Inclusive Outfitting

There's adventure out there, waiting for you. Good thing the right gear will be waiting for you too.

Our process...

... grows from these THREE (3) principles:

1. We're going kayaking with friends we haven't met yet.

2. Prep is part of the trip.

3. Our inner experience is inseparable from our outer environment.


This has led us to test and review every choice, brand, and piece of gear we recommend.
And we stand by our decision.

And so, our outfitting process continually grows.

Crossing our knowledge and experience with the freedom to customize your own outfitting, we pass these fruits on to you.
We can't deliver the same experience twice. Nor would we want to.
Your experience will be wholly, indiscriminately, uniquely, your very own.


So, we share paddles and doodads with our new friends met along the way, set adrift in a caressing silence or sheltering under torrential skies, dwarfed by immeasurable heights of the unending world all around us. 

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Eris Expeditions gear. Your experiences.

Everyone gets an Eris Expeditions hoodie!
Many choose to bring it along with them as an easy-choice personal item.
Keep in mind, there are many options for personal items with limited space and buoyancy to carry them.
Personal preferences for coffee and tea, and even the prep tools for them, are often many people's opinion of an ideal "preference" item.
A book is a common choice as well.
Head on over to our Contact page and chat with us if you have any questions about preference items.

WAIT!

We want to let you know that, while we do our absolute best to stick with this selection of gear brands and models,
the nature of how we customize outfitting, even allowing months for ordering and shipping and, in some cases, people actually crafting your gear on demand, is that sometimes, for one reason or another, a manufacturer is simply out of stock. In the event this occurs, we provide gear of similar form, function, price point, and dimensions as the unavailable piece of gear.

Kayaking Gear

Boreal Designs - Wilderness Systems - Kayak

So. You made it here. To make it there (wherever "there" happens to be), you're going to need a kayak.

We don't like fiberglass. It's light, but it's brittle and holes in your kayak are a bother to worry over.

Our kayaks are made of durable, high-strength plastic.
It's a little slower, a little heavier, but nobody is going to break it, crack it, or put a hole in it.

We've opted for Boreal Designs and Wilderness Systems kayaks.

Their seat outfitting is a little different from one another, but both have near the same seating adjustment systems.

Those of us with a Wilderness Systems, well, we fangirl over our seat and hip pad adjustment systems.
Options for kayak design and sizing is limited to the Tempest 165 & 170 and Polaris 180T (our only 2 person kayak), all around great expedition 'yaks. The downside: the Tempest only comes in the 2 sizes. It may not be for those at the top end of their specs. 

ONLY TANDEM OPTION - Polaris 180T
for bringing someone younger and smaller who may sometimes be more of a mascot than a motor. Get ahold of us if this interests you.

Boreal Designs takes the lead when it comes to options. Their Epsilon and Baffin models each come in three different sizes and have built in attachments that assist with open water paddling.

Information on choosing one we'll go over in depth later. For physical size requirements, see our "About Our Expeditions" page.

Paddle - Werner - Adventure Technology - Aqua Bound

A paddle can make the difference.

High stroke or low?

Plastic? Fiberglass? Carbon fiber? A mix?

One piece? A breakdown? Two pieces or four?

Left-handed or right-handed? 
That is a real question.

190cm or 240cm? Something between? Or outside of that range?

Adjustable breakdown? Only a couple push button angle° option? Or three? Or would you like an adjustable ferrule that allows 180° customization?

Color and design?

We measure the weight in ounces. 
 

Astral - Kokatat - NRS - PFD

PFD's have come a long way over the last several decades. Every career guide and die hard enthusiast has their own preferences and their favorite. This is one of the coolest and most extensive custom outfitting options we offer. 

Skirt - Immersion Research - Snapdragon - Kokatat

Some people love them. Some people don't. We do.

Ours allow us to roll our kayaks upside down. You don't strictly "need" one of those.

We send you with a Kokatat Storm Kag which will keep 99% of the rain off you.

Then we sent you with your choice of skirt type: neoprene, nylon, or a hybrid of the two. We'll talk with you on this during our outfitting process. 

NRS - Astral - Kokatat - Wet Shoes

Wet shoes are specific to the use and these guys all have some options that are personal favorites of ours that suits what's ahead of us.

Seal-line - Dry Bags

We have a few different sizes, functions and colors for these. Sizes range from X to Y liters (volume). Some are transparent or color coded for easy identification of the contents. There's a one-way vacuum valve for packing your more pliable gear down.

Pump, Float, and Sponge

We love our sponges (believe it or not, some are incredibly frustrating). Hopefully we don't need it too much ;).

We have the same hope for the float. Floats are self-rescue assist devices.

Aaaaand pumps make fun water guns :D.

SPOT - GPS/Emergency Locator Device

GPS Locator Device. This will be on your PFD, unless exploring by land; then, location will be "attached to you".

Camping Gear

Mountain Hardwear - Tent

Ultralight. Ultracool.

1 & 2 person inhabitant options. (As a default, everyone gets their own tent.

Stargazing option available (with rainfly).

A footprint to protect the tent from abrasions and the some of the sharper contours of nature.

A gear loft for your light, book, and other what nots.

Titanium stakes for when there's more than just rock and sand.

Blue :D

Sleeping Bag - Western Mountaineering - Feathered Friends

The best on the planet for what we do.
That's the whole of it.

Klymit - Thermarest - Sleeping Pad

We like our inflatable pads. They're our guilty pleasure.

Yes, we have liners. Yes, we also have patch kits.

We have 3 sizes:
Minimal: it's like a mummy bag.
Roller: for those who move around bit in their sleep.
King: perfect for couple's.

For R-value (insulation) ratio to durability, there's none better.


