Boat Coats

The Rogue River is rated a Class III River. It offers both scenic beauty and exhilerating rapids. Along with the enjoyment of the river personality comes a responsibililty to raft sensibly. The life jacket, personal floatation device (PFD) or "boat coat" as we call it is the vital element of any trip. In other words, if you don't have your coat, you don't float! It is the law.

Life jackets need to be in good condition. If they have become hard inside, recycle them. If they are torn, recycle them. If the zipper is broken, recycle them. If the buckles are broken, recycle them. You get the picture: if the boat coat has been damaged, it loses integrity. Take the time to inspect your life jackets before getting the rest of your gear ready for a rafting adventure.

Make sure your life jacket fits! Did you eat too much over the cold winter nestled in by the fire? Did you work out to your heart's content and trim off a few extra pounds? Try on your jacket, zip it up and buckle it up. Make the adjustments on the sides for comfort. Yes, snug is good! If your PFD is difficult to zip up or you can't quite buckle all the buckles, or it is so uncomfortable you just can't wait to take it off, you need to exchange the old one for larger sized life jacket. Also, if the jacket is so loose that it can be pulled above your ears easily, even after being tightened in all the right places, you will need replace your old standby with a smaller sized life jacket.

Take the time before you head down to the boat ramp for an awesome day on the river to make sure your PFD is in good condition and fits properly. Remember, rafting responsibly means you actually wear your life jacket. A great day of whitewater runs and relaxing river floats can end in tragedy if safety and sensibility are ignored. The best place to keep the boat coat is on your body.

Oregon Family Camp