Essential Desolation Canyon Trip Gear?

[mtriverrat]

First time going to Desolation, but experienced rafters. From your experience what is the gear I don't want to leave home on this trip.

[kazak4x4]

Depends on the time of the year you are going. Spring/Fall you want rain shelter, Summer you want bug spray. If you are bringing a family/kids, make sure you have an umbrella/bimini on your boat. Don't forget hoses for your stoves (happened twice now). And of course lots and lots of cold beer!

[Pcdc2]

What time of year are you going?

[Osprey]

Bug spray, sunscreen, paco pad slip n slide.

[mtriverrat]

Our put in is June 3rd. There will be kids and there will be beer.

[kazak4x4]

We will be going right after you guys! Ya make sure you bring lots of bug spray and bring head nets for your whole family. Bugs might be bad this year, usually that is a perfect time to go, but this year it might be worse. Bring sun shade for your boat and camp, it gets hot! Especially for you Montanians who isn't used to heat

Freeze some water in drinking containers for cold water, you will be going through a lot of drinking water due to heat. Bring water guns, a great way to cool off for the kids.

Another fun activity for the kids is black light flash lights to find bugs and scorpions at night. I found them cheap on ebay.

Make sure you scout Joe Hutch rapid.

Alex

[caverdan]

Lots of bug spray and mosquito net headgear for everyone and rent a bug shelter at the put in. No matter what time of year.....take lots of lotion, sunscreen and a container or two of Bag Balm. That place dries me out like no other.

[Pcdc2]

June 3rd should be a good time to put-in. You shouldn't have much trouble with bugs then (typically they come out the following few weeks as the water peaks and comes down).

Bring bear spray, there have been issues with bears in the past on Deso (I've only seen a bear down there once, and never had an in-camp run-in, but better to be safe than sorry).

And then bring everything else you can fit. We always load down horse shoes, booze, bocci, etc.

I love Deso, the whitewater isn't crazy, but its fun, and its super scenic. Once you get past the first 26 miles the current will pick up and you'll have an awesome time. We usually try to get the slow moving flat water section out of the way on day one, then take our time the rest of the way.

[mtriverrat]

Good tips - I thought you only needed bear spray here in MT! We have a canopy with bug netting for camp and plenty of bug spray planned. We have an umbrella for our raft and I'll pass that on to the others in case they want to get one. Water guns - I wouldn't have remembered. I'll have to clean out the old deer from the freezer and get a couple water jugs in there. Bag balm or my favorite Burt's Bees Hand Salve and super glue (for hand cracks) are always in the bottom of my dry bag. We learned that on the Grand...... Keep the ideas coming!!!

[kazak4x4]

What some of us desert folks do is freeze 1g containers of clean drinking water and use it as ice in our coolers. Then 3rd day in if not melted, pull it out and you have ice cold water for drinking and a clean cooler. I usually mix cube ice, 1g jags of frozen water and some crushed ice in my cooler. Then I have ice for mixed drinks, drinking water and some direct contact of food on ice. Make sure to drain the cooler during the trip of course.

As PCDC mentioned, bring games for kids like bocce, ladder balls, horse shoes. Once you push through the first 25 miles on the first day, you will have much shorter rapid days after and a lot more camp time. Camps are great and lots of sand for kids to play in.