Winter Projects for Boaters | Small Organizational Projects

Carabiner Marking:
I use nail polish (something every river guide should have in their ammo can) to paint markings on my carabiners so that I can identify them easily during a de-rig. Chose one or two colors that represent you (I am blue/orange) and paint them on the long side of the biner. Make it thick so it doesn’t wear off quickly.

Wrap It Up:
This is an easy one. Look at all the gear that you usually have with you on a river trip. Water bottle, ammo can/dry bag, sun block, chap stick, visor/hat, etc. etc. Determine which of these items are most accessible to you while you are guiding (the easiest thing to grab in a hurry) and wrap duct  tape somewhere on it. Yup, duct tape. I like to wrap duct tape around my water bottle, my sun block, chap stick, wherever. That way when I really need some duct tape in a hurry it’s accessible to me. You can even use a good wrap of duct tape to create a nifty water bottle handle (never trust the water bottle’s plastic ring to hold it onto the boat).

Load Up:

It’s never too early to get your river gear ready for next season. I always hate when I find myself on my first trip of the year and my PFD pocket is missing all of my essentials. Here is a list that can help you make sure your PFD pocket will never let you down.

• Chapstick w/ SPF
• Small Multi-tool with Allen wrench and flat head screwdriver
• Small bottle of Sunblock
• Extra Chums
• Emergen C packet or other H20 enhancer
• 1 locking carabiner
• 1 black Sharpie (with some duct tape wrapped around it)
• Small CPR mask

There you have it. Hopefully, you have found one or two of these fun ideas useful and that they will help you remember the river during this winter season. But, just in case you are not interested in any of these crafts, check out this little clip: http://youtu.be/Uke6hLA9gjY. If that doesn’t get you excited about next summer, I’m not sure what will.