# Best things to bring on the Grand Canyon



## bwest

For those of you who have made the trip or know others who have and heard good stories, what are the best things you've heard of bringing on a trip. I will surely be bringing five pairs of sunglasses and toothbrushes, lots of sunscreen and lotion, extra camera batteries, fun costumes, enough party supplies to feed the entire country of Andorra for the year 2013, probably some kind of solar powered speakers, musical instruments, and all the other "essentials". What were the best things you brought that when you busted em out, people freaked, or that you used everyday and considered absolutely crucial? Ok, maybe not crucial but made you the coolest cat around because you had _________.


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## kayakfreakus

Black light to hunt scorpions was a fun nightly ritual after we had set up camp to see how infested the area you are sleeping in is. Lasers to make your party supplies better. Those big bubble makers, unreal how much fun we had with those thing on the water, making smoke bubbles is a true feat and passes the flat water. We may have had a little too much fun, but it is hard not to down there. I did not bring enough wet/body wipes and wished I had more. Sure I will think of some others...


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## LSB

Schedule lots of bacon for breakfasts = Grease Bombs


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## mania

Well first and foremost you need firepower. 12 gauge shotgun, 44 magnum, and AK-47 are the minimum for a small group. Larger groups should consider adding an RPG and flamethrower to their arsenal.


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## hojo

mania said:


> Well first and foremost you need firepower. 12 gauge shotgun, 44 magnum, and AK-47 are the minimum for a small group. Larger groups should consider adding an RPG and flamethrower to their arsenal.


Are you damaged? 44mag is way to unruly for effective commercial guide v. private boater combat. 10mm or .41 increases rapid fire accuracy over a 44 any day. Duh. Plus, I think flamethrowers are always banned in the dry season unless you have an Arizona conceal permit so I'd keep it secret.


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## hojo

On a real note.. some sort of music creation device ie. guitar, harmonica, accordion, etc. is often appreciated.


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## lhowemt

3-5 times as many spare contacts as you think along with tons of plain saline for rinsing sand sand and more sand. Rx sunglasses too.


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## jmcdannel

Sand-free MultiRug

Cascade Outfitters Whitewater Rafting Equipment: SandFree MultiRug - 5'1" x 6'6"


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## calendar16

Muck boots or any other kind of shin-to-knee high waterproof boots...wore them everyday.

Face paint for "war" paint for the big rapids, it helps.

Psychedelics. 

Along with above I would recommend doing theme nights for costume fun. For example we had animal shirt night, international night (on election day), prom night, etc.

Whiskey to stay warm on the raft.

Rigging gloves.

Super glue for when your hands or feet do crack.

Fleece pants...wore them every morning along with my Muck boots. Melanzana has sweet ones out of Leadville.

Thermos...pack a hot tea on your boat for drinking during the day.

Rolling papers...who wants to smoke bowls every day?

Packable bong...see above.

I'll second the more bacon. We even had bacon with Oatmeal, kicked ass!

Have fun! It's a special place!


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## Gumbydamnit

SOCKS! Lube up the feet before you hit the cot and cover them up with socks. Your feet will thank you.


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## BAER

bacon, grease bombs, battery operated clippers so every one can get an awesome mustache come day 12, pigs ( the game ) ((real ones would be cool, then you could have as much bacon as you want)) disco ball!


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## coloradopaddler

*Necessary grand equipment!*

A couple of canoe paddlers?


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## deadlizard

*Flipped at Horn.*

And lost my RiverMaps Guide to the Grand Canyon. Only thing lost in the flip and on the whole trip. Probably the only item I did not have a spare for. Spare glasses, spare shoes, flashlight, oars, spare everything.

Spent the next week and half asking at every stop to borrow someone's map to see where the next camp might be.

Bring 2 maps.


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## tango

bring your goddamn eskimo roll so you don't swim at crystal again


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## boatermatt

*Groover Reading materail*

I brought a Chuck Noris book and left it with the groover materails and didn't tell anyone it was me who left it. It was funny hear everyone starting to quote facts about Chuck Noris.


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## calendar16

Moose Farkel the game...was a lot of fun at camp.

Amazon.com: Flat Pack Farkel Moose Farkel!: Toys & Games

There's The River: Grand Canyon Boatmen Stories...fun short stories to read around the camp fire.

There's This River... Grand Canyon Boatman Stories: Christa Sadler: 9780977698301: Amazon.com: Books

Lighters...several.

Second the battery operated clippers for facial hair adventures. We did that for White Trash theme night. I am still rocking the moustache.


