Grand Canyon trip

Black Diamond Alpenglow Hoody - The Grand Canyon is hot and sunny in August. You're going to want a sun shirt that you really like because you'll be wearing it a LOT. I originally bought this hoody for summer adventures in the alpine, but it was a fantastic layer for the river as well.

Astral Brewer 2 Water Shoes - My first pair of true river shoes, and I loved them. Excellent grip and foot protection in all conditions. I brought a pair of Chacos as well, but didn't wear them except around camp. The Astrals were great while on the water and also on side hikes and canyoneering. My "hiking" shoes didn't come out of my bag once.

Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow - I slept outside on a paco pad with this pillow and a lightweight sheet every night of the trip and loved it. This one is pretty small and lightweight, so you could definitely splurge on a larger and more luxurious one.

Get weird, get wild. Plan themed costume days/nights. On those pack light summer trips, use the extra packing room for costumes.This is important.

You'll want to bring all the stuff you want to be comfortable, but you *also* don't need much. I probably wore the same two pairs of shorts and 3 shirts for most of the trip. This will change if you're on a fall/winter/spring trip, but for the summer months you need very little.

There are a couple of ways to do the Grand Canyon. You can pay a commercial outfitter to join a trip, or spend years putting in for the lottery system to win a private permit. We won the latter 🙌, which means that you do (most) of the planning ourselves. You can plan the Grand completely on your own, with 100% of your own food, boats, and gear...or use an outfitter out of Flagstaff to expedite a few things. For a reasonable fee, they'll rent you some of the larger gear, plan all your meals (labeled and packed in coolers and dry boxes), and handle transportation + shuttling vehicles. It makes planning a LOT simpler.