Greetings to all, I just made a trip on the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge up to Dyersburg, Tn; round trip. I was surprised, pleasantly, by having encountered only 1 power boater, 2 kyakers,and 1 tri-hulled paddleboater, fulfilling their dreams of doing the "Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer adventure trip of a lifetime".

Despite the way I may come off sounding, I am enthusiastically in favor of such adventurous trips. I am not at all in favor of doing such a trip with ignorance, which seems to prevail most of the time. These people I met this trip seemed to have done their homework before they started their trips, which is not the norm.

All of this brings to the forefront; what equipment/knowledge should a River Adventurer have?

I see the need for the following survival equipment:
1. Whistle and signal mirror
2. Handheld VHF-FM radio with a solar charger and use it to let towboaters know where you are while underway!!!
3. A PLB
4. A USA COE map book of the river
5. Flares
6. Cruiser's guide for the river so one knows where they can get fuel, food, and have someone watch their equipment while they tend to business ashore.

I see the need for the following knowledge:
1. Talk to towboaters to learn how they steer the river up and downbound. To avoid getting run over.
2. Learn that sandbars are born overnight and can disappear in seconds, which is where most adventurers tend to camp at night.
3. Learn how much of a blindspot towboaters have in front of their tow, loads versus empties, small vs large tows.
4. Learn the radio frequencies used by the river community for meeting each other, the USCG uses, Locks and dams, VTS's, etc.
5. Never travel at night!

This list is VERY incomplete as I am waiting to lock through Port Allen Lock and I am somewhat distracted watching my position.

So what do y'all ETS members think?