FAQs

  • Yes. Teams may use whatever number of paddle bags they prefer. Paddle bags must be large enough to hold packrafts and paddling gear; must be closed and secured for transport; and must be clearly labeled with team name. Bear in mind that these paddle bags must go with you on the paddle, however. A garbage bag is fine, but be sure it is heavy duty and won’t fail during transport (i.e., contractor grade). The 50-pound limit is per bag.

  • No, other than the waterproof container required for team cell phones. The bags you will receive to seal your phones are not waterproof. We have not made a dry bag mandatory gear, because many packrafts have their own internal dry storage. If your packraft does not have such a feature, it is strongly recommended that you have a dry bag sufficient to hold your mandatory gear. We suggest a small drybag inside your pack to protect your phone, first aid kit and other mandatory gear.

  • There are no limits on what you can pack in your gear bin or duffel, but they may not weigh more than 40 pounds. Be sure your gear bin and duffel are clearly labeled with your team name. You will see these bins/duffels after the paddle (Stage 3).

  • You can pack whatever you want in your paddle bags, but bear in mind that the paddle bags and all of their contents must go with you in the boats. There is a 50-pound limit per paddle bag.

  • Clothing only. No shoes. No food or drink. These are intended to ensure teams have adequate clothing to mitigate the risk of hypothermia at altitude and overnight. Thermal outer layer, mittens, wool socks, and hand warmers are recommended. You will see these bags more than 12 hours into the race. If your team accesses this bag, it will be required to remain in the TA for at least 30 minutes, to allow staff an opportunity to assess the team’s medical status.

  • We are not specifying a size or weight limit for these bags, but the intention is these will be a small duffel or similar bag. They may contain ONLY clothes. A team that accesses these bags will be permitted to leave any non-mandatory clothing gear in the bags when they leave this TA.

  • This rule applies to the distance between all members of the team.

  • We are going the more traditional route of one set of maps/team.

  • The gear list is correct: each individual racer must have a personal knife, and it must be accessible while paddling. You can bring one knife and make sure you transfer it back and forth from your pack to PFD, or you can carry a knife in your pack and have a paddle-specific knife on your PFD.

    Whether your PFD knife is a mounted blade or a foldable blade in a pocket is up to you, but you must be able to access it in an emergency such as being entangled.

  • Yes! That said, you will need to carry your helmet for most of this year's race. There is one TA where you will be able to send your helmet forward, but otherwise, you'll be wearing it or carrying it in your pack.

    You may secure bike shoes to your bike however you see fit. That said, USARA does not take responsibility for the organization of your gear if shoes fall off during transport. All other food, liquid, or gear must fit inside frame/bar/seat mounted bags or be in bike bottles.