When most people think about a river trip, they picture the rapids, the water fights, the big splashes, the rowing, the paddling, the snacking, the wildlife and the miles drifting through incredible scenery. And yes—that’s absolutely why we go and what takes me immediately back to my river guiding days.
But after spending four days floating, paddling, exploring side ridges and canyons, and soaking up every sunset, I was reminded that some of the best memories actually happen once you pull the boats onto shore.
Camp becomes home.
This last trip was one of those adventures where everything just flowed. We watched bald eagles soar overhead, pelicans skim the water, a storm of ladybugs covered our campsite, and one afternoon the kids adopted a pet snake (temporarily, thankfully). Every night we fell asleep beneath an endless blanket of stars, and every morning we woke to birds singing and the sound of the river flowing by.
Having comfortable camp gear didn’t just make life easier, it let us slow down, sleep better, relax and soak in every moment. Like all of our trips and adventures, I was also putting some new gear items to the test. This particular trip, I was putting some new Nemo Equipment gear pieces through the paces. See below for the details on them and why they are now part of our must haves on future river trips!
The Chair Everyone Wanted: The Nemo Moonlite Reclining Chair
The MVP of camp? Hands down it was the NEMO Moonlite Reclining Chair.
I’ll admit it—I’m usually the person sitting on a rock or camp towel because I don’t want to haul a bulky camp chair around. Not anymore.
The Moonlite packs surprisingly small but feels like an actual lounge chair once it’s set up. Being able to lean back after a long day on the water, coffee in hand while watching the sunrise over the river, was one of those simple luxuries that somehow makes an adventure even better. What I loved even more though was how fast it dried. I would go take a swim, come back wet and sit in it, but once I got up it only took a few minutes to dry because it’s made out of mesh.
It also became the chair everyone wanted to steal.
Whether someone was reading, watching the kids fish, or just staring at the river doing absolutely nothing, it was always occupied.
Home on the River: The NEMO Aurora Tent
After spending all day on the water, there’s something incredibly satisfying about pulling into camp, setting up your tent, and knowing you’ll get a great night’s sleep.
This was our first big adventure in the NEMO Aurora, and it quickly became one of my favorite pieces of gear from the trip.
As a family of four, space matters. We all fit comfortably inside, with Revel claiming his favorite spot stretched across the top of our sleeping pads so he could somehow be close to all three of us at once (as only a six-year-old can!). The rest of us lined up below him, and despite the unconventional sleeping arrangement, we all had plenty of room. The Aurora’s nearly vertical walls make a huge difference—it feels much bigger than many tents with a similar footprint, and you don’t get that cramped feeling where the walls are constantly brushing against your sleeping bag.
I also appreciated the little details that make camp life easier. The oversized doors made getting in and out simple (especially with kids), and the interior pockets kept headlamps, books, and all the little things from disappearing into the corners of the tent. At night, the Nightlight Pockets created a soft, warm glow instead of the usual blinding headlamp bouncing around the tent.
It also is incredibly fast and easy to set up. Jason or I easily set it up on our own in 2-3 minutes. And that includes the rainfly which we only used one night.
Now, would I take this on a fast-and-light backpacking trip? Probably not. There are certainly lighter tents out there if every ounce counts.
But for packrafting, rafting, bikepacking with a little extra room, or car camping? I think it’s just about perfect.
One of my favorite surprises wasn’t even while we were sleeping, it was packing up each morning. If you’ve ever wrestled a tent back into its stuff sack while everyone else is waiting to launch, you know the struggle. The Aurora’s Divvy Cube stuff sack made it ridiculously easy to pack away. No rolling it perfectly. No squeezing every last bit of air out. No wrestling match. Just stuff it in and get back to enjoying the adventure.
We also used the included footprint throughout the trip. River camps can be rough on gear, with gravel bars, sticks, and coarse sand constantly working against your tent floor. Having that extra layer of protection gave me peace of mind and should help the tent last through many more adventures to come.
At the end of four days, the Aurora felt less like a tent and more like our little riverside home- a comfortable place to recharge before another day on the water.
The Camp Living Room: The Nemo Victory Blanket
For packrafting, having a blanket to put all of our things on is key. Unlike rafting, where much of your stuff can just live on the raft or in a giant dry bag- in packrafting everything has to be packed tight as it has to fit inside your boat! So having a central area for all of your stuff at camp is awesome.
The Nemo Victory Blanket proved to be the perfect camp “living room”. We laid it down outside our tent and it gathered our clothes bag, toiletry bag, kids games and even lounging kids. One of my kiddos loves to change his clothes alot, so having this area for him to throw his clothes on to (rather than all over camp) was super helpful for all of us. My family now knows if they are looking for something, or need to put something somewhere- take it to the blanket!
The waterproof bottom meant I never worried about damp ground, and when the inevitable dirt, sand, and spilled drinks happened, cleanup was ridiculously easy as it all just rolls right off of it.
On the last night, we all opted to sleep outside with out a tent, and it fit all 4 of our pads and us beautifully. It was actually one of the best nights sleeps I had in a really long time.
It’s one of those pieces of gear you don’t realize you’ll use constantly until you have it. Now it is a staple “must bring” on all of our trips!
One Bag for All the River Chaos: The Nemo Double Haul Duffel 55 Liter
If you’ve ever packed for a river trip, you know it isn’t exactly organized. And believe me, I have tried my hardest!
Wet clothes.
Dry clothes.
Sleeping bags.
Random snacks.
Life jackets.
Sand everywhere.
The NEMO Double Haul Duffel 55 Liter handled all of it and then some.
What I loved most was how easy it was to pack. The wide opening meant I wasn’t digging through layers trying to find one jacket buried at the bottom. The structured sides helped it stay open while packing, and being able to carry it like either a duffel or tote made loading and unloading easy. While we didn’t bring this on the river trip, it helped us stay organized in our van so that before and after the trip, we could keep all of our river gear separate from our van trip gear (more on this trip in another post).
Overall, the duffle has been absolutely amazing by acting as both our adventure launch bag and our clean up bag for after all of our adventures. It’s big, durable and can handle all that we have thrown at it thus far.
Gear That Lets You Stay Outside Longer
The older I get, the less interested I am in gear that’s flashy.
I just want gear that disappears into the background because it works so well. The kind of gear that lets you spend less time fussing with equipment and more time watching your kids discover tadpoles, snake skin, playing charades after dinner, or laying down looking up at the sea of stars in the middle of the night.
That’s exactly how this trip felt. Adventure isn’t just measured by the miles you traveled, sometimes it’s measured by how comfortable you are lingering over your morning coffee because camp feels like home.