Fly Fishing and Rafting With Dogs: What Do We Pack?
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What gear do we bring for our dogs for a day on the river?
The answer varies depending on the season, weather, and the way in which we’re fishing or floating. Are we taking the full-sized raft for a short, casual float? Are we walk-and-wading, possibly going on a long hike to access the river? Will we be remote or close to civilization? These factors all influence how and what we pack. However, these are the dog-specific items we generally use for a river day:
Collars with I.D. and Leashes
While we’re on the river, both of our dogs wear collars with ID tags. We prefer high visibility, waterproof, non-stink collars, like a poly coated or PVC material. With so much time spent on the water, traditional, cloth-type collars inevitably become grimy and stinky after repeatedly getting wet. We also pack leashes in case we need them. We don’t keep the dogs leashed while they’re on the raft because it can be an entanglement hazard and because there’s not an alternate reason for us to leash them; Neither of them wants to jump from the boat or run away and they both have reliable recall. However, we sometimes need to leash them when we’re out of the boat. For instance, if we’re walk-and-wading somewhere with leash laws, or if we’re wading adjacent to private property and are careful not to let the dogs stray onto private property.
Life Jackets
Halie and the dogs cool off by taking a swim during a rafting trip on a hot, August afternoon.
We bring the dogs' life jackets, especially if we’ll be in the raft, and we most often make the dogs wear them. However, we don’t always make them wear the life jackets—for instance, if we’re floating on a very calm stretch of river that we’re already familiar with and know is without hazards, or if we’re walk-and-wading along a calm section of river where the dogs won’t actually be in the water. I never want to discourage anyone from putting a life jacket on their dog, especially if they’re not confident in recognizing situations that indicate the need for a life jacket, or if they’re not confident in their dog’s swimming abilities. Our dogs always wear life jackets when we’re in the small packrafts and most often wear their life jackets while we’re on the raft. Life jackets are especially important when we’re floating any stretch of river that has swift and/or strong currents or any whitewater, and when we’re in open water (i.e., anywhere that is far enough from shore to be a tiring swim). Bear in mind that our dogs are very strong, confident, and experienced swimmers. If our dogs were not strong swimmers, we would always make them wear life jackets, even around very calm water. If you are unsure when to put a life jacket on your dog, just err on the side of caution and always have them wear one.
Teddy previously had a Ruffwear Float Coat and Lennie had the NRS Canine Floatation Device. They were both great, and I didn’t prefer one over the other. However, we were gifted Hurtta Life Savior Eco jackets, which we have been using for the last year, and I love these as well. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of these options.
Dog Bed
I usually bring a waterproof dog bed so the dogs have a soft, dry, warm spot to lay. An exception to this is during the warmth of summer, but otherwise, it seems like they find the cold, rubber floor of the raft uncomfortable. Because our raft is self-bailing, there’s always a bit of water on the floor. Plus, the dogs always splash water into the boat when they jump in and out. So, I haven’t found an ideal solution for keeping a bed completely dry. Nor have I found a bed that perfectly fits the “U” shape of the back of the raft, where the dogs usually sit. But I do find that waterproof beds become significantly less soggy throughout the day than standard cloth beds. I also sometimes bring a blanket for them to snuggle up in. It also, eventually gets soggy.
Warm Doggy Jackets
The dogs stay warm and dry by wearing their winter jackets under their life jackets during a cold day of fly fishing from the raft.