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## lhowemt

boatermatt said:


> I brought a Chuck Noris book and left it with the groover materails and didn't tell anyone it was me who left it. It was funny hear everyone starting to quote facts about Chuck Noris.


That's awesome! We had a globe paper that was fun too.


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## Cookie

I always bring henna on river trips. If you live in a town like Jackson, Boulder, Flagstaff, Moab, etc. where there are a lot of hippies, you should be able to find some at a hippie store; if not, you can order it from Earth Henna. 





































This was also a big hit: disposable plastic shot glasses duck taped to an oar for a giant ten-person shotski (or shotoar):










And a second on the blacklight:










Games? Who needs 'em!? Just spend hours of your night trying to put your thumb through the bottom of an unopened beer can until you master it and become so drunk that your buddies make you wear a life jacket and helmet at Ledges camp.










Oh, and I havn't heard any mention of bocce yet... but I think that's a required item for any river trip. Make sure you get the kind that glows in the dark so the fun doesn't end when you lose all your balls in the dark.


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## Melrose

*Sand-free Multimat!*

'CGear' is the brand I have. Works great, a sand-free place to; eat, change, read, sleep, etc! 
I gotta say the SUP board was sick for the flatwater and layover days!


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## hojo

Cookie said:


> Games? Who needs 'em!? Just spend hours of your night trying to put your thumb through the bottom of an unopened beer can until you master it and become so drunk that your buddies make you wear a life jacket and helmet at Ledges camp.


There, in the teal helmet, Is that Donald Sutherland, AKA Oddball?


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## miker

Bag Balm. Sarah sent us some to Phantom Ranch on our first trip and it was a package well used by the whole group.


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## Cookie

Wow! Sure looks like him!


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## floatingk

hojo said:


> accordion


....and banjo combo


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## LSB

*Oddball says...*

Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change? 



hojo said:


> There, in the teal helmet, Is that Donald Sutherland, AKA Oddball?


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## JustinJam

We fill the shells with paint...so when we shoot their makes pretty pictures.


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## bwest

maybe im slow but Im having trouble figuring out how your weird comments are relating to this topic at all. so far Im hearing

party favors
bacon
guns
bag balm
bacon
sand mats
black lights
bacon
party favors
sup boards
extra bag balm 
bacon - by the way, what is your preferred method of doing grease bombs? can on the end of a stick/oar? 
whiskey
gloves
mud boots
thermos
rolling papers
extra river map - we pretty much lose ours everytime too, duly noted
whiskey
henna
chuck norris jokes...

what else??


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## paulie

I'd have to second Tango's recommendation about your eskimo roll... one of the more useful things you might need down there


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## LSB

bwest said:


> maybe im slow but Im having trouble figuring out how your weird comments are relating to this topic at all.


 I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.


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## hojo

LSB said:


> I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.


 I only ride 'em, I don't know what makes 'em work.


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## Rojo

*And a truly happy ending!*










Deserves its own posting...


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## caverdan

A blender is a nice addition to any trip. 
The Daiquiri Whacker Gas Powered Portable Blender


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## Rojo

*Upriver wind defense*

When all you have is lemons make lemonade...

On the river this often translates to making the best the constant upstream wind by flying a kite.
Just be ready to cut the motor and circle the barge if wind suddenly drops the kite into the river and the string breaks. (Note: Cataract, not CG)
I once worried about tracking around the sharper canyon turns, but rarely can reach that altitude.


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## sarahkonamojo

I really like those henna tattoos. It is winter, I could practice on always covered body parts to get my chops.
Brought a kite, twice, really fun.
Bring the best attitude you can. Bring your sense of humor. Bring your stoke. Share your stoke/liquor/smoke/dessert/stories.
Don't forget to wash your hands. Soap works best. Hand sanitizer will cook your skin.
Seriously, bringing too much shit just gets in the way.
S


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## liquidphoto

boatermatt said:


> I brought a Chuck Noris book and left it with the groover materails and didn't tell anyone it was me who left it. It was funny hear everyone starting to quote facts about Chuck Noris.


hell yes!


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## liquidphoto

I took a set of LED night Bocce balls. Awesome!


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## 86304

LED Bocce balls! Where did you find those?


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## kikii875

bwest said:


> bacon - by the way, what is your preferred method of doing grease bombs? can on the end of a stick/oar?


Since grease bombs are illegal in the GC this is purely hypotheitical, but I discovered that if you drop an unopened can of club soda, or your favorite soda (we used cherry vanilla coke for the flavor), or whatever is available into the grease it gives you about one second to get away before it explodes, and you get more than twice the height and 50% more width in the flame. I drop it in as I go running by so I have a running start. We got 4 soda-grease explosions out of one sitting.
Hypothetically speaking, next time I would bring extra grease and have a bigger pot and maybe duct tape 3-4 cans together. My calculations show that it could go thermo-nuclear.
If you do this please post video for scientific purposes.
Hypothetically.


