water. If you’re wearing a sandal with open toes, the water will separate the sandal bottom from your toes making a kind of water-sail on your foot that’s difficult to walk with and could eventually break the sandal.
Shoes need to be tight enough on your feet so that they are not washed away in a strong current (a problem with Crocs). Too many straps on the sandal can be an extra snag risk too.
Tim once got caught upside down in a boil with a piece of his sandal caught on a part of the seat. He was only released when the strap broke.
You'll also need footwear that can effectively grip onto wet rocks. Some sandals seem perfect for the job, but are slippery when wet and make scouting more dangerous.
Gloves
Gloves are often a nice to have when paddling but of course become a must-have the colder it gets. The T grip on whitewater paddles is sometimes less forgiving on your hands so a fingerless pair of paddling gloves can make for a more comfortable long trip. Full-fingered neoprene gloves are great in the shoulder seasons while full waterproof gloves with insulation are ideal for winter paddling (Yeah, we try to paddle in the winter too if the water isn't frozen).
Paddling clothes
Loose-fitting clothing also has snag potential, so prefer tight-fighting clothes. If it's not the height of summer, you'll likely encounter cold weather or cold water so cotton should be avoided. Cotton clings to the skin when it’s wet and the conductivity of the water in the cotton efficiently sucks away heat and energy from the wearer. Any other kind of material won’t cling so it won’t drain your heat as much. Wool will actually continue to insulate when it’s wet and merino wool makes a really nice base layer. Fleece will not insulate when wet, but it dries quickly, especially after wringing it out.
You will likely be stepping in and out of knee-high water a lot and pants will sponge a lot of water into the boat. Shorts are better for this but are colder and you're more at risk of abrasion on plants and sticks when scouting through the bush usually off-trail. Athletic tights under shorts solve this problem.
Rough weather clothes
If we’re paddling in cold weather, then you’ll need some sort of a raincoat or paddling splash top. Puffy fleece underneath is ideal since it won't absorb water. Down jackets or vests will only make you colder if they get wet. Rain paints can be ideal too since you may be receiving splashes of cold water in your lap. But for getting in and out of the boat, dry pants are great. They have either a waterproof sock built into the pants or a rubber seal around the ankle that keeps the water out. The best attire for cold water paddling is a full dry suit but they are considerably expensive.
Hat
Most of the time spent on whitewater trips will not be in whitewater so be ready to keep the sun off your head with a hat to paddle in of your choice. Whatever the hat is, be ready with an easy way to secure your hat when your helmet comes on. Some paddlers wear simple baseball hats under their helmet which provides additional eye protection with a longer peak.
Canoes
What makes a ww canoe a ww canoe?
Hull shape: They have wider ends to better stay on top of the water in waves rather than slicing through them. This makes them also far more difficult to paddle in a straight line on flatwater.
Hull material: Whitewater canoes need to be made out of a very strong material to take a beating from rocks. We use canoes specifically made for whitewater made of either Royalex or T-Formex, both of which are variations of ABS plastic. Kevlar, Fiberglass, or Aluminum are not used in whitewater.
Flotation: Float bags can be added to the bow and stern of whitewater canoes and are attached to the boat by being trapped inside a 'cage' of rope. Whitewater canoes are also made by layering on plastic during manufacturing. The middle layer is aerated with bubbles which makes the canoe impossible to entirely sink.
Knee pads: Usually whitewater canoes have built-in knee pads which add comfort and help the paddler feel more secure against the bottom of the boat.
Painters: It's best practice to attach bundled ropes to each end of the canoe which can be grabbed to assist in extracting the canoe after a capsize, or just tying up the canoe to dock it to a shore.
Thigh straps: The best whitewater canoes have thigh straps to further secure paddlers to the boat giving them an incredible amount of control through leaning. They naturally release if the canoe tips, but they take some getting use to.
