Rafting Magazine 8 things 2

8 Things to Ask a Rafting Company Before You Book

Its getting hot in your area and you want to cool off with your friends and have a little excitement on the river. Maybe you saw a rafting trip on a daily deal site and thought it looked fun. Well don’t get suckered into a trip that you don’t want or get a trip that you weren’t expecting. These 8 things to ask your rafting company before you book will make sure that you are getting a quality trip.

Getting the most out of your next river rafting trip

How many miles is the trip?

An average commercial rafting trip will be between 8 and 15 miles for a day trip. In general the tougher the river the shorter the trip. Some commercial outfitters on particularly tough rivers may only offer a few miles, but Outfitters run all kinds of trips on all sorts of rivers, but some outfitters try to gain advantage over each other by offering more miles. Getting more for your money sounds great, but you’re not buying bus tour. Remember, rafting is a physical workout. Like running marathons? Because that’s what a 21 mile trip is going to feel like. Focus on the river trip as a whole not just the number of miles.

On average, how many hours is the trip?

More important than miles is time on the water. How many hours will you be on the river on average? An 8 mile class III trip can be on the water 1.5 hours or 4 hours. If the river is rated class IV or class V that couple of miles may take all day so they can have extra time to get you down the river in case anything happens. The length of time that you spend on the river is directly related to how much paddling that your guide will make you do. Less time often means your vacation will end up being more work than fun. This all ties into our next point.

Do you have a set take out time?

“Professional” Guides often feel like they are in a race to get down the river. They think that takeout is a time not a place. If the outfitter that you are thinking of using has a set takeout time that is typically a sign the company has lots of arbitrary rules in place for their guides or have a lot of people packed on one date. Continue reading 8 Things to Ask a Rafting Company Before You Book …


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DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of the IRF.