Your safety and enjoyment, as well as the health of the environment, depends on good planning. Before starting a trip on the Colorado River, be sure to include the following items:

• Life jackets
  State Law requires each passenger in the boat, including canoes, to have a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device within reach. Children under 13 must wear a life jacket at all times.
• Food and fresh water
  Pick up and pack out all litter, to keep river corridors pristine. Set a good example by picking up litter left by others.
• Portable toilet
  All boating parties should carry a portable, reusable system that can be flushed out at a proper waste facility, such as an RV dump station. Or, keep toilet paper, small paper bags, a one pound coffee can, and a small container of toilet chemical accessible during the day. Deposit human waste and toilet paper in the paper bag, then seal it in the coffee can until the bag can be put in the regular camp toilet in the evening. The paper bag will break down in the waste container. Find more specific information in the Texas River Guide, published by the Texas Parks and Wildlife.
• Maps or aerial photos
  The US Geological Survey has issued topographic maps and aerial photos that may be purchased from map stores, private aerial photo companies or the Texas Natural Resources Information Systetm. The Lower Colorado River User's Guide contains detailed maps of the Colorado, and can be ordered from LCRA for $5.
• Towels or sponges
  Use these as a seat cushion, or to remove water from the boat. During rest breaks stretch towels between canoe paddles for shade.
• Watertight containers
  Carry food, extra clothes and cell phones in water-tight containers. Plastic trash bags or zippered sandwich bags provide inexpensive dry storage.
• Spare paddle
• Rope
• Pocket knife
• First-aid kit
• Insect repellent
• Compass
• Sunscreen