# trailer vs. folding up raft vs. ...



## stribtw (Mar 19, 2009)

how many of yall trailer the raft? fold it up into a truck? fold it into a trailer? what else do you do to/from the river.

and opinions on why or why not you use this particular method


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## Snowhere (Feb 21, 2008)

I typically leave it rolled up in the truck on a rubber mat unless I am going local. I find myself worrying too much about the raft going over passes and temperature changes if I have it on the trailer. I tried it going from BV to Clear Creek last week and I checked it at twin lakes and she was O.K. I checked again in Leadville and she was too tight and had to let out air. When I got to Frisco she was tight again and I let out more air. Then it cooled off going up to the tunnel and the raft was pretty floppy. Next time I will go back to rolling it back up again. This is for Hypalon.


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## JBL (Jun 7, 2006)

I do some of both. Short drive to the put-in/laps on a section of river - trailer inflated and rigged. Long drive to the put-in - deflate, roll and carry on trailer. 

I used to de-rig after every trip because I didn't have a trailer. Finally ponied up and got a flatbed raft trailer and trailered my raft for three seasons inflated regardless of the distance/drive. I won't do that anymore because I find that it's hard on your gear to haul long distances while inflated - the frame, dry box, cooler, whatever else you're carrying, are all just bouncing/rubbing on the raft the whole drive. Not to mention, having to deal with pressure changes as you drive over passes, which for me involved letting air out and then putting it back in after gaining/losing elevation. 

It boils down to how well you like to take care of your gear. I have friends who don't give a shit about their stuff and trailer fully inflated everywhere, every time. They never mess with the air and seem to have no problems.

But rafting gear is like anything else - it will last longer and perform better if you take care of it.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

*Search "Trailer Raft" results*

http://www.mountainbuzz.com/forums/search.php?searchid=692628

There's all the info you could want in the threads here.

Personally, I leave the boat rigged on the trailer and always haul it that way. Its pretty easy to get the hang of what to do going over passes - let a little air out before you head up the hill, put some more in when you get to the bottom. If it gets warm, let a little air out, if it cools off and you're driving somewhere, top it off unless you're going up the big hill - then it'll tighten by itself pretty soon.

When driving I prefer to have the boat pretty tight so the frame isn't bouncing up and down or popping against the straps holding the boat down. Strap the frame to the trailer if you're driving with the boat rigged.

-AH


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