There’s nothing quite like an overnight river trip for a bunch of dudes to flaunt their favorite gear. From fabricated oar frame rigs with custom wood decking, to counter-weighted carbon fiber oars, 64,000 BTU stoves, cast iron Dutch ovens, hand-crank drink mixers and arc welded fire pans – raft trips are a gear head’s dream.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to introduce my two-year old to the joys of a river trip. We floated a 25-mile flatwater section of the Colorado through Ruby-Horsethief Canyon with a big group of about 20 people. In typical fashion, there was a lot of gear envy on the trip: Ken had a sweet custom bimini rig to provide shade for his cataraft, Joe had a nice multiple room tent that accommodated his whole family (Pack’nPlay crib included), Jimi rented a huge 18-foot raft with the capacity to transport an un-Godly amount of food and beer.
But nothing amongst this group of gear fanatics precipitated even a fraction of the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ I got when I pulled out the Brunton BrewFire I had hidden away in a drybox until early on Sunday morning. I mean really, it doesn’t get much cooler (or hotter in this case) than a propane/butane powered automatic coffee-maker with a stainless steel carafe at a beautiful river-side campsite. In minutes, I had our whole group huddled around the shiny Brewfire in idol-worship, and that was before anyone even tasted the fresh brew.
I may not be the best boatman, or the most engaging conversationalist, but I’m pretty confident I’ll get invited along on the next river trip as long as I bring a BrewFire with me.
The BrewFire in all its shiny glory
Princess Juniper and her dog Hank
Juniper and her friend Sawyer. It’s only a matter of time before they can row and I can sit and drink beer.
The Jackson Kayak Dynamic Duo was a big hit on the trip
The now discontinued RuffWear Mutt Hutt clearly fits into the category of ‘completely excessive & uneccessary gear’ – especially since my dog won’t go near it, but the kids loved it!
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Two Big Agnes Whiskey Park sleeping bags zipped together provided luxurious digs for mom, dad, daughter, dog and BahBah