If it’s going to be chilly and/or wet outside, I bring outerwear to keep the dogs warm and dry. It’s certainly not fun or fair for them to be stuck on the boat all day if they’re cold. I initially had some trouble finding adequate dog jackets specifically for fishing in cold weather. The dogs are bound to wade at least chest-deep in the river at some point throughout the day, and sometimes it downpours when we least expect it. We also still get out on the river in the winter, especially during steelhead season, and it can be frigid. So, I needed something that would mostly keep them dry, be very warm and heavily insulated, and still insulate if it got wet. Finding that ended up being much more difficult than expected. Materials that warm-when-wet are neoprene, wool, and some synthetics—never cotton. We initially tried a few different cheap jackets and sweaters, which would end up waterlogged and stretched out. I worry about the sweaters that stretch out from a safety aspect—I want the dogs to maintain full range of motion in case they end up swimming, and I want them to not wear loose material that could cause entanglement. At one point, I also tried a neoprene duck-dog vest for Ted and felt that it didn’t offer enough coverage; he would still get cold. I eventually splurged and got the Ruffwear Furness jacket, and let me tell you… I think it’s one of my favorite pieces of dog gear, like ever. It has super coverage and is mega insulated (think of a sleeping bag they can wear). Though it’s water-repellent, not waterproof, the dogs have worn it through full-day downpours and it never saturated. They’re always dry underneath it. I also have a few different Hurtta jackets that are great for this, including the Extreme Warmer. Another option I considered was a fleece-type sweater underneath a waterproof rain jacket.
Water Toys
Lennie loves to water retrieve. When it’s warm out and we have time we often stop to play fetch. She definitely prefers the larger water toys over tennis balls because they’re easy for her to see in the water. One of her favorites is the Chuckit! amphibious balls.
Treats
Keeping high value rewards on hand, like their favorite treats, is a great idea any time we’re outdoors. This helps with continued training, reinforces recalls and other commands, and can help with redirection if necessary. For example, if Lennie sees a critter on the river bank, such as mink or beaver, she becomes overly excited and whiny and treats can help her re-focus her attention. Further, some commands are important for keeping the dogs safe on the river, such as recall and “stay.” My dogs are usually more eager to listen when they know I have treats. Also, I love to snack while I’m on the boat and they deserve the same!
Food and Bowls
If we’re going to be out past the dog’s dinner time, I bring food and bowls. If we’re only going on a local, short outing and I’m confident we’ll be home early, I don’t worry about this.
High Visibility Items
I prefer that my dogs wear high visibility collars when we’re outdoors. If a hunter or land owner saw them, I want them to instantly know that they’re pets. Especially during hunting season, we sometimes put additional high-vis items on the dogs, like vests. It’s not that we ever let our dogs be unattended outdoors, and not that we think either of them would run away, but we do this as an extra precaution.
Doggy Waste Bags
To maintain water quality within river corridors, be a good wilderness steward, and respect others outdoors, it’s important to clean up pet waste. If we’re really prepared, we also bring something to put the full waste bags in, like a sacrificial dry bag or Nalgene, so they don’t get wet, stinky and gross in the boat.
Dog-Friendly First Aid and Other Essentials
Finally, my partner and I always keep a number of other essentials within the boat or in our packs, many of which can be used for us or the dogs. An example is a dog-friendly first aid kit that includes Benadryl. Teddy is a big bee-eater so it’s important to have antihistamines on hand. Note that not all items in a first aid kit for people can be used on dogs, and not all human first aid kits include essentials for dogs.
Again, what we bring for our dogs for a day on the river varies. We don’t always bring all of this gear, but this is a good, general list of what we might need. Note that we sometimes take the dogs on overnight float-camp trips. That’s a different packing scenario than a day-trip as packing for overnight float trips is more extensive than what’s discussed above. Hopefully, this list will help you consider what you need to pack for your own river adventures with your pups! Happy Adventures!
Everything we pack for our dogs for a day of fly fishing or rafting.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Halie! I’m a passionate outdoorswoman, dog lover, and casual content creator currently residing in Missoula, Montana. I spend as much time as possible on the water or in the mountains with my two mutts, Lennie and Teddy (the Fishing Mutts) and my partner, Cole. Fly fishing - from chasing alpine trout in the summer to swinging flies for winter steelhead - backpacking, rafting, and packrafting are a few of our favorite pursuits. Further, I’m passionate about conservation and responsible recreation because I believe the aforementioned activities depend on it. I grew up in southwest Missouri, and have also lived in Washington State and Utah, where I worked as a park ranger at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks. My current “day job” is in the field of environmental compliance. Thanks for checking out my site!