Canyoning Checklists
This section has checklists to help guide you on what you need to bring with you on a trip. We are adding checklists in the future on what skills you can develop for each stage of your learning, how to search for a canyon, and how to plan a canyoning trip.
To download the canyoning checklist, click here: Excel Spreadsheet. PDF file.
There are many factors that influence the selection of equipment and clothing required for a canyoning trip. Some of these factors include:
- type of canyon (wet, dry, vertical, undulating, cold).
- technical difficulty (height, water flow, temperature, altitude).
- techniques required (anchors pre-existing, ghosting, single rope, high water flows).
- participants skill level (beginner, intermediate, advanced, experience on certain types only).
- participants ability to handle adverse conditions (temperature, altitude, duration, length).
- location (close to population, remote, foreign, access to and for emergency resources).
As a result, these checklists are a guide only. How do you decide what to take on a trip?
You should undertake a risk assessment process of your intended trip. A process that you could follow is:
1 – Decide which canyon you want to go to.
2 – Use online resources to gather as much information as possible about the trip (maps, guides, photo’s, reports, GPS coordinates). Talk to people who have already completed the trip.
3 – List all the possible things that could go wrong on your trip (hazards). Yes, everything (getting lost, flooded out, failed anchor point, fall off rope, snake bite, rope stuck, hypothermia)!
4 – Rate the likelihood of each of those things going wrong (risk).
5 – Determine what the consequence is of each factor if it does go wrong (hypothermia, injury, death).
6 – See if you can make each of those factors safer (control the hazards). Re-rate each item.
7 – If the risk is still too great, then you should decide to not go. Saying NO is a very important skill.
8 – If the risk is manageable, then look at the equipment lists and choose the equipment you need to manage the hazards (i.e abseil gear for vertical canyon, wetsuit for wet canyon, overnight gear for remote trips, etc).
You have to be careful when choosing equipment. Carrying too much will slow your progress and may put you in danger of exhaustion and getting lost. Carrying insufficient gear may lead to getting stuck in adverse conditions or locations. As a rule of thumb, you will need more gear when:
- the trip is technical / complex.
- the group is inexperienced. More skill and experience allows less gear required.
- the conditions are adverse.
- the location is remote.
| Personal / Group | Category | Item | Wet Canyon | Day Trip Non Vertical | Day Trip Vertical | Multi Day Trip Vertical |
| Personal | Clothing | Hat | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Beanie | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Clothing | Sunglasses | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | |
| Personal | Clothing | Wetsuit | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Clothing | Thermals | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Clothing | Raincoat | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Shirt | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Shorts | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Gloves | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Clothing | Socks | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Shoes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Clothing | Dry Hiking Clothes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Equipment | Backpack | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Group | Equipment | Cookware | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | |
| Personal | Equipment | Utensils | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | |
| Personal | Food | Meals | Maybe | Maybe | Yes | |
| Personal | Food | Water | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Group | Safety | First Aid Kit | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Group | Safety | PLB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Group | Safety | GPS | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | |
| Personal | Safety | Maps and Compass | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Equipment | Headlamp | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Equipment | Dry Bag | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Group | Equipment | Camera | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe | |
| Personal | Food | Snacks | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Safety | Helmet | Maybe | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Equipment – Vertical | Harness | Yes | Yes | ||
| Personal | Equipment – Vertical | Descender | Yes | Yes | ||
| Personal | Equipment – Vertical | Carabiners x 4 | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Rope | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Rope Bag | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Pull Cord | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Rigging Equipment as Required | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Bolting Equipment as Required | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Personal | Safety | Knife | Yes | Yes | ||
| Personal | Safety | Cowstail / Safety Line | Yes | Yes | ||
| Personal | Equipment – Vertical | Prussiks | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Safety | Ascenders | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Group | Safety | Pulley | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Quick Links | Yes | Yes | ||
| Group | Equipment – Vertical | Rope / Slings / Webbing | Yes | Yes | ||
| Personal | Safety | Whistle | Yes | Maybe | Yes | Yes |
| Personal | Clothing | Warm Clothes for Night | Yes | |||
| Personal | Sleeping | Sleeping Mat | Yes | |||
| Personal | Sleeping | Sleeping Bag | Yes | |||
| Group | Sleeping | Tent or Fly | Yes | |||
| Group | Sleeping | Ground Sheet | Yes | |||
| Personal | Safety | Medication | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Sleeping | Hygiene | Yes | |||
| Group | Safety | Fire – Matches or Lighter | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Personal | Equipment | Flotation | Yes | Maybe | Maybe | Maybe |
| Group | Skills | Suitable for Canyon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group | Safety | Trip Registered / Informed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |