Zach Collier
Recent Posts from zach
Gear Reviews: Five Good Products Made by NRS
Our friends at NRS generally make the lowest priced river gear on the market. Even though most of their stuff is designed to be low cost, some items are really good. 1. NRS Big Water V Youth PFD There aren't many good high float PFDs for kids and I personally think this one is the best. It's designed for kids 50-90 lbs giving them 17 lbs of flotation. One of the...
Remembering Vladimir Kovalik
This week we said goodbye to an industry legend. Vladimir Kovalik made an impact in the world of rafting through his gear innovations, tenacity, and passion for rivers. The following story was written a few years ago by co-founder of ECHO River Trips, Dick Linford, in his book Halfway to Halfway. Vladimir Kovalik Written by Dick Linford WE CALLED HIM VK OR VLAD BECAUSE HIS FULL NAME, Vladimir Kovalik was such...
Top 6 Whitewater Runs on California's Smith River
BoatSmith is a few weeks away, which means whitewater paddlers from across the west will be migrating to Northern California’s Smith River. This is the only watershed in California with no dams, so nearly every fork of the river and every creek can be paddled by whitewater rafters and kayakers. Incredibly, 325 miles of the Smith River is designated a National Wild and Scenic River. Among those miles are countless sections...
The 10 Best Rafting Trips
Writing any “best” list is tough and certainly an opinion skewed by the motivations, personal likes, and experiences of the author. Here is my own personal top 10, my fave rafting trips from around the world organized by single-day, multi-day, and Class V rafting. These trips are skewed towards rafting trips in the United States for two reasons: I live in the United States and have done most of my boating...
Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Baking a pineapple upside down cake in a dutch oven is a classic dessert among river guides and other dutch oven chefs. Most dutch oven cakes are actually quite easy, but a pineapple upside down cake requires a few tricks to get it just right. It will end up as perfection or a gooey mess. This recipe is based on baking with a 12” or 14” cast iron dutch oven. Ingredients...
Hypalon Inflatable Boat Repair
Make sure you know what type of material you are repairing, as there are different techniques for repairing different raft materials. This article is for repairing hypalon rafts. What You Need Hypalon Patch Material Scissors Clifton Hypalon Glue or Shore Adhesive (don't use Stabond) Toluene Rag (to "dab" toluene) Glue Brush Pusher Tool (or something firm to push the air bubbles out with) Respirator and Heavy Duty Rubberized Gloves Step-by-Step Guide...
AIRE BakRaft Review
I’ve been using the AIRE BakRaft Expedition for a couple years now and want to share my thoughts about their strengths and weaknesses. First and foremost, these revolutionary ultralight kayaks are easier for hiking into rivers, portages, and international travel. Strengths Weight*: At just 10 lbs this is by far the lightest inflatable kayak on the market Size: When deflated and rolled this boat packs into a nice small package International...
Books: Wild and Scenic Rivers, An American Legacy
To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, my friend Tim Palmer wrote this masterpiece full of information and photos about America's Wild and Scenic Rivers. In addition to Tim's eloquent prose it contains beautiful photos, a Wild and Scenic Rivers map, and appendices full of fun and interesting facts. It is both a beautifully presented coffee table book and a textbook about the Wild and Scenic...
Pro Tip: Poison Oak
For many mountain bikers, rafters, and kayakers poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) is one of the scariest things found in the woods. This nasty bush is commonly found in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The leaves or branches contain the toxic oil urushiol which causes an itchy allergic skin rash that can be quite severe. Poison oak can easily be identified by looking for clusters of three leaves that resemble oak...
Gear Review: Jackson Nirvana
I only review kayaks that I like and I absolutely love the new Jackson Nirvana kayak. When I first saw photos of this boat my first impression that it was simply for kayak racing and didn't think much of it. After paddling it on the White Salmon for a couple days I can't imagine paddling any other boat. I'm 6'2" and 220 lbs and paddled the regular size (maybe it's called...
