I am a seasoned river rat with over 40 years of experience running rivers around the western United States and internationally. I like to spend summers on the road, pursuing my passion of running wild rivers. Lately I have been “wintering” in warmer places like Ecuador.
I purchased my first raft in 1983, but I was rafting with friends and family long before that. My rafting “resume” includes most of the classic rafting runs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Colorado, and California as well as participating in first (commercial) descents of rivers in Peru and Mexico. I have extensive adventure travel experience and have organized trips to Ecuador, Mexico, and Guatemala for adventurous rafters and kayakers. I have been running catarafts for over 35 years and I am the designer of several custom tube designs and our lightweight gear. My expertise is in designing, building and selecting lightweight whitewater boating equipment. I also enjoy surfing waves on my catarafts and can teach you how to surf cats, rafts, and inflatable kayaks.
Here is a little bit of my history and why I like to Go Light Outdoors.
For years, I was the “typical” rafter, packing a ton of stuff on multi-day rafting trips, eating way too much on these trips, and rowing hard just to make the craft move. Then I discovered catarafts! First the larger ones that can carry a lot, and then the smaller ones that wont. The advantages of this type of craft were pretty obvious given that I disliked bailing and loved surfing. Over the years, I’ve run cats of all types, sizes, and designs – including a few of my own designs. Yes, the tube shape does make a difference. Since small playboats will not carry substantial weight without losing their play ability, I learned how to minimize the amount of gear needed on a multi-day trip. Besides, I really didn’t enjoy carrying heavy coolers and kitchen boxes or rowing a half-ton boat. Over the years, I have designed our boats, frames, and other gear to be lightweight and functional, enabling you and I to continue running rivers and surfing waves for years to come. Many of our boat packages can be flown as baggage on commercial airlines to whitewater destinations around the world. Contact me to purchase a lightweight cataraft, raft, or inflatable kayak and other quality whitewater equipment.
Neil
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