A look at what the 1928 expedition, which took two weeks, had for gear versus a trip 80 years later that took just four days:
BOATS
1928: Two oar-guided “canyon boats,” 16 feet, 5 inches long with 54-inch beams and “unusually high sides to keep them from shipping water in rapids.” Built of yellow cypress with oak ribs by a Denver boat builder. Equipped with airtight metal compartments to keep them afloat. Stern bulkheads (made “nearly airtight with rubber gaskets and thumbscrews”) for stowing cameras, food and other perishables. Each boat weighed just over 400 pounds.
2008: Two 18-foot Wing inflatable rafts built of 40-ounce, industrial- grade, 100 percent polyurethane- coated fabric (less than 200 pounds); 10-foot wood and fiberglass composite Sawyer oars.
Four 12-foot-9-inch-long hypalon inflatable kayaks, or “duckies,” built by Denver-based Downriver Equipment Co.
One hard-plastic, 7-foot-1-inch-long Jackson Kayak
CLOTHING
1928: “Duck cloth,” “sailor” pants and shirts, also flannel and denim. No mention or photo evidence of life jackets. Sailor caps.
2008: Swimwear, casual camp attire stored in PVC-coated dry bags. Coast Guard-approved life jackets required by National Park Service regulation. Helmets for all kayakers.
CAMPING EQUIPMENT
1928: A “new” type of sleeping bag called an “arctic robe,” consisting principally of thick “elderdown” and weighing, in their waterproof bags, less than 9 pounds each. No tents.
2008: Synthetic-fill sleeping bags, high-density foam “Paco Pads” for sleeping. Two-person nylon dome tents with rain fly.
FOOD AND WATER
1928: Canned food, such as baked beans and soup, stored in large canvas sacks and cooked over open fire. Drinking water from the Yampa River.
2008: Multiple courses, including grilled chicken, pasta, beef tacos, eggs and pancakes stored in plastic coolers and cooked over propane stove plus charcoal-baked Dutch oven desserts. Water coolers with purification-system backup.
— Scott Willoughby