Pillow - Klymit

As you can see, we're Klymit fans.

Big Agnes - Chair

You may end up choosing to sit closer to the earth, but on those times you're yearning for the perfect elevated, durable bucket seat, Agnes is here for yah.

Lamp & Flashlight - Goal Zero & UCO

Both rechargeable.
Waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, freezeproof.
You name it.

We'll have a selection of Goal Zero travel solar panels to help maintain juice levels too.

Klymit - Big Agnes - Camp Blanket

Our Western Mountaineering bags are a bit fragile when it comes to outside of our tents.

That's where our camp blankets come in.

Pairable with:
A book at sunset.
Socializing on the rocks.
Eating a welcome meal after dark.
The most breathtaking, awe-inspiring morning cup of java or tea in the pre-dawn chill.

Kitchen & Food & Drinking Water

This section inherently contains "group" and individuals' gear.

Jetboil - Stove & JavaPress

Create multiple landing pages for your services or products easily and in minutes. Add needed blocks and place your content. Publish your site. Share the link to your site. That's all.

Table - Big Agnes

The center of every great poker game.
Kitchen hub.
Sunset chilling buddy.

Grayl - MSR - Sawyer - Water Filters/Purifiers

More on the difference between a water filter and a water purifier below.

Grayl has a pretty unique and incredible water purifier water bottle called the GeoPress. More in the "Water Bottles" section below.

The MSR Guardian Purifier System is going to be our go-to for group water filtration. Your guide will have this.

Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System is our favorite personal water filter. Very (relatively) quick to use. They have a water bottle that you can pair it with as well.

Our jetboil is our good ole' fashion "boil it" option that we'll be taking advantage of.

Utensils & Dishware - MSR & Stanley - Jetboil

There isn't much call for dishware along the way, due to our food selection and portion sizes, but we still have it for storage. And ambiance. Mean's you'll be doing more dishes though. We have soap.

Grayl - SawyerThermoflask - Hydroflask - Water Bottles

Grayl GeoPress - Water purifier bottle
Each cartridge lasts 350 cycles (65 gal. / 250L).
We recycle them.
24oz 
Insulated
Two Designs
Tiny, but convenient.
Our friend Melissa over at Outdoor Prolink is a fan too.

Sawyer Sport - Water filter bottle
Each filter lasts much longer than a Grayl cartridge and can be backflowed and reused. 
24oz
Not insulated.


Hydroflask: 24oz - 32oz - 40oz - 64oz 
Thermoflask: 24oz - 32oz - 40oz - 64oz
Both insulated with an impact absorber.
Different lids are available based upon your preference. Our favorite is the strawless, sipping lid.

Meals - Good-to-Go Maine - Outdoor Herbivore

Meal choice is a little in-depth.
The companies we work with are all "add boiling water" meals.

Before you turn your nose up!
We send you a selection of 5, of your choice, included in your expedition cost, to give you an idea of what you're getting into.

All test selections over the fifth meal do cost extra. All expedition meals and snacks are included.

We cover shipping cost to up to 2 mailings. 

Dublin Jerky - Wild Zora - Snacks

Dublin Jerky is some of the best jerky on earth (in our opinion).

With over 70 different varieties across 15 different meat selections, it get's our stamp of approval.

MSG free options are available - though limited.

We cover one mailing of 3 variations up to 1.5 lbs from Dublin Jerky and one mailing of 5 selections from Wild Zora.
Same as the meals, you can add more test selections at extra cost. (We advise it. There are so many that are incredible.)

Seasonings - Mountain Rose Herbs

We have a basic selection available of salt, pepper, and garlic seasonings. 100% Organic & Non-GMO & Ethically & Sustainably sourced.

More options available upon request.

"Buyable" Outfitting Options

Measurements required for clothing (including hats).

Smartwool - Minus 33 - Icebreaker - Baselayers

A full range of physical measurements is required for this option.

This includes a small discount from retail prices.

Tops, bottoms, socks, hats, gloves, etc.

To give you a chance to make sure they fit properly, we mail your chosen baselayers out to you as early as possible.

You can then:
Hold on to them and avoid a mailing charge, as well as the possibility of any postal mix ups.
or
Mail them back to us, so we can have 'em waiting for you at arrival and bypass the chance of forgetting them at home.

Hats - Dorman Pacific Hat Company

None better.

Mountain Rose Herbs & BYOC - Tea & Coffee

The options are extensive for tea.

BYOC means you gotta bring your own coffee.
Otherwise suffer your guide's choice.

Excepting the dump stations, this info applies to all Eris Expeditions expedition locations.

We know just how personal a water bottle can become, you'll head off on your next adventure with the Grayl (customized to your liking) that accompanies you on you Eris Expeditions expedition, along with 2 new, extra purifier cartridges.
            As partakers in the many benefits of Lifes' many waters., we do our best to care for the continue to be clean and fresh and as healthy for our use and animal use, as much we possibly can anyways. This is why, in the interest of rainfall and the way it moves through the local environments' land formations and into the lake, unless it (#2) happens at the one seasonal floating gas station (during the season/days/time when its open) or involves a long walk towards the high water mark (at least *defined footage range(s)*) and burying it a foot down, we mean we pack it out or, in this case, to the next floating dump station; there are five along the 94(ish)-mile main stretch. Everyone is supplied their own easily cleanable Cleanwaste toilet with detachable bags. #2 only.
            In the interest of this service, their extensive rescue efforts and facilities, and the National Park Service members themselves, along with the constructions they monitor and the personal assistance they offer to everyone who makes the trek to Rainbow Bridge. In this spirit, I am donating 6% of Eris Expeditions' lake Powell ticket sale earnings to the Glen Canyon National Park Service.