Creative Uses for Inner Tubes for River Tubing

Floating rivers on inner tubes is part of the summer ritual in many places. While most floaters just sit in a tube and float, there are many fun and creative ways to use those tubes. Whether it's to carry gear, create a train of floaters, a floating raft or provide bumpers, tubes can be configured in different ways to have fun.

  1. Carry Gear

    • Floating a river can be a whole-day experience, meaning you’ll want to bring along water, food, and possibly other supplies. It’s possible to use one tube or more to carry additional gear, depending on how much is brought. This can be done several ways. The first is to use a “dry bag,” designed to keep items dry in the water. Stuff the dry bag with everything needed for the trip and close it securely. The bag can then be tied off in the middle of a tube with a rope (or bungee cord) looped and tied through the top of the bag and around the tube. Depending on the size of the tube, this technique works for multiple dry bags. Be sure to tie the gear tube securely to the tube that’s towing it without any line in between. This makes it easier to maneuver because slack between the two l makes it swing around beside or in front of you.

    Raft

    • It’s possible to tie together several inner tubes with ropes making a triangular design with three, rectangle with six, or square with four. Afterwards, to really make it a raft, stretch piece of either tarp or netting across the tubes and tie it off. Now, the raft has more room to sit on. Test it in the water before setting out, however, to ensure that it can be maneuvered well. Depending on the size, an oar may be needed to safely maneuver it.

    Train

    • When a group of tubers drift together, it can be fun to tie together several tubes to form a train. When doing so, be sure to provide enough room between tubes for each tubers feet to hang. It’s always a good idea to tie off one or two tubes and then test how they float before heading down river.

    Safety

    • Inner tubing can be fun, but it must be done safely. Never float alone, always wear a life jacket and never stack tubes on top of one another for fear of being caught in the middle. Also, when tying tubes off, never leave enough slack that a rider could get caught up or injured in the rope. Never float a river that is not intended for inner tubes and requires a more sturdy vessel, such as a raft.