What to wear and bring rafting near Moab.
The short answer
A swimsuit under quick drying synthetic clothing, shoes that stay on your feet, a hat with a chin strap, sunglasses with a retainer, high SPF sunscreen and at least two litres of water per person. Leave a dry change of clothes in the vehicle for the drive back, because everyone gets wet.
Two things spoil more river days than anything else. Cotton, which holds water and turns cold the moment the sun drops behind a canyon wall, and flip flops, which come off in the first rapid. Both are easy to avoid and both are the most common mistakes we see at a launch.
The good news is how little of this you need to buy. The life jacket, dry bag, helmet and cold weather layers all come with the trip, and on a multi day expedition so does everything you would sleep in and eat off.
- Wear
- Synthetics, never cotton
- Feet
- Heel strap or water shoes
- Head
- Hat with a chin strap
- Water
- 2 to 3 litres each
- Provided
- Life jacket and dry bag
Everything, in one place.
This covers a half day or full day trip. Multi day expeditions add a layer, covered further down. Almost none of this needs buying if you already own outdoor clothing.
Wear these
Swimsuit as a base layer. Quick drying synthetic shorts and top over it. Shoes that fasten to your feet. A hat with a chin strap. Sunglasses with a retainer, because the river keeps the ones without.
Bring these
High SPF sunscreen, mineral based if you have a choice. Two to three litres of water per person. Salty snacks. Any personal medication. A dry change of clothes to leave in the vehicle.
Nice to have
A long sleeved sun shirt, which outperforms repeated sunscreen. Lip balm with SPF. A thin fleece or splash jacket in spring and autumn. A waterproof case if you are bringing a phone. A small towel for the drive back.
Genuinely do not bring
Cotton of any kind, including a cotton t shirt over your swimsuit. Flip flops. Loose jewellery. Anything you would be upset to lose, because things do go in the river and most of them do not come back.
The outfitter has these
Life jacket, dry bag, helmet on whitewater runs, wetsuit or splash top in cold months. Never buy your own life jacket for a guided trip. They fit yours by weight and check it before you launch.
Depends on the trip
Lunch on half day trips, since those do not include it. Alcohol on multi day expeditions, which many operators will carry if you bring it. Dietary requirements, which most will accommodate given notice.
What the outfitter already gives you.
People spend money before a trip that they did not need to spend. This is the equipment included in essentially every guided trip near Moab.
| Item | Included | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Life jacket | Always | Fitted by your guide and worn the whole trip. Sized by body weight and chest size rather than age, which is why children have a practical weight minimum |
| Dry bag | Always | For whatever you carry on the boat. Not a substitute for a proper waterproof phone case |
| Raft and paddles | Always | Along with the guide who knows how to use them |
| Shuttle | Always | Between the meeting point, the launch and the takeout. Factored into the trip length |
| Drinking water | Always | Bring your own bottle as well, so you are not sharing a communal jug in the heat |
| Helmet | Whitewater runs | Standard on Westwater and Cataract. Not usually worn on calm floats |
| Wetsuit or splash top | Cold months | Provided or hired in spring and late autumn. Take it when offered even on a warm day |
| Lunch | Full and multi day | Generally a proper riverside spread. Half day trips do not include it |
| Tents and sleeping kit | Multi day | Along with all meals, the kitchen and the camp toilet system |
Two reasons not to bring your own life jacket, even a good one. Utah requires children aged 12 and under to wear a US Coast Guard approved jacket aboard any vessel, and outfitters are the ones held to that, so they will fit their own. And inflatable life jackets are not permitted for river boating in Utah — the belt pack style many people own is exactly the kind that does not qualify. Utah State Parks, life jackets
Why guides keep saying no cotton.
It sounds like a style note. It is not. It is the single most useful piece of advice on this page and the reason a lot of people spend the back half of a trip miserable.
What actually happens
Cotton absorbs a great deal of water and holds onto it. A wet cotton shirt stays wet for hours, and while it is drying it is pulling heat out of you continuously. In a hot desert that feels pleasant for about twenty minutes.
Then the boat rounds a bend into shade. These are deep, narrow canyons and the sun can be off the water by mid afternoon even in summer. The temperature drop is abrupt, and the person in the cotton shirt is the one who stops enjoying the trip.
What to wear instead
Anything synthetic. Polyester, nylon, a swim shirt, running kit, quick drying hiking clothes. These shed water rather than holding it, and they are dry again within the hour. Merino wool works too if you have it.
A long sleeved synthetic sun shirt is the best single purchase for this trip. It solves the cotton problem and the sunburn problem at once, and unlike sunscreen it does not wash off at the first swim stop.
In spring this matters more, because the water is melted snow and cold regardless of air temperature. See water levels explained for why the river stays cold through a hot May.
Footwear, properly.
