What companies go you guys recommend buying safety gear from (throw bags, helmets, life-vests, etc...)

Drazzle,
Most any real whitewater store will have a decent selection of stuff. What specifically are you looking to buy, and are you looking for info on which brands to look at or on which store to buy from?
Cheers, Eric Nies

Take a whitewater safety class.

As for equipment, basic is a throwbag. Spectra is better than Poly. AW has the best price on Spectra throwbags that I have found.

Walbridge and Sundmacher's "Whitewater Rescue Manual" ($17.95) is a good overview of supplies, techniques, and it has an appendix of current "resources".

Good luck.

Yep . . . check out the AW Store at [www.americanwhitewater.org]

Astral has a great rescue PFD, I have a Lotus, when I looked on the website they didn't seem to be much available from Lotus. What is up with that?
Spectra ropes are better.
All carabiners need to be locking.
prusiks don't have to be very long to work in the river enviroment, most I see are longer than need be.
Take an ACA SWR, you wlll see all the gear in action.

Lotus designs was bought by patigonia and it would seem phased out. I was bumed for a while untill discoverd astral.

Stuber
keepin it wet synce 92