# Recommendations for Grand private outfitters?



## WyoPadlr1 (May 5, 2005)

P.R.O., have used them 3 times now, always gone with the "painless private" option and have no regrets.


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

Hey Joe, I am going in about three weeks (Oct. 28th!!!, we picked Moenkopi River Works. Heard nothing but great things about them, and they had the most competitive price quote as well. We get off the Canyon Nov 12th and I will be happy to give you a rundown on them when I get back. 

When we did our research we heard mostly positive things about both REO and PRO with the occasional negative or neutral review. The reviews about Moenkopi were glowing and we didn't find the negative or neutral reviews about them. Search through the posts at GCPBA and RRFW's yahoo groups and their sites and you will get a lot of feedback. 

One other thing - short days are the norm so you want to tailor your menu to cooking in the cold and dark. Some of the outfitters will set you up to peel potatoes, cut 5 different kinds of veggies and generally do a lot of kitchen work, probably not fun in the cold and dark.


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## relikpaul (Feb 20, 2008)

*outfitters*



JCKeck1 said:


> Hitting the GC in January. We're doing a private. I'm looking for recommendations for companies that do the food and/or rafts, etc. Mostly the food. Experiences?
> Joe




Moenkopi Riverworks: Grand Canyon River Rentals
I live in flagstaff and the best co. is defiantly Moenkopi river works 
they do it all 
outfit, rent, food, travel all of it!! 
small co, locals guys, not P.R.O. and there private jet and 40 huge gas vans


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## EZ (Feb 10, 2004)

*Brady is hilarious!*

I just got off a GC trip in September and we used Moenkopi Riverworks. I definately recommend them over REO. I haven't used PRO, but Brady at Moenkopi is a great guy with great equipment and service. 

If you do use Moenkopi, check out their Country Boy menu options. We had the pulled pork and it was super easy and great tasting. The meat is already cooked and you just open up the vacuum bag and dump and heat. Next time, I am going with Country Boy dinners every night!

PM me if you want and I can send along the menu we used and some comments.


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## rwhyman (May 23, 2005)

Here is another option that I've heard good things about for food.

Karen M. House, LPC

Cocina del Rio

Catering to River Rats

www.coconadelrio.com <http://www.coconadelrio.com/>

505-670-2585


And like has been mentioned, Brady gets good reviews for the whole deal.
No personal experience with either.


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## tboe101 (May 10, 2005)

Used PRO and REO. Both were fine but PRO was better. REO gave us way too much food which was hard to pack. With both companies we only paid for ten people even though there were 12 of us. We still hauled way too much food out as waste. I would do the food myself because it's a lot cheaper. If I used an outfitter I would use the "Painless PRO" if i I do it again. The drivers from both companies were great. Like an earlier post stated you want to spend your time enjoying the trip. Look for meals that have no prep time (peeling potatoes or long cooking stews, etc). I could eat burgers, hot dogs, and canned beans three days a week if I had a choice because of easy cooking. (I'm a food service guy in the real world so I don't want to cook for fifteen on my time off.)


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## relikpaul (Feb 20, 2008)

EZ said:


> I just got off a GC trip in September and we used Moenkopi Riverworks. I definately recommend them over REO. I haven't used PRO, but Brady at Moenkopi is a great guy with great equipment and service.
> 
> If you do use Moenkopi, check out their Country Boy menu options. We had the pulled pork and it was super easy and great tasting. The meat is already cooked and you just open up the vacuum bag and dump and heat. Next time, I am going with Country Boy dinners every night!
> 
> PM me if you want and I can send along the menu we used and some comments.


you should try to pay brady in beer 
he'll probably do it 
he is a great guy and halarious especially with a few beers in him 
also Rico same both flg locals


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## WyoPadlr1 (May 5, 2005)

*"Door to Door" same as "Painless Private" on PRO???*



relikpaul said:


> Moenkopi Riverworks: Grand Canyon River Rentals
> I live in flagstaff and the best co. is defiantly Moenkopi river works
> they do it all
> outfit, rent, food, travel all of it!!
> small co, locals guys, not P.R.O. and there private jet and 40 huge gas vans


Hey, Paul. I checked out Moenkopi's website. Is their "door to door" the same idea as PRO's "painless private?" Moenkopi's food selection looks waaayyy better, fresher, etc. and the only one thing we have always found to be drawback of PRO is like others said: too much food, a little too much prep time, and occasionally some issues finding where things were packed. Otherwise, PRO's gear, service, and people have been great.
Even as a former guide with my own gear, I still prefer showing up down there and using the bigger boats specifically set up for those Grand-sized loads, food all packed, etc. We have an '09 trip coming, and seems well worth looking into Moenkopi more, especially if their boats/frames are similar to what PRO provides. What did you think of the raft setups?


