Custom software for Colorado outfitters and guide services
Bookings, guide schedules, waivers and gear in one place, so a full summer day on the river or the trail runs from one screen instead of five.
For owners of rafting, fishing, hunting, climbing and backcountry guide companies. You started the company to get people outside; the season should not be run from a whiteboard, a booking system and three spreadsheets.
Short answer. A custom app for an outfitter ties each booking to the people and gear that make the trip happen: which guides are qualified and free, which boats and rentals are out, who has signed a waiver, and the trip and use records your state license and land-use permits ask for. It works alongside FareHarbor or Peek.
Does your season run like this?
- Bookings live in one system, guide schedules in a spreadsheet, and the two never quite agree.
- Morning check-in is a clipboard, a stack of waivers and someone reading names aloud.
- You find out a guide’s first-aid card has lapsed when someone happens to look.
- Rental gear goes missing, and nobody knows which trip had it last.
- At the end of the season, someone spends evenings totaling trips and user days for permit reports.
What would the app do?
- A daily board of trips, guides, boats, vehicles and gear, built from your bookings
- Guide scheduling that knows each guide’s certifications, river or area qualifications and days off
- Check-in on a phone or tablet at the put-in or trailhead, with signed waivers matched to each guest
- Gear and rental tracking: what went out, on which trip, and what came back damaged
- Certification and first-aid expiry reminders, before the season starts and during it
- Trip logs and use totals by river section, permit area and month, ready for your reports
Why not just FareHarbor or Peek?
FareHarbor, Peek Pro and similar booking systems are good at selling trips online, and most outfitters should keep one. What they do not do well is the operation behind the booking: matching qualified guides to trips, tracking gear, and producing the records your state outfitter license and Forest Service or BLM permits ask for. A custom app can take bookings from them where they allow it, or from a daily export, and handle the rest.
Does it work where there is no signal?
It can. Put-ins, trailheads and hunting camps rarely have coverage, so the guide app can be built to keep working offline and send check-ins, trip logs and incident notes when it reconnects.
How much does it cost to start?
Discovery is $1,500, and most projects cost $8,000 to $80,000. You get a fixed price in writing before the build starts. A common first piece is the daily trip board with guide scheduling; check-in, gear and permit reports come next. See pricing, or get a rough range from the cost estimator.
Questions
Do we have to stop using our booking system?
No. Most outfitters keep their booking system for online sales, and the app works from its bookings.
Can guides use it on their own phones?
Yes. It runs in the browser on any iPhone or Android phone. An App Store and Google Play app costs extra.
Can it total guide trips and hours for payroll?
Yes. Trips, hours and trip-leader days can be totaled per guide and exported to your payroll or accounting software.
Do you work with outfitters outside Colorado Springs?
Yes. We meet in person in Colorado Springs and work by video with outfitters anywhere else.
What does it cost?
Discovery is $1,500, and most projects cost $8,000 to $80,000. You get a fixed price in writing before the build starts.