Smart Tips in Booking an Outfitter on Your Vacation
Posted: Saturday, April 18, 2009
by Christopher Pyle
Action Whitewater Adventures
When you're choosing an outfitter for your outdoor adventure, there is one basic consideration you must give: should the the outfitter be a large company or a small company. While this consideration should be given to many choices you make in vacation planning, we'll focus on the whitewater rafting outfitter. We'll narrow the focus further by analyzing your options on the South Fork of the American River in Northern California and the outfitters that operate there.
This does not mean you should book with a large company, nor does this mean you should book with a small company. It simply means, there are differences. You need to stop, look at your needs and use this article as a tool to help you make a decision.
First, we should agree, if you're looking to a professional whitewater rafting company, on a whole, they're going to have qualified guides and provide a professional trip.
Second, let's define what we mean by large and small. For this article, we'll say large outfitters raft more than 1200 people a year down the river and small outfitters are running 1199 or less.
Thirdly, for reference, in 2008 some 60,000+ people went down the South Fork of the American River. The largest outfitter ran near 6,000 people or near 10% of the total volume and the smallest ran 200 +/- people: this out of 33 rafting companies that operate on the river.
One of the biggest differences in a large versus small company is trip availability. A large company, because they're generally running a trip, can almost always take a one, two or four person booking. Whereas a small company may not be able to book you into a trip that's already going. The costs are prohibitive. This doesn't mean you shouldn't try to reserve with a smaller company, it simply means sometimes they cannot run the trip The flip side here, some of the larger companies fill up and their permits will not allow more bookings and a smaller company may have room on a trip.
A smaller company may have the ability to more easily accommodate special requests or customize your trip for you. A larger company cannot always make this accommodation because your party may be but a tiny fraction of the people that are rafting that weekend and in order to run things in a smooth manner they must adhere to their strict time schedules and routine. Again, neither large or small is bad, it's just in this case, the smaller company can often accommodate special requests because your party may be their trip and thus they can arrange it just for you.
Equipment can play into this small versus large in a couple of ways. It should be said, all companies will have commercial grade equipment, none of it will be faulty or put you at risk, though there are differences. A large company's equipment is going to be used far more frequently, perhaps not as fresh as a smaller company who's equipment doesn't get as much use. A large company is generally going to purchase equipment to handle the large groups, this means bigger boats and often boats that can be used in a variety of places. A smaller company may only run a particular river and may have purchased their equipment specifically for the river they run aimed at providing the absolute greatest experience that river has to offer. While the average Joe may not notice, if a company is touting this, there may be something to it. You can think about it this way, if you drive over a pot hole with a SUV and you drive over the pot hole with a motor-scooter, which is going to give you the bigger ride? Large boats versus small act the same way.
Fees: advantage big companies, if they choose to get into a pricing war. On the South Fork of the American River, as we mentioned, there are some 33 companies vying for your attention. Obviously they must be competitive with regard to price, there simply is too much competition. However, there are times where a large company can absorb more costs and run cheaper trips. A situation from 2008 comes to mind. A group asked for pricing from their normal rafting outfitter, a smaller company. The pricing was for 2 days rafting, 2 lunches, dinner, breakfast and camping. The small companies bid was $250, per person. They shopped their provider and found a larger company willing to give the trip for $199, they chose the larger company. While there are great differences between the two companies in customer service, guide attitude, equipment, the group opted for the lesser price. You must decide what your priorities are and then make your calls.
Simple flexibility in your trip itinerary can be the difference between a large and small company choice. A large company may not be able to adjust their schedule or the order with which the run the river for you, because you may be 1 or 150 rafting that weekend. A smaller company may be able to adjust schedule etc., to help you have the experience you want to have. Perhaps you want to run another river. A small company may or may not be able to make the schedules fit or may not even run the river you wish to see. A larger company may be able to do these things.
Lastly, the customer service experience you receive may vary greatly on outfitter size. Again, most all the companies will have quality staff, but big companies must stick to a strict schedule and this draws some of the attentiveness from the guides and staff to their tasks. Whereas with a smaller company you may deal directly with the owner or small staff that is hands on throughout your rafting experience. Smaller most often equals a more intimate environment, larger more of a mass experience.
Large or small, when it comes to choosing a rafting company, size does matter.
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