Equipment rentals for Courses & Trips

Paddles: You CAN use your wooden lake paddles on the river, but they are more at risk to sustain damage. We would suggest that you leave your favourite wooden lake paddles safe at home and learn with one of ours instead.

PFD’s and River Knives: For all river courses and trips, you must have a Transport-Canada approved PFD with an attached whistle and an attached ‘river knife’ in an accessible spot (NOT tucked into a pocket or drybag).

Helmet: Helmets are mandatory for all river courses and trips.  We highly recommend a paddling-specific helmet.

Canoes: If you are bringing your own whitewater canoe on a river course or trip, please get in touch with us to make sure it will be suitable both for yourself and other attendees.  During a course and on trips, paddlers are often asked to switch bow and stern position, and to switch paddle partners from time to time.  Please let EAC know if you are not comfortable with other people paddling in your canoe with you.  Please contact us if you have any questions about bringing your own boat and/or equipment.

Your canoe will need to have the following outfitting in place:

• bow painter: must be floating line, secured with shock-cord or tucked beside airbag, and must be approximately the length of the canoe (no more or less).
• stern painter: same as the bow painter line, OR a 70’ throw-bag secured with shock-cord
• bailer (with a way to attach it to the canoe)
• spare paddle
• flotation bags (ends and center)
• thigh-straps
• knee pads
• a throw-bag of min. 50′ of buoyant line

If you want to use your own canoe for our lakewater courses, it must have either built in floatation or added in floatation as well as a bailer, spare paddle, and a minimum 50′ floating haul line (or a throwbag with floating rope). You’ll also need your own paddle, PFD with whistle and a wetsuit (optional) for the rescue portion of the course.

The wetsuits we rent out are neoprene farmer john/jane-style suits without sleeves, allowing unrestricted arm movement.  In warm weather, you can wear as little as a bathing suit underneath it.  In cold weather you may want to wear a thin woolen baselayer underneath the wetsuit, and on top, wear nylon pants or rain pants and a splash-resistant sweater/jacket layered on top. On a lake course, we typically will save the rescue portion of the course for a time when you can get changed into the wetsuit beforehand and change afterward, but on the river it is recommended to wear the wetsuit all day. (Note: self rescue practice is optional, but highly recommended on all of our courses).