Very happy with the service provided. We rented a canoe for 3 day. The staff was very helpful regarding the trip we had planned and how to operate all the gear. They really went out of their way to provide great customer service. When you rent from them, it's like borrowing something from a friend. I was surprised at how the shuttle system worked (they drive your car to the end point) but it was nice to have the vehicle at the end waiting for you. Overall, I would highly recommend using this company. read more

I reserved 2 kayaks 8 days out. Hung up and immediately regretted my decision after checking flood conditions at Congaree National Park. Called back exactly 20 minutes later to cancel transaction. I was told by the owner there were no refunds but he would do it for $50. I pointed out the reservation was made 20 minutes prior, but still no help. I am disputing the charge given the fact that there were no goods or services received, transaction was cancelled quickly and there was no cancellation/refund policy on website or spoken at the time of reservation. Im just astounded. It was 20 minutes. No way my reservation would've cost them another, especially booked 8 days out and cancelled within 20 min. Im sure Chase MC will chargeback, just very disappointed in this business. We did not rent from another company...just decided given the conditions and the information on NPS website, we wouldn't paddle the park. read more

My two boys and I went canoeing with a rental from River Runner Outdoor Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The staff was very helpful and helped load and secure the canoe to our vehicle. The price was very reasonable. When we got into Congaree National Park, the owner of the company happened to be there with another party canoeing the same stretch of river. He quickly got out of his air-conditioned vehicle and helped us unload the canoe and walk it down to the river and helped launch us. When we returned from the adventure the same man (Guy is his name) was waiting for us to help get us on the shore and carry the canoe back to the parking lot. He also decided to save us the trip back to the business in downtown Columbia by loading it onto his trailer and returning all our items from the rental. He didn't charge us anything extra and was happy to assist us. He even gave my two boys free stickers! This is the type of business I love to spend my money at because of their extraordinary service to go out of their way to make sure we had a great experience. Five stars all the way! read more

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We rented a tandem kayak from River Runner for the day and we immediately experienced amazing customer service as we walked in. They gave us any and all the information we needed on where to go and how to get there. They provided everything necessary to transport the kayak, onto our car. The rates were fair and reasonable (late fees, renewing fees, etc.). The location has a variety of options for the outdoors. The website gives you all the information you need on hours and rentals. They did everything possible to make sure we had a great experience. Very kind and generous! Thank you for an amazing experience! read more

So, while I was in town for a work training thingie, some of us wanted to get away from the classroom for a bit. On our afternoon off, we found this place which offered us a few hours of kayaking down a local river for a decent price. We manage to drum up a good sized group & headed out for some water fun. One of the employees picked us up from our facility & took us to the storefront first. There, we picked up our gear & our guide, Austin, and started for the river. Everything was unloaded & we were given our life vests & we started moving the kayaks to the riverbank. One by one, we loaded ourselves in our respective boats & tried to get our bearings. That was pure entertainment since some of the group had never kayaked before. A few folks even managed to get stuck on some rocks at the beginning. Let the hilarity ensue... We had a blast & Austin did a good job guiding the tour. He had a lot of information about the surrounding areas & the history behind the river & towns. Our main complaint is that we wished they'd have given us a longer route so we could have had more time on the water. We could have stood another hour or so on the rivew, but a few of us still jumped in for a swim at the end, though. Once we were done & dried off, the boats were loaded up & the guys dropped us off, safe & sound. I'm definitely a fan of this place &, should I find myself back in town, I'll be trying them out again. This time I'm going for a longer trip, though! read more

Rented a canoe from here a few weeks back. Stereotypical river-hippie helped us out... very friendly and gave us a cool waterproof map for our journey. A canoe with all paraphernalia is $54. It's about the average for around here. Seems high to me... I guess I just need to buy my own boat. If you are a USC student, make sure you check with USC's outdoor rec office. They rent a boat w/ stuff for more like $30... the only thing is, their hours suck so you need to plan ahead a little. All in all though, a cool place. Recommended. read more

My wife, son, and myself found this outfitters while traveling. We arrived and started looking around outside. Nobody came to assist us for about 10 minutes. My 8 year old son walked in the store about 30 feet away and an aging hippie came out. We thought he was going to help us when he said "are you the owner of the unattended child." We all looked at my son and he was just casually looking at one of the racks and he was using good manners. The attendant then left without offering to assist or without saying anything else. Very Rude people. I went down the road to the Sportsmans Warehouse. Although they are a chain store they were very friendly and to my surprise had an Old Town Predator MX 13 in urban camo that I purchased and can't wait to use. read more

I dealt with Jesse at River Runner and had a great experience. I'm really glad I dropped by the store instead of purchasing online. Jesse was a wealth of knowledge and experience and was very helpful in all of my shopping decisions. If you're interested in getting on the river, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not dropping by. I see an older review that says they focus on kayaks and only kayaks but from my experience, they've expanded to cover the outdoors as a whole with a focus on the water. That said, River Runner will be a first stop for my future kayaking needs. read more

My husband and I have been kayaking for about a year ,we started in Tennessee and dealt with about 3 different big name kayak stores ...at the time we were pleased with their services. We are originally from Charleston ,SC but we like river kayaking and not sea kayaking which are totally different . We met alot of fellow paddlers from Columbia at Nattahalla and so we come to Columbia to meet up and paddle the Saluda. We discovered River Runner and it is by far the best experience we have had with kayak shops; Friendly,very knowledgeable,great prices,great variety,and The Happy Paddler Guarantee!! I highly recommend!! read more

While shopping for kayaks, my wife and I went into River Runners and spent about 20 minutes in the store looking at several different brands of kayaks. In the entire time that we were in the store, not one sales person addressed us. On my second visit, I approached the shop manager directly and he mentioned the possibility of setting up a demo of several boats that I was interested in. I called him later that afternoon to schedule a demo and he stated that he would have to check with his guide but that he would call me back that afternoon. A week has gone by and no return phone call. I guess dropping several thousand on a few kayaks for my family is just chump change to them. I'll gladly go somewhere else even if it means traveling out of town read more

We decided to rent two paddleboards for the July 4th weekend at Lake Murray. I called and was quoted what I thought was a reasonable price and gave my debit card over the phone, and was assured that they were open until 6 for pick up. Upon checking my bank account the next day , I discovered that the charge run through was $ 50 more than originally quoted. I thought I would address that when returning the boards and it wouldn't be a problem . Boy was I wrong!!! upon returning the boards, I was informed in an extremely unfriendly bordering on rude manner that I was to be charged an additional days rental for "returning after 5" - which had never been mentioned previously- and also was charged $100 for superficial gelcoat scratches that they said were incurred during transport. So what I had planned on being a $120 weekend rental turned out to cost $320. Beware of these guys!!! read more