More people get this wrong than anything else on the list, and it is the one that has a safety dimension rather than just a comfort one.
| Option | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sandals with a heel strap | Best | Stay on in moving water, drain quickly, grip a wet boat floor. The purpose built answer |
| Water shoes or trainers | Good | Old trainers you do not mind soaking work perfectly well. They take longer to dry, which matters little on a day trip |
| Neoprene booties | Good in spring | Warm feet in cold water. Worth it if you feel the cold and you are going before June |
| Flip flops | No | Come off in the first rapid and are genuinely unsafe on a slippery boat. Some outfitters will not let you board in them |
| Barefoot | No | Beaches here are hot sand and sharp rock, and you will be walking on both at lunch and at the takeout |
| Hiking boots | No | They fill with water, weigh a great deal wet and take days to dry. Save them for the parks |
The test is simple. Hold the shoe by the toe and shake it. If it would come off, it will come off in the river.
Water and sun, in actual numbers.
Most packing lists say bring a water bottle. In a place where July averages a daytime high near 99 degrees and there is no shade on the river, that is not a useful instruction. The National Park Service publishes figures for this part of Utah, and they are worth borrowing.
For Arches and Canyonlands, the Park Service advises carrying two to three litres of water per person for front country activity and at least four litres per person for backcountry travel, eating salty snacks to replace electrolytes, and avoiding strenuous activity between 10am and 5pm in extreme heat. Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, National Park Service
Their warning signs of heat illness: dizziness, weakness, headache, nausea, muscle cramps, confusion or excessive sweating. Tell your guide immediately if anyone has them.
A river trip is not a backcountry hike, and your outfitter carries drinking water. But those numbers are the right scale to think in, and they explain two things: why a single small bottle is not enough for a full day, and why the 10am to 5pm figure is an argument for booking a morning departure in July and August rather than an afternoon one.
Sunscreen, honestly
Reapply at the lunch stop, not just at the launch. Water reflects sun upward, so the places that burn are the ones you would not think of: the underside of the chin, the backs of the knees, the tops of the feet, the parting in your hair. A long sleeved sun shirt removes most of that problem in one move, which is why it is the one purchase we would actually recommend.
Choose a mineral based sunscreen if you have the choice. On a river it will end up in the water. Note that reef safe is a marketing phrase with no regulated definition, so read the active ingredients rather than the front of the bottle.
What to wear by season.
Air temperature and water temperature do not move together here. In late spring you can be sunburnt and shivering within the same hour, which is why the spring row looks so different from the summer one.
| Season | On the water | In the vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| March and April | Swimsuit, synthetic base layer, wetsuit from the outfitter, splash jacket. Neoprene booties if you feel the cold | Full dry change including footwear, plus a warm layer for the drive |
| May and June | Same, and take the wetsuit even on a hot day. Peak snowmelt means the coldest water of the year under the warmest air | Dry change, warm layer, and something to sit on if the car seats matter to you |
| July and August | Swimsuit, long sleeved sun shirt, quick dry shorts, hat with a strap. Sun is the hazard, not cold | Dry change, and more water than you think you need |
| September | As summer, with a thin fleece or splash top in the dry bag for the shaded stretches late in the day | Dry change and a warm layer for the evening, which cools quickly |
| October | Synthetic layers, splash jacket, and take the wetsuit if it is offered. The canyon puts you in shade early | Full dry change, warm layer, hot drink if you are organised |
September is the one people misjudge. It reads as the cool month, but the daytime average is still near 87 degrees — it is the nights that change. Pack for a warm day and a cold evening. The month by month guide has the rest.
What changes with trip length.
Half day
The core list and nothing more. No lunch is included, so eat beforehand or bring something for afterwards. You are back in town by early afternoon, so the dry change can wait in the vehicle. See half day trips.
Full day
Lunch is included. Add a second application of sunscreen to your pocket, a thin layer for the late afternoon shade, and take the water seriously. Seven hours of desert sun is a different exposure from three. See full day trips.
Multi day expedition
Everything is provided except your own clothing, toiletries, sun protection and medication. Most outfitters send a detailed list once you book, and theirs beats any general list including this one. Pack lighter than you think.
Still deciding between them? Half day or full day works through the trade off, and what it costs covers what each one is priced at.
Phones, cameras and losing them.
These canyons photograph beautifully and the river is not sympathetic to equipment. Both things are true at once.
If you bring a phone
Use a proper waterproof case with a lanyard, not a resealable bag and not a claimed water resistance rating. A phone that goes overboard on a moving river is gone, and no dry bag helps if it is in your hand when the wave hits.
Attach it to you or to the boat. Guides will tell you when it is sensible to have it out and when to put it away, and that advice is worth following because they know what is around the bend.
If you bring a real camera
An action camera on a chest or helmet mount is the practical answer on whitewater. On calm floats a proper camera in a dry bag is fine, brought out between rapids, which is most of the trip on the Moab Daily and at Fisher Towers.