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## 1whitewattafoo (Nov 25, 2007)

*CIEBA ADVENTURES*



JCKeck1 said:


> Hitting the GC in January. We're doing a private. I'm looking for recommendations for companies that do the food and/or rafts, etc. Mostly the food. Experiences?
> Joe


check out cieba they're small and fun to deal with I went through pro in 05, and gonna use cieba this time for january 17th whats your date? dirka dirka ADAM S


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## danA (Aug 8, 2005)

had an excellent experience with Ceiba last fall, whole shebang deal, good amount of food ( we had some super-eater garbage disposal types though) and they even snuck a thanksgiving dinner (and decorations) in for us on one of our last days on the water! Great small company that helped us out every step of the way, very flexible, and very interesting people! All that and we got money back after they food shopped for us.

I would no hesitate to use them again, and hope to soon!

I would use them again in heartbeat,


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

Call Scott at Ceiba, he is your man for everything! 800-217-1060 or ceibaadventures.com


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## 1whitewattafoo (Nov 25, 2007)

yup scott pettitt, he is the man


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## Tom Martin (Dec 5, 2004)

*contact info*

for all these folks is here:

Rental Gear Providers - Rafting Grand Canyon

Have a Great trip! Yours, Tom


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## durangatang (Oct 13, 2006)

i went through REO last Jan. was quite happy with it. you have to have ZERO fear of butter though..... about 4 sticks per meal...


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## mp (Feb 4, 2004)

Call Scott at Ceiba, he is your man for everything! 800-217-1060 or ceibaadventures.com

We used them this June and they were great. The food was great and we had to much(the 110+ heat had alot to do with it), but for total newbies no body down the Grand before they were great. We did the hole Shabang and their gear was great. Our rafts and equipment we got from them was the newest and nicest by far from what we saw on the river. Their prices were lower than Pro and Reo. We will use them again for sure. Their customer service was awesome.
Mike


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

This thing about food is interesting. I've only done two private trips, one where we did our own, and the other where REO did a great job for us on the meals. I'm pretty sure you'd get good results from any of the firms that have been mentioned.

The food dilemma the outfitters have seems to me to be pretty simple. They can't afford to ever have a trip come back and say that there wasn't enough food. That would be deadly in terms of their reputation, and I think they'd much rather take the rap for too much food.

Intricate or time-consuming kitchen operations is another matter, of course. But each of them seems to offer a wide range of meal plans -- all you have to do is tell them that you want simple preparation. And they all are going to give you approval over the menu, so that's a final check.

FWIW.

Rich Philllips
gulchradio.com


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## knappco (Aug 4, 2006)

*ceiba*

ceiba was great I don't think it gets any better in terms of food and boats


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## rg5hole (May 24, 2007)

http://www.canonoutfitters.com/
Try this guy from PAGE...much more convenient being in Page near Lee's and his shit is tight...as nice as PRO from what I saw. I met the guy picking up some dudes at Diamond and he is cool as shit as well....sounds like he is way LESS money too! We rented REO due to cost but this guy being in Page would have saved us a couple hundered in gas and 6 hours.

American D system on the keg...ales pour better and hold up better with temp change. Make sure the pouring line is small (1/4 ID) and at least 6' long to ovoid the dreaded foam only pour. We drank 9 kegs (1/2 barrel big ones) with 10 people over 17 days, plus two nights of booze.

Also Joe you can check out my cheaters post...lots of time to save reading our attachments here...
http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/f11/grand-canyon-cheat-sheet-itin-menu-gear-n-beer-21361.html

no doubt you will have a good time with any rental company, not the rental that makes it or breaks it ya know....need to have enough beer and bacon and coffee.

-russ


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## Caspian (Oct 14, 2003)

Used REO for a trip in '04 - food was very good and there was plenty of it, including for lunch, which is a bigger deal for hardboaters, really. But there way too much prep time - making spaghetti sauce from tomato paste and sauteing your garlic, etc...fine for home, but too much work when you want to sit and watch the river go by.


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## Doubledown (Sep 23, 2008)

Moenkopi Riverworks is highly recommended. I have used them for both rentals and Grand Canyon food packs. The boats are fresh and the food is most excellent! Easy to make meals that make you feel right at home. Simple, accurate, and delicious. Brady will go out of his way to make your trip go off without a hitch.


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## boatingbuss (May 22, 2008)

moenkopi for sure! Brady is a friend of mine, stand up guy.......and hilarious! he will stand by his gear and operation.


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## leesonka (May 29, 2008)

just returned from a magical trip down the canyon, we used REO. they were good but lots of waste on some meals and i would have liked more BACON!


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## tboe101 (May 10, 2005)

leesonka said:


> just returned from a magical trip down the canyon, we used REO. they were good but lots of waste on some meals and i would have liked more BACON!



Funny you wanted more bacon.. Same wih us, alot of waste from RIO. However we had PLENTY of bacon, cheese, and butter. It was heaven for a misplaced Wisconsinite.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

leesonka said:


> just returned from a magical trip down the canyon, we used REO. they were good but lots of waste on some meals


OK, I can understand the pain that excess food causes, because I've been there myself (even with my own packing). But can you reasonably expect them not to overpack? They have no idea how much you eat, and certainly you'd complain MORE if you were short food. Sheesh! I'd sure hate to be in that business! If you were in their position would you rather have people complain about a bit of garbage, or being hungry?

Plus, as someone who planned an entire 23 day meal plan for 16 (talk about food allergies and conflicts!!), I can definitely say you should quit bitching or do it yourself! :twisted::twisted: Nothing like people getting catered to and whining about it!


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## lifezgood (Apr 18, 2008)

I'd also recommend Ceiba. Rachel and Scott run a great outfit and are top notch.

Hope you have a great trip.


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## yakrafter (Aug 7, 2006)

*We used Ceiba last Spring.*

Rachel and Scott were on the ball, they were very easy to communicate with and everyone who answered the phone seemed to know about us and our trip needs.

Food quality was great and it was packed well. Primarly fresh raw food. They will do just about whatever you ask, though I don't think they will prepare meals ahead of time.

That being said, there was a huge learning experience from that trip in regards to food, not that I really know how to put the learning in action.

We had too much food. As folks said, better than the opposite for both us and the outfitter. Not everyone in the group knew each other, no one jumped up to do prep or had any other suggestions so we went with Ceiba.

Now we did have some older folks in the group that did not eat that much, but overall we had too much of the stuff around the edges. This includes stuff like rice, tea, condiments etc. It could have gone the other way if folks happened to eat differently. On the other hand, though there was much gatoraid mix, folks were hiding their own stash by the end. (bring your own). We did not seem to have leftovers of the main meat for a meal (all burgers got eaten, even if there was plenty of extra rice or pasta or salad.) We had 10 folks and always 12 servings of meat (good).

My point being that I would be way more in tune with the packing of this stuff - picking stuff that will get eaten and try and leave the other stuff out. It is so hard to tell, though, what will get eaten, as some nights I could eat everything and other times I did not eat at all.

Ceiba outfitting was like having your own grocery store, all food had to be prepped on the river. This means lots of fresh food and lots! of time spent dealing with food and packing.

As a result of having extra, we had many extra full ammo cans and much trash. 

I feel Ceiba is good, but I would recomend that you spend much time getting in tune with the food and the group. Too much food and a group decision can result in much pouting and bitching (as it did on our trip), which really put a damper on the trip. Ironically the folks that bitched the most, did the least (or no) food prep or dishes. They were mostly pissed that they had to carry the extra weight (understandable, except they were bitching about their own decision - even if they forgot). Either way it was not a great dynamic. Esp as some folks were not communicators. Lesson, avoid this issue by taking it seriously and not just leaving it to the outfitter. Also, folks in a 15' boat expected to carry the same as 18' boat will feel an excess burden. After last year there was an all 18'er philosophy for this year.

