Getting kids—even toddlers—on river trips early and often gets them primed for a lifetime of river adventures. Making those early river trips safe and comfortable for them requires some well-chosen clothes. When my husband and I started taking our kids on river trips back in the 90s, the options for kids’ paddling gear was limited. But river and camp gear manufacturers now offer loads of innovative and affordable toddler- and kid-friendly gear.

Young boy learning to row on Green River through Desolation Canyon
Learning to row on the Green River through Desolation Canyon
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Here’s a rundown of our favorite, time-tested kids’ rafting and paddling clothes to keep the little ones comfortable on the river and in camp—whether the sun is beating down or you’re subjected to constant downpours. And if you’re looking for tips for organizing kid-friendly river trips, check out Essential Guide to Rafting with Kids. 

Keeping kids relatively warm, dry, and safe on the raft or in an inflatable kayak is the top priority on a river trip. As with most outdoor adventures, the key is to dress them in layers that they can quickly peel off or put back on. 

Table of Contents

Kids’ personal floatation devices (PDFs, or life jackets)

Plenty of kid-friendly PFDs are available these days, although options are more limited for toddlers. Here are our favorites:

Toddler in Mustang life jacket
Toddler in Mustang Lil Legends PFD

Paddling and rafting helmets

Helmets for small kids are somewhat rare because most river-running families stick to Class I or Class II whitewater trips where encounters with rocks by swimmers are less likely, so they skip the helmets. If you want to outfit your kids with helmets for an upcoming river trip, here are a few options:

  • Hyside Kid’s Helmet—this is an affordable helmet for kids from 5 to 9
  • WRSI Current Helmet—the small/medium size will work for older kids and teenagers with head circumference of 20.9 to 22 inches
Two kids in wide-brimmed hats and paddle jackets sitting in sand on river bank
Kids geared up for waiting out a rainstorm

Base layers

Because most kids have very little body fat, keeping them warm on the river can be a constant challenge unless you’re on a desert trip in the summer. The first rule of keeping warm and relatively dry on the river is no cotton—ever. Save the comfy cotton clothes—which, when wet, retains water and makes you colder—for camp. 

girl in warm hat in sleeping bag on hammock at Boundary Creek launch sit on Middle Fork of Salmon
A good wool hat always comes in handy for kids on river trips

The best base layers for rafting and paddling are synthetic fabrics such as neoprene, which provides a layer of cushioning in addition to retaining warmth. Neoprene tops and bottoms should fit snugly but not too tightly. The baggier the base layers, the less warmth they’ll provide. 

Here are our top picks for base layers for kids and toddlers:

Neoprene wetsuits

Neoprene is best for cooler, wetter days on the river or days when kids want to float in the river and the water’s a little cold.

  • Camaro Flex Shorty Wetsuit—this wetsuit makes a solid base layer for kids and is available for little ones from about 3 feet tall (XXS) to about 5 feet tall (XL)
  • Camaro Ultra Overall Wetsuit—available for older kids in sizes from 8 to 14, this is a full-body, 3mm-thick wetsuit that could stand up to serious cold water situations
  • NRS Kid’s Shorty Wetsuit—made by river gear specialists, this wetsuit is thicker than the Camaro (2.5mm vs 2.0mm neoprene), has a heavy-duty zipper in the back for easy entry and exit, and is available in 3T to youth XL sizes
  • NRS Youth Farmer Bill Wetsuit—this wetsuit, available for kids from 55 pounds to 90 pounds, is sleeveless but has full-length legs
  • GearTrade used wetsuits for kids—GearTrade has a surprising number of kids’ wetsuits (many of these are from dive brands)
Young girl in splash jacket and pants, sunhat, and life jacket with parents on raft
Geared up for whitewater in splash jacket, pants, sunhat, and life jacket

Synthetic and wool base layers

Synthetic and wool base layers can be used under under splash jackets or pants to add warmth in cold waves. Although they are not as warm as neoprene when they’re wet, they’re much warmer than cotton or no base layer at all.

Merino wool is a super choice for base layers as it’s itch-free, warm, and doesn’t stink when wet like some synthetic fabrics. Patagonia Capilene is another terrific choice for kids’ base layers: Capilene has stood the test of time in our family. It doesn’t stink when wet or heavily used, and we have pieces that are still going strong after 20 years of use.

Splash or rain jackets and pants

On top of the base layer, your little ones need good splash jackets and pants to keep the big waves at bay or to make them more comfortable on days when the rain is relentless. Not many manufacturers are making rafting-specific splash gear, especially for younger kids. But rain jackets and pants can serve the purpose of keeping kids somewhat dry in a downpour.

Look for rain or splash gear that has closures or elastic at the neck, wrists, and ankles. Pockets with zippers will help kids keep track of sunscreen, lip balm, and collectibles such as shells and pretty rocks. Here are our favorite splash jackets and pants for kids.

Kids in river shorts and long-sleeved shirts playing with water swords on banks of San Juan River
Water swords in action on the banks of the San Juan River

Water shoes

Splashing around in eddies is one of the joys of river trips for kids. Water shoes that keep small pebbles and sand out and protect little toes from scrapes are essential. Many of the same shoes that you’d pick up for lake or beach vacations will also work for river trips. The exception is river trips where the water is cold enough that your kids need footgear that is warm even when it’s wet. Although neoprene shoes and boots are hard to find for kids, you can pair river sandals with neoprene or wool socks for extra warmth.

