Hey guys,
There is a lot of golden info scattered around the many threads on the Buzz. What are some tips and tricks you have developed over the years to make the most out of each trip? Really just want to pull together a thread that contains random wisdom passed down through the river rat sages throughout the years.
1) Disposable body towels (like face wipes but much larger) are key for longer trips and a real game changer for ladies. Great for wiping down and refreshing at the end of each day after changing out your clothes from the day.
2) Similarly, dude wipes (which are flushable, biodegradable, and don't clog machines) are also very refreshing and help to keep you feeling clean even on the hottest of days. (Moderator adding this note: Do not put any wipes of any kind into anything that goes into a SCAT machine. We are losing the one in Riggins and they are blaming 'wipes' as one of the contributing factors. Don't do it!!!!!)
3) Prepping as much for each meal as possible before the trip makes your time on the river much more enjoyable. Many threads break it down based on the type of meal planning you are doing, from quick and easy to gourmet four course meals, there are a lot of ideas to minimize mess and maximize deliciousness! I don't want to go into to much detail on actual meals but I would say no matter what you are cooking a sharp sturdy chef knife is key. Trying to dice tomatoes with a butter knife is an accident waiting to happen.
4) Crew Assignments - before each trip participants are assigned a crew (red, blue, green, etc) and then a schedule is outlined for crew assignments for the trip. We generally have three crew assignments (cook, groover, and support) and you spend one day as each assignment (and rotate if necessary based on length of the trip). Crew assignments start each evening at camp. Cook crew is responsible for dinner and the following days breakfast and lunch. They do all cooking and cleaning for their meals but then but only have to setup the kitchen once since they start their "assignment" at dinner time. Groover crew is pretty self explanatory setup and breakdown groover the following morning. Support crew gets the common areas setup (firepit, games, etc) and gather firewood. This is perhaps one of my favorite things for trips since the responsibility is shared by everyone and people can be held accountable if they aren't carrying their weight.
4) Ice cream.
5) Appetizers - we generally have a happy hour at each camp after getting all the group gear setup. Having some snacks out to pair with a cocktail is a real game changer and gives the cook crew some time to relax and play games before having to cook dinner since everyone has something to hold them over for a while.
6) Pee cup - even if you piss before sitting down to drop a duece there is always a little extra pee that just begs to come out when you start to bear down. Having a cup handy takes the stress off and keeps the pee out. Sorry ladies, won't work for you.
There is a lot of golden info scattered around the many threads on the Buzz. What are some tips and tricks you have developed over the years to make the most out of each trip? Really just want to pull together a thread that contains random wisdom passed down through the river rat sages throughout the years.
1) Disposable body towels (like face wipes but much larger) are key for longer trips and a real game changer for ladies. Great for wiping down and refreshing at the end of each day after changing out your clothes from the day.
2) Similarly, dude wipes (which are flushable, biodegradable, and don't clog machines) are also very refreshing and help to keep you feeling clean even on the hottest of days. (Moderator adding this note: Do not put any wipes of any kind into anything that goes into a SCAT machine. We are losing the one in Riggins and they are blaming 'wipes' as one of the contributing factors. Don't do it!!!!!)
3) Prepping as much for each meal as possible before the trip makes your time on the river much more enjoyable. Many threads break it down based on the type of meal planning you are doing, from quick and easy to gourmet four course meals, there are a lot of ideas to minimize mess and maximize deliciousness! I don't want to go into to much detail on actual meals but I would say no matter what you are cooking a sharp sturdy chef knife is key. Trying to dice tomatoes with a butter knife is an accident waiting to happen.
4) Crew Assignments - before each trip participants are assigned a crew (red, blue, green, etc) and then a schedule is outlined for crew assignments for the trip. We generally have three crew assignments (cook, groover, and support) and you spend one day as each assignment (and rotate if necessary based on length of the trip). Crew assignments start each evening at camp. Cook crew is responsible for dinner and the following days breakfast and lunch. They do all cooking and cleaning for their meals but then but only have to setup the kitchen once since they start their "assignment" at dinner time. Groover crew is pretty self explanatory setup and breakdown groover the following morning. Support crew gets the common areas setup (firepit, games, etc) and gather firewood. This is perhaps one of my favorite things for trips since the responsibility is shared by everyone and people can be held accountable if they aren't carrying their weight.
4) Ice cream.
5) Appetizers - we generally have a happy hour at each camp after getting all the group gear setup. Having some snacks out to pair with a cocktail is a real game changer and gives the cook crew some time to relax and play games before having to cook dinner since everyone has something to hold them over for a while.
6) Pee cup - even if you piss before sitting down to drop a duece there is always a little extra pee that just begs to come out when you start to bear down. Having a cup handy takes the stress off and keeps the pee out. Sorry ladies, won't work for you.
