Planning to go white water rafting but you are not sure what you should wear? Well, this article will explain to you about wearing the correct attire for white water rafting. Do remember that with the proper attire you will be more comfortable. Not only that you safety depends on it too.
1. In Malaysia, we do not have freezing waters so it is perfectly comfortable to be rafting in t-shirt and shorts. If you don’t like to get a tan or sun burn then it would be better to wear a long-sleeved shirt and long pants made of light material. That way you will be fully covered. It will be very hot by mid afternoon.
2. Do not wear jeans or materials made of denim. They become heavy when wet and restrict your movement.
3. Wear proper footwear! The one thing we want to keep reminding those coming rafting is to wear proper footwear. Some come wearing slippers or flip-flops. This don’t cut it but there is nothing much we can do if they haven’t listened to us on the things to bring or read our ‘packing list’.
4. We provide all other protection for you such as the helmets, and the personal flotation device (PFD). The only thing you will need to wear to complete your protection is your footwear. And this is where most of our guests take it lightly.
5. The reason you need proper footwear is the river bed is full of rocks and they can be sharp and slippery. It can be very painful to walk on them especially if you are not used to walking barefooted. Footwear will make a whole lot of difference and stop you looking like a complete idiot.
6. Many rafters do not realise that you will not be on the raft for the entire journey. White-water rafting on our rivers may require you to come out of the raft, walk through the shallower parts of the river, walk along the banks which can be full of baking HOT sharp rocks, mud pools, brushes and plants. If you don’t like walking barefooted in the jungle, please do not take this issue lightly.
6. Do not wear flip-flops or slippers. They will be more of a hindrance to you. They come off easily and should you fall out of the raft they will easily float away. If that happens then you will not have any more protection for your feet.
7. So the best footwear for white-water rafting looks something like this (refer photo below). For a lack of a better name I call them “strapped-sandals”. Some people call them Tevas. They are secured with velcro straps and you can adjust the straps to suit your feet. They will stay on your feet and dries easily.
8. What about wearing jogging/sports shoes? Yes, you can wear them but remember their soles do not grip wet surface easily. You will be slipping all over the raft as you feet will not have any grip with the raft’s wet floor. They don’t dry easily and we have seen countless Nikes and Reeboks having their soles detach from the shoes when they are wet.
9. Crocs and fake crocs? Hmm.. I wouldn’t wear them. They don’t grip and meant for use on city streets no matter how outdoorsy they look. When you bought your crocs, they were meant to be worn slightly loose and yes, we have seen them float away too.. originals and fakes alike ..
10. If asked what is my choice of footwear for rafting, here they are:
(i) The cheap and trusty “Adidas Kampung” made of rubber. They bend and flex to the movement of your feet, grabs the raft floor like crazy, and grips on boulders and rocks when you walk. They only cost about RM8.00 per pair. The only setback is they are not easy to find in towns you can probably find them in smaller towns and kampungs. You would have to remove sand/pebbles if they get into your shoes which can be a pain.
(ii) Strapped-sandals. You can wear this from home, go rafting and go home all the time in the same pair. How cool can that be.
(iii) Jogging shoes. Only when I don’t have a choice. You’d have to bring a pair of slippers to wear after rafting if you don’t want to go home wearing wet shoes.
So there you go.. some tips on what to wear when you come white-water rafting. Got any other great tips? Add them in the comment section 😉
hi,
Hi
I want to go white water rafting but i’m short sighted so everything is a blur if I take my glasses off.
is it possible to wear contact lenses while rafting and not lose them in the water? Do you suggest any alternatives?
Thanks.
You can still wear your glasses if you want to. There are people wearing them all the time without any problem – just make sure they do not come off easily and they are not your most expensive pair 🙂 There are also people who are comfortable wearing contact lenses in water.