The best light is early morning and late afternoon, and September and October give the warmest colour of the year. Some outfitters shoot the rapids and sell images afterwards, which is worth asking about before you risk your own gear. See the gallery for what the light does here.
Packing for a multi day trip.
The outfitter carries the tents, the sleeping kit, all the food, the kitchen and the waste system. You carry clothing and personal items, and almost everyone brings too much. Space on a boat is finite and you will be living out of one bag.
| Category | Take |
|---|---|
| On the water | Two river outfits, so one can dry. Sun shirt, quick dry shorts, swimsuit, river footwear |
| In camp | One dry set including long trousers and a warm layer. Camp shoes, which can be the trainers you did not wear on the boat |
| Sleeping | Provided. Bring a small pillow if you are particular, and earplugs if you are a light sleeper |
| Sun | More sunscreen than seems reasonable, lip balm with SPF, a spare hat, sunglasses with a retainer |
| Personal | Toothbrush, biodegradable soap, medication in labelled containers, a small quick dry towel |
| Evenings | Head torch, a book, a warm hat for the desert night. Nights cool sharply even after a hot day |
| Leave at home | Anything valuable, anything that only works with a charger, and most of the third and fourth outfits you were considering |
Your outfitter's list beats this one. They know their boats, their camps and the specific river. If they send a packing list, use theirs and treat this page as background. See multi day expeditions for how the days work.
Packing FAQs.
What should I wear rafting near Moab?
A swimsuit as a base layer, with quick drying synthetic shorts and top over it. Shoes that fasten to your feet, a hat with a chin strap and sunglasses with a retainer. No cotton, because it holds water and turns cold once the sun drops behind a canyon wall, and no flip flops, because they come off in the first rapid.
What shoes should I wear rafting?
Sandals with a heel strap are the purpose built answer: they stay on in moving water, drain quickly and grip a wet boat floor. Water shoes or old trainers work perfectly well too. Avoid flip flops, which are genuinely unsafe on a boat, and hiking boots, which fill with water and take days to dry.
Why can I not wear cotton rafting?
Cotton absorbs a lot of water and holds it, so a wet cotton shirt stays wet for hours and pulls heat out of you the whole time. That feels pleasant in the sun and turns unpleasant the moment the boat rounds into canyon shade, which happens by mid afternoon even in summer. Synthetics shed water and dry within the hour.
How much water should I bring rafting in Moab?
The National Park Service advises two to three litres per person for front country activity around Arches and Canyonlands, and at least four litres for backcountry travel. Your outfitter carries drinking water, but bring your own bottle and treat those figures as the right scale. Eat salty snacks as well, because you lose electrolytes through sweat, not just water.
What does the outfitter provide?
A life jacket fitted by your guide, a dry bag, the raft and paddles, the shuttle and drinking water on every trip. Helmets on whitewater runs, and wetsuits or splash tops in cold months. On multi day expeditions they also carry tents, sleeping kit, all meals, the kitchen and the camp toilet system. Never buy your own life jacket for a guided trip.
Can I bring my own life jacket?
There is no reason to, and it may not qualify. Utah requires children aged 12 and under to wear a US Coast Guard approved life jacket aboard any vessel, and inflatable life jackets are not permitted for river boating in Utah at all, which rules out the belt pack style many people own. Jackets are sized by body weight and chest size, and your guide will fit one and check it before you launch.
Can I bring my phone rafting?
Yes, in a proper waterproof case with a lanyard attached to you or the boat. Not a resealable bag, and not relying on a claimed water resistance rating. A phone that goes into moving water is gone. Your guide will tell you when it is sensible to have it out and when to put it away.
Do I need to bring lunch?
On half day trips yes, or eat beforehand, because those do not include it. Full day and multi day trips include lunch and it is generally a substantial riverside spread rather than a packed sandwich. Tell the outfitter about dietary requirements when you book and most will accommodate them.
Do I need a wetsuit?
In spring and late autumn, yes, and the outfitter will provide or hire one. Take it when it is offered even if the air is warm, because the river is melted snow and stays cold regardless. In July and August you will not want one. See the month by month guide.
What should children bring rafting?
The same list, with more attention to sun. A long sleeved sun shirt beats sunscreen on arms because it does not wash off at the first swim stop, and a hat needs a chin strap or it goes in the river. River sandals with a heel strap rather than flip flops. Children aged 12 and under must wear a life jacket the whole time under Utah law. See rafting with children.
How much should I pack for a multi day trip?
Less than you think. Two river outfits so one can dry, one dry set for camp including a warm layer, plus toiletries, sun protection and medication. Everything else is provided. Space on a boat is finite and most people bring too much. If your outfitter sends a packing list, theirs beats any general one.
Packed and ready?
The comparison shows difficulty, minimum age, drive time and typical price for all eight trips side by side, so you can pick the one that fits your group.