This time around we are working on a split up the meals plan where all food is preprepped by members of the group(just heat or grill and serve) so we have more time on the river and groups of 2-3 take care of a certain number of days, food, dishes, etc. This appears to be having its own complexities, but I bet it will work out good. I am for it mostly because it will keep the bitching in check, but if it keeps the food tighter, that much better. We found that the outfitters that preprep food are much more expensive. 

Bottom line - Ceiba = great company, work closely to make sure you have what you need (either enough or not too much as each group is different), because they will make sure of it and then some.

Yakrafter


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## tboe101 (May 10, 2005)

"Too much food and a group decision can result in much pouting and bitching (as it did on our trip), which really put a damper on the trip. Ironically the folks that bitched the most, did the least (or no) food prep or dishes. They were mostly pissed that they had to carry the extra weight (understandable, except they were bitching about their own decision - even if they forgot)."



How could someone bitch--you're on the Grand Canyon, the greatest raft trip in the entire world. Besides that, we had the opposite problem on one of our Grand trip I took ALL the extra weight because it helps you not flip---lol. If you ever need a boatman or boat bitch who dosen't bitch, look me up--lol.


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## yakrafter (Aug 7, 2006)

"How could someone bitch--you're on the Grand Canyon, the greatest raft trip in the entire world. Besides that, we had the opposite problem on one of our Grand trip I took ALL the extra weight because it helps you not flip---lol. If you ever need a boatman or boat bitch who dosen't bitch, look me up--lol."

I hear ya.


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## boatmusher (Jun 18, 2008)

I also have used Ceiba. Loved them! Once, unfortunately the TL would jump around on the different meals and eat what "tasted good" that night. Unfortunately, packing and planning on Ceibas part doesn't really allow one to jump around like that w/out it turning into a cluster [email protected]# by the end. Ceiba is cool b/c if you follow their plan you only have to take 2 maybe 3 cans off for dinner. Very organized as long as the group stays to plan.

As yakrafter stated there is a lot of prep w/ Ceiba. Too much time cooking and cleaning not enough time relaxing. Next time I hope on the group doing the food as a group in some manner. Easier that way as long as there is organization. Especially when you get on the river! No matter how much planning goes into the trip prior to leaving w/out the proper organization on the river it all goes to shit! 

It is funny! Certain groups I have found don't understand group dynamics. Such as putting personal gear/agenda ahead of group gear/agenda. With a strong core of solid boaters that have been on overnights before problems stated above should and could be easily avoided. The problems that arise on the Grand I personally have found
can be avoided and adjusted with a little bit of communication and leadership skills. Needless to say, group dynamics make or break a trip.


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## 1whitewattafoo (Nov 25, 2007)

Boatmusher and others that have used ceiba>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I am using ceiba in jan. so u have the option of QUICK &SIMPLE, wich are supposed to be pretty quick meals to prepare, there is the BASIC, which takes an hour from start to finish, and COMPLEX takes the longest.. with that said do you remember the one you went with?


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## yakrafter (Aug 7, 2006)

*balance.*

I think one of the tricks down there is realizing that not everyone will be equally burdened, though you should aim for this.

Rafts vs. Kayaks
Groover set up vs. Kitchen set up
Prep vs. Cooking
Leader vs. Group Members
Big Boats vs. Small ones.

I bitched about the bitches, either way and I am glad we will be going again knowing how to do it a little better. Group dynamics is another topic, though tummies are closely connected to our brains. 

The point I was trying to make is that the right amount of food is tough, I like the idea of sharing the burden amoung the group and take this stuff seriously, just because you hired an outfitter does not mean the job is done, their decisions can greatly impact how you will function on the river, so strive to understand what they are packing and how they expect you to use it. Our group was more minimalist than the outfitter prepared for so we were running heavy in places we did not want to be. This influenced folks demeanors. Plan ahead to avoid.

Still feel great about Ceiba, I just know now better what to ask for if I hire an outfitter again. 

I am honestly looking forward to the food preparation, besides the shared burden and less on river work (our plan), I feel like I and We in the group will have richer experience having done more to make the trip ours. Extra prep before the trip is something I am more than glad to do, it is on the river that I want the time. Hopefully will save a few bucks by doing it ourselves.