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## basinrafter

86304 said:


> LED Bocce balls! Where did you find those?


http://www.playaboule.com/Flashing_Bocce_set.aspx.


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## nailgun

cigarettes, if you have smokers they will run out, then you will have slaves


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## Avatard

nailgun said:


> cigarettes, if you have smokers they will run out, then you will have slaves


May as well add crack cocaine. Its just as addictive


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## Pizzle

I found something way more additive years ago. It's called creek boating.


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## canyonrivergirl

*Best thing to take on a river trip?*

Me! Take me!!!


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## David L

It took a long time for someone to write, "Take me".


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## calirado

*Chicks*



canyonrivergirl said:


> Me! Take me!!!


 

I was gonna say Chicks! so....... Take Her


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## PattyNYCO

Giant party chair...with its own detachable cooler.....seats up to 4.


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## PattyNYCO

Lumineers - but only the 100% biodegradeable ones made from wax, rice paper and bamboo. Use on nights with no wind so they go straight up and burn out. Disintegrate upon contact with any water and leave no waste.


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## PattyNYCO

Prizes for the Dumbass of the Day and the Awesome Person of the Day awards. Our Dumbass prize with a child's PFD (or you could use those floaty things that wrap around your biceps - water wings? or some sort of pool toy like a rubber ducky tube that is worn around the waist) and whomever did something dumb that day had to wear it all night at camp. Could have been a flip, swim or drinking too much during the day on the river and being a slow-poke that won you that sucker. Our "good" award was the giant chair for the night (see photo above). Could have been a stellar line through Granite or someone going out of their way to help someone else. 

I was proud to win both during our recent trip. Won't say why. What happens on the Grand.....stays on the Grand.


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## kikii875

PattyNYCO said:


> Prizes for the Dumbass of the Day and the Awesome Person of the Day awards. Our Dumbass prize with a child's PFD (or you could use those floaty things that wrap around your biceps - water wings? or some sort of pool toy like a rubber ducky tube that is worn around the waist) and whomever did something dumb that day had to wear it all night at camp. Could have been a flip, swim or drinking too much during the day on the river and being a slow-poke that won you that sucker. Our "good" award was the giant chair for the night (see photo above). Could have been a stellar line through Granite or someone going out of their way to help someone else.
> 
> I was proud to win both during our recent trip. Won't say why. What happens on the Grand.....stays on the Grand.


I like the 'best of the day' and 'worst of the day' awards.

Since we go through Vegas after trips our mantra has always been.
"What happens on the river ... stays in Las Vegas"


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## Tom Martin

A copy of Big Water Little Boats: Moulty Fulmer and the First Grand Canyon Dory on the Last of the Wild Colorado! Big Water, Little Boats
(Shameless plug by the author. You'll be glad you brought this book, to do your own photo rematching, and read about Grand Canyon river running history!)


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## little chief

Extra zip ties. Pick on one of the boats to detach and move their permit tag each night. Always gives me a chuckle watching their expression in the morning as they start to puzzle if the permit has moved or they are just getting old and forgetful.


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## MTcatter

Horshoes, Disk golf, Shuttlecock in red wall cavern, top rope gear- more than a few free repels above camps, fishing line for lizard fishing, magnifying glass for solar hits, Lots of aloe, costumes, whiskey,weed, and shrooms.


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## toney

*any fool can be uncomfortable in the back country, don't be any fool.*

Tax-Free AKA Moonshine, we ran out of it way to early so double your order. Two pairs of flip-flops my one pair blew out at national canyon, hot feet.


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## mrkyak

Dart board
Utter cream
Knee brace
Ankle brace
River sauna for cold weather trips


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## Maxident

Kubb!


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## Schutzie

The Monkey Wrench Gang; must reading!
Aquaphore; best stuff for sun burn and the inevitable burned fingers. Walgreens carries it.
Condoms (Note to Buck; B-A-A-A-A means no)


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## Schutzie

........Oh, and don't forget your Sue Fuse and Pogo Stick!


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## Eric Haynie

Sat phone.......


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## okieboater

another vote for sat phone.
saved my life for sure.


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## damichi11

Any outfitter tent. Like the Cabela's Big Horn III. My trip was in late November. This gave everyone a great place to gather on the cold nights. The other thing was a propane powered shower. It was awesome to take a hot shower!


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## damichi11

The ZODI X-40 is what we had. Oh and buy the wood burning stove for the tent.


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