Here are the water shoes for different river situations that we recommend:

  • Keen Newport H2 sandals for toddlers—these Keen water sandals for toddlers (4T to 7T) have closed toes, which is essential for keeping tiny toes protected. 
  • Keen Newport H2 sandals for kids—same style, available in a wide range of kids’ sizes
  • Seavenger Zephyr neoprene socks—these socks, designed primarily for beach activities, just cover the ankles but are a hefty 3mm neoprene and fit snugly so they can fit into water sandals. You might consider sizing up on the water sandals and making neoprene socks a standard base layer for toddlers especially as socks protect from abrasions, hot sand, sun, and rocks. 
  • REI Trailsmith Merino Wool Lightweight Crew Socks—if you can’t find neoprene socks that fit your kid, merino wool socks will work under sandals, and these come in toddler and kids’ sizes
  • GearTrade used kids’ water shoes—currently available used kids’ water shoes on GearTrade
Young girl on sand by river in long sunshirt and pants
Sun shirts and pants help protect from sand abrasion, too

River shorts

For those hot and sunny river trips, your kids will likely spend most of their time in river shorts, which are basically any shorts that are made of quick-drying material. These are often available at big-box stores such as Target, kids’ consignment stores and thrift stores, or outdoor gear stores. Because river shorts don’t need to fit precisely, we recommend investing in high-quality shorts that kids can wear for years. Here are some of our favorites:

  • REI Active Pursuits shorts—available in kids’ sizes from 5 to 14, these have all the qualities kids need in river-worthy shorts, including quick-drying fabric, zippered pockets,  an internal mesh brief, adjustable drawstring waist, and UPF 50 sun protection
  • REI Mountainmaker Long Shorts—these are longer than the Active Pursuits and have a zipper cargo pocket in front 
  • Helly Hansen Quick-Dry Cargo Shorts—made for older kids, these have some stretch and lots of pockets and have UPF 50 sun protection. 
  • Patagonia Baby Baggies—a miniature version of the classic adult river shorts, these accommodate diapers and are quick-drying 
  • GearTrade kids’ water shorts—check out GearTrade’s current collection of used quick-drying shorts for kids and toddlers
Three kids in river shorts and life jackets walking on gravel bar in river
Strolling on the gravel bar in river shorts and river shoes

Sunshirts

Good sunshirts can cut the time, expense, and hassle of constantly applying sunscreen on kids and toddlers. Look for sunshirts that have hoods and thumbholes in the sleeves so they can pull the sleeves down over their hands. As with quick-drying shorts, you can often find good sunshirts at consignment shops, thrift shops or big-box stores. Here are our favorite sunshirts for kids:

Sun pants

It’s hard to get kids to wear long pants when it’s hot, but especially in the case of toddlers, long pants or tights can ward off sunburn when kids are in and out of the water and playing in the sand. 

Toddler with long tie-dyed sunshirt and brightly striped leggings playing with sand bucket on river bank
Swim leggings with sun-protection fabric protect toddlers from sun and sand

Sunhats

Every kid needs at least one sunhat that fully covers their neck and has a big brim to avoid sunburn—and it’s a good idea to bring a few extras in case one goes missing or ends up floating away on the river. Look for hats with drawstrings to increase chances that they stay on the kid’s head. (Also thrown in a few ball caps for older kids to wear on the river when the wind is calm or in camp.)

Our hands-down favorite is the Sunday Afternoons Play Hat for toddlers and kids. Foldable with mesh inserts to increase breathability, this hat has UPF 50 protection, good coverage with a big brim and a neck cape, and a drawstring that’s easy to secure

toddler in river chair wearing a pink sun hat
A good sunhat is essential for toddlers

Sunglasses

Although it’s hard to keep sunglasses on kids, it’s never too early to help them keep UV rays out of their eyes. We’ve found that the toddler in our group loves wearing her sunglasses and complains about glare when she’s not wearing them.

We recommend the Knockaround polarized sunglasses for kids as they’re fairly affordable so it won’t be too tragic if they get lost. Consider picking up a pair of Chums retainers for kids or another sort of sunglasses retainer to help them stick around longer. 

Camp clothes 

Once the river party hits camp, the kids are done playing in the eddy, and the sun starts to drop behind the canyon walls, it’s time to get out the comfy camp clothes, including some fleece layers in case it gets chilly. Unless rain in on the horizon, cotton is cool for camp wear, so cotton sweatshirts, shorts, and sweatpants are fair game.

As with daytime gear, layering is the magic for kids’ camp clothes. Kids need to be able to add and shed layers easily depending on whether they’re cozying up to the campfire or heading to the groover. The kids’ camp clothes list should include a warm base layer on bottom and top, a fleece jacket or pullover, warm socks to wear under sneakers or hiking boots, one warm hat, and a pair of mittens, just in case it gets really chilly at night. 

Although camp clothes don’t need to be river-specific, here are a few fleece items that have stood the test of time on river trips in our family:

You likely have plenty of warm hats, gloves, and socks that can be repurposed for river trips. If you need to stock up, check out consignment shops, thrift stores, or GearTrade’s warm hats for kids, kids’ mittens, and kids’ wool socks.

Warm, dry kids are happy river trippers. By outfitting kids with clothes that will keep them comfortable, you’ll set them up for a lifetime of loving rafting and paddling. 

Boy in long sleeves and long pants on river bank playing with water gun
Testing the water gun on the banks of the San Juan

More about rafting with kids

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