Spray deck or no?

can’t answer your question, we a buddy and I are also looking at running it this spring.  just watching the guages to see when.

I know nothing about packrafting, but I have been backpacking in Escalante in March and April. I’ve backpacked Escalante River between town and HWY 12 (this is where Death Hollow is located). I was walking in and out of the water a bunch…In March it was cold at times but in April it was nice to be in the water because it was in the 80’s and warm. Just sharing what I know about the weather when I have gone in the spring.

“It depends” – I think the answer is entirely conditions based. I did it the third week of May and we had at least one miserably cold, wet day – in the 40s with hard rain. I was in a self bailer and was pretty cold despite dry pants with booties and a rain jacket. I would have loved a deck and skirt. We did it at low-medium flow and it was splashy enough that you’ll be bailing occasionally with no skirt – but that’s probably secondary to the weather concerns.

I’d plan on a last minute decision based on the weather forecast.

Mid May could be very cold or very hot… a lot of water or virtually none…

In the canyons out that way, if possible, best to pick your timing around the weather and flow gauge, rather than a set week…

I have a DIY packraft. I bought the spray deck option, but I can install it anytime. My dates are pretty well set since one of the people going is flying out specifically for the trip. Given the amount of snow Utah has gotten this winter, I have no concerns about the water levels being too low.