Loading the canoe
Prefer large bags. In whitewater canoeing, it's ideal to limit the number of pieces of gear that can float away. We typically use large 115L dry bags for soft gear like tents, sleeping bags and clothes and 60L plastic hermetically sealed barrels for food and kitchen gear. Tandem canoes typically have the space for four of these in any combination.
Paddlers also need a dry bag that's easily accessible for gear they need to access in the boat like a rain coat, gloves, sunglasses, snacks, etc. a 20L clear dry bag is perfect for this. This bag will also need a space where it can be clipped on to the yolk or thwart when in whitewater.
Avoid "dry loading" a canoe. A dry load is when the canoe is loaded while still on land. Since a fully loaded canoe is too heavy to lift, it means dragging the canoe into the water unnecessarily scratching up the hull. Whitewater canoes will get scratched up enough on their own without your extra help.
Consider lashing. There are differences of opinion on lashing large bags and barrels securely to the boat. It's really about which risk you wish to take and what kind of whitewater you're paddling in. Lashed-in gear can be problematic in a boat that's pinned or even just floating upside down. Effecting a canoe-over-canoe boat rescue isn't possible with lashed-in gear. The positives of lashed-in gear is that the gear is safely with the boat and not washed down stream and potentially lost. The longer the rapid, the more lashing everything in makes sense. If the river is drop and pool, lashing may not be necessary.
There's an old flatwater tradition of running a single rope through all the pieces of gear in a boat. The gear isn't lashed in but at least on a leash in the event of a dump. Don't do this in whitewater as that introduces a significant amount of loose rope that can get entangled on a paddler within a rapid. Keep the lashing nice and tight, or not at all.
Paddles
Whitewater paddles are shorter and wider. The shorter blade on a whitewater paddle is easier to pull out of the water and adjust quickly in rapids and its width gives it a lot of 'purchase' on the water, which means enough surface area on the paddle for a strong stroke. The width also is better for a brace stroke when the paddle is flat to the surface of the water.
The blades of flatwater paddles, for comparison, are usually longer and thinner. It's more effective in flatwater for the blade to reach down and gain purchase against the more compressed water lower down.
Whitewater paddles are ideally stronger than regular paddles. High-quality composite paddles with a metal shaft are ideal, but they are not cheap. Whitewater paddles can be made with wood, fiberglass, carbon or strong plastic.
Whitewater paddles also have a T grip for a handle, which is less contoured to your hand, but the 90º angle on the handle (and some even make a slight hook back towards the blade) is quite practical. A boat or a piece of gear or even a person that's floating away can be grabbed by reaching for it with the T grip.
Each boat should have one backup paddle in it. Paddles can sometimes be dropped, broken, or lost after a dump. The backup paddle is often a cheap paddle, but don't bring one that you wouldn't want to paddle half the trip with. Store it in the boat in such away that you can quickly pull it out in a pinch.
Rescue equipment
This section isn't about how to use these items, but they are listed here just so you're aware of their existence.
Throw bag: A bag full of rope that you can throw to unintentional swimmers to help them get to shore. This is one piece of rescue equipment that everyone should have with them and practice using.
Tow rope: A bag of rope that has a large carabiner on one end and is attached to a secure quick-release belt on the other. These can be set up in seconds to tow a canoe. This is an advanced piece of gear and shouldn't be used by novices. Since it involves additional risk, training on its use is required.
Rescue saw: If someone is snagged up in a sweeper or strainer, this saw can be quickly used to release the victim.
Pin kit: A kit that contains straps, pulleys, carabiners, and pieces of rope that are all used to set up a pinned canoe rescue.
Rescue PFD: A specialized Personal Flotation Device with a built in quick-release strap with a connection ring at the back. This can be used for a variety of situations where a rescuer needs to be securely tied to a line but need to be able to instantly release the line in an emergency. These are used when towing a boat using a painter line, or in a "live bait" rescue where the rescuer swims to a victim while tied to a line.