Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I just purchased 12 River Run 1 tubes for to take the family + friends floating. Great fun on the river during our first trip this summer! Relative to the cost of renting tubes or booking a trip, these tubes will pay for themselves in four runs (including the cost of the PFD’s I purchased). Plus, we’ve got three rivers within an hour of us, and only one company offers one one-hour float on one of them. As we set up to float and took our first trip, I discovered these 5 tips that will save you from headache or disaster: 1. Buy an Intex Quick Fill 100 pump or something similar. I have an A/C model for inflating tubes at home and a D/C model that plugs into my van at the river. You can use manual pumps, like Airhead, but the electric ones will save your back. 2. Inflate every tube fully as soon as they arrive AND a day before your trip. That way, you are not surprised at the river. Some people have reported problems with seams; however, most are having trouble with leaking valves. The valves are an easy fix (see below). The seams are a little harder to find and fix. 3. {*Most Important:} Check your valves for leaks at the river before you launch. Fully inflate a tube, then pour a cup of water into the compartment where the valve is located. If it’s bubbling, tighten the valve. If you can’t eliminate all bubbles, go on to tip #4. SEE PHOTO 4. If you have a valve that won’t stop leaking, unscrew it completely and wrap the threads in Teflon tape. Teflon tape costs about $2 per roll and has stopped every leaking valve I’ve had. Wrap the white tape around the threads two times and screw the valve back in tightly. (Be sure to check for bubbles again just to be sure – see tip #3.) SEE PHOTO 5. Carry a 3 ft. section of flexible ¾” clear plastic tubing to reinflate any tube while on the river. (You can buy this flexible tubing at any hardware/home improvement store.) SEE PHOTO I think the tips above would solve 90% of the problems people have had with these tubes and help you enjoy (not just endure) your first float. If your seams are split, you’ll have to find and fix them on your own. If your valves are leaking – and they probably are – I think the solutions in #3 and #4 above will work.