14 Gift Ideas – A Whitewater Lover’s Wish List

The amount of joy and cheer spread during the holiday season is inspiring. We see more volunteering, taking care of those less fortunate, more time spent with family and friends, and of course, the hunt for perfect gifts to keep that joy cruising through the coming year. While most people might not be thinking about rafting amongst the frosty weather and carols, it’s the perfect time to spoil the whitewater enthusiasts in your life with gear that they’ll love!
*All items have been well-tested and well-loved by the Wet Planet crew

NRS’ River bed makes for a great spot to chill on multi-day river trips

NRS River Bed

How do you give someone the gift of sweet dreams? Help them sleep well no matter where their adventures take them. These waterproof, durable, and comfy sleeping pads also fill in as a mobile couch, guest bed at home, and yoga mat. We’ve actually known people to choose these over their real beds.

Immersion Research Guide Shorts

While these shorts are specifically designed for paddling, they are a go-to for all of our adventures. They are flexible, durable, quick drying, and we can’t take them off. We also love their neoprene lined and fleece lined versions for cool mornings or shady canyons.

IR guide shorts. Astral Brewers. Tutu. Ready for anything.

Astral Shoes

These lightweight shoes and grippy soles have your back no matter where you are. We use them on slippery portage trails, racing through airports, on muddy trails, and sharing stories at the local brewery. Check out the Brewers/Brewess for a river-to-town favorite!

The ladies H2Core hoodie in action on the White Salmon River

NRS H2Core Lightweight Hoodie

Our guides wear these all the time, rain or shine. They make great insulating layers when it is chilly, the UPF 50+ is perfect when it’s too hot for drysuits, and they look good enough to wear into town! Check them out in both men’s and women’s to spoil someone with a base layer that they’ll love.

Wool Socks

If there is one single item that we cannot get enough of in the outdoors, it is without a doubt wool socks. They’re cozy, comfortable, stylish, and keep us warm no matter what the conditions. Happy feet, happy human. While there are thousands of brands of wool socks, Smart Wool continues to be one of our favorites. There are so many fun patterns and activity specific socks to choose from, and they seem to last forever.

Nalgene

Another simple item that we can never have enough of. Store water, tea, snacks, first aid kits, and more in these super durable, super reusable water bottles. You can even fill them with wool socks and a gift card!

Hydroflask

Saving the world from lukewarm, this bottle company has not only your water, coffee, wine, and beer needs met, but also has insulated containers for food, soup, and more. We’ve even heard of people backpacking with ice cream stored in a hydroflask!
*Check out their Parks For All project – we love supporting companies that are doing good things!

Wet Planet’s Recap block print hats are a favorite among both guides and guests!

Recap Hats

We love hats…sun protection, style, and the most effective way to disguise helmet hair. We also love sustainability, and Recaps combines the two. These hats are made using old clothes and hand-carved block prints right here in Hood River, and each one is as individual as the people on your gift list. Every spring an awesome variety arrives at the Wet Planet base shop to peruse, or check out their Worthy Cause project to see what cause they’re currently supporting with limited edition hats!

Watershed Dry Bags

For someone that loves spending time on the water, but hates getting things wet, look no further. These zip-top dry bags are the most reliable dry bag closure around, and we especially like the duffle styles for the easy access. Add a cam strap to smaller sizes for a great day bag, both on river side-hikes and around town. The Futa Stowfloat is a dream gift for that special kayaker in your life, combining these bomber dry-bags with a float-bag to keep that overnight gear, pin-kit, first-aid bag, snacks…whatever…nice and dry and out of the way!
*Pro-tip – There are few gifts as priceless as looking out an airport window through the rain and knowing yours is the one bag not getting soaked.

Headlamp

Where do we keep headlamps? In dry bags, cars, jacket pockets, and bedside tables…to name a few. Having light handy, particularly a hands-free one, can make a lot of unexpected situations easier. Petzl’s Zipka is an inexpensive, compact option that can go anywhere and everywhere. Also check out Black Diamond’s Revolt for a do-it-all headlamp. Its water resistant, rechargeable, bright, and has a great battery life.

Adventure Book – Wind, Sand, and Stars

While author Saint-Exupéry might be best known for The Little Prince, his ability to beautifully convey the spirit of adventure in this book is unsurpassed. His words illustrate landscapes, cultures, and moments of joy, peril, curiosity, and so much more. This is a perfect book to curl up with on a stormy night, or to read out loud around the campfire.

Know what is in a first-aid kit and how to use it

First Aid Kit

Don’t let your loved ones venture out without being prepared. While there are many premade first-aid kits in a variety of sizes, filling a Nalgene with the essentials is another solution that works well and is waterproof. Not sure what to include? Check out this first-aid kit building how-to.

Wet Planet Gift Certificate

While gear is great, there is nothing quite like the gift of an experience. Help introduce your loved one to a new river, or join them on their favorite! If they’ve been really good this year, treat them to a kayak instruction course or maybe even a multi-day rafting trip in some of the most beautiful back-country canyons in the world!

Practicing boat flipping techniques in a river rescue course

River Rescue Course

Swim rapids, build rope systems, learn how to use a rescue PFD, help someone stranded mid-river, and so much more! River Rescue Courses provide the opportunity to practice scenarios in controlled environments and to study solutions to problems before they happen in real life with our expert instructors. This kind of practice and knowledge is not only a gift to your loved one, but to the people they boat with as well. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!

Guide tested and approved, we know these gifts will keep up with whatever adventure your loved ones find themselves on!