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## surfsister (Feb 16, 2008)

I recently returned from a trip using Moenkopi Riverworks as an outfitter. The food was fresh and excellent. Brady, Rico and Marilyn did a fantastic job making sure we had everything we needed. The trip was definitely customized to our group. Brady was awesome and even hiked down into the Canyon with a me at Eminence Break because I was not able to launch with the rest of the group. I'd highly recommend using Moenkopi to outfit your trip if you are looking for personalized service.


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

These are all great recommendations but if you are cheap like me you can do it yourself. We hired only a shuttle on our last trip and went to south cove to avoid hualipai fees. did all the food, etc ourselves and spent like $500 per person for 20 days.

if you have extra money lying around go for the $1000 trip and have someone do your food.


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## BarryDingle (Mar 13, 2008)

I had originally reserved a raft with PRO for our March launch. I wasn't really happy with their customer service,they really weren't to eager to help me and made it seem like everything was a hassle for them. So i'm cancelling with them and going with Brady from Moenkopi,who has been very helpful.


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## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

Just got back from the Grand a few days ago, took out on Nov 13th. We used Moenkopi for 3 18' boats, food and shuttle and brought another couple rafts with us. We were very happy with their service and food pack. The meals were generally easy to do - but some meals like lasagna in the Dutch Ovens definitely took that night's cook crew more time. There is a list of food options on Moenkopi's website you can choose from - or they will pack your specific requests. 

We finished the trip with a definite excess of food and snacks. Part of the excess is an insurance policy in case you get stuck in the canyon for a few extra days due to emergency or something like the road up Diamond Creek getting washed out - forcing you to either wait for the road to get repaired or to head to South Cove. Since about half of our trip drove to the Grand we simply packed up the extra food in the two coolers we brought with us. 

In terms of organization we had a rocket box for each days food, a meat cooler, dairy cooler and some specific rocket boxes/ammo cans for things like breakfast staples and spices. This system worked well for our group.

As to trip dynamics - we had 12 people, 3 of whom were on kitchen duty each day and cooked dinner through the next days lunch. Couples generally didn't cook together so that the non-cooking person could get their tent/sleeping bags set up and break it down in the morning. One non-cooking person was on groover duty each day. Unloading the boats and setting up group gear like the kitchen and hand wash stations was done before anyone set up camp. We also discussed group dynamics and responsibilities before the trip online and on the shuttle ride in so that everyone was clear on expectations.


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## yakrafter (Aug 7, 2006)

boatmusher said:


> I also have used Ceiba. Loved them! Once, unfortunately the TL would jump around on the different meals and eat what "tasted good" that night. Unfortunately, packing and planning on Ceibas part doesn't really allow one to jump around like that w/out it turning into a cluster [email protected]# by the end. Ceiba is cool b/c if you follow their plan you only have to take 2 maybe 3 cans off for dinner. Very organized as long as the group stays to plan.
> 
> As yakrafter stated there is a lot of prep w/ Ceiba. Too much time cooking and cleaning not enough time relaxing. Next time I hope on the group doing the food as a group in some manner. Easier that way as long as there is organization. Especially when you get on the river! No matter how much planning goes into the trip prior to leaving w/out the proper organization on the river it all goes to shit!
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have been down again man, we only jumped planned meals due to the desire of those in the group that were cooking to do more or less prep...or if we were low on water and had a pasta meal or something like that. 

In terms of the multi daily can decent. The issue there was the desire to try and use the leftover food. Thus bring out old day cans that were still packed with eatables. In retrospect we should have just let those cans stay on the boats full of food if not eaten. 

Hopefully the personal pack will take care of the food excess issue, but we will see.

I also really think coolers should be time sequencial not based on content catagories (dairy, meat, lunch, etc) that has you opening coolers all the time over and over.

communication, leadership, group dynamics are all critical, but as you know. Sometimes one event over the course of a few minutes can change the rest of the trip. folks have to want to be lead as well or at least cooperate.


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## richierivertrip (Jul 28, 2008)

Used PRO this past June. Their "Quick and Easy" menu was just that. They give you plenty of food; the philosophy being better to have to much than not enough. we did Painless Private. Just show up in Flag with your private stuff they do the rest.


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## tango (Feb 1, 2006)

just got home this morning from 10 days on the grand canyon. we used moenkopi. it was pretty rad. lots of food. great gear. brady is the man. would definitely suggest moenkopi to anyone heading down there.


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