Gear Repair and Maintenance

You can’t use a water filter or water purifier when temperatures dip below freezing without risking the integrity of the filter element. Filters and purifiers can be expensive to replace, so it pays to take a few simple steps before you store them so they’re fully functional and ready to …

I like wearing fleece gloves for winter hiking because they’re inexpensive, they are warm, and quite breathable. The problem is that snow tends to stick to them and they wet out when the warmth from my hands melts it. While I am very careful to brush off any snow that …

If you use a Camelbak Hydration Reservoir you’re going to want to keep it, its hose , and bite valve clean. If you just drink water, you can store it empty in the freezer or dry it out after each use and nothing bad will grow in it. But if …

I wear a pair of Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters in winter to keep snow out of my mountaineering boots and to provide some protection for my legs against self-inflected crampon strikes. I’ve owned a pair for going on 4 years and they are in rough shape, but rather than replace …

Gear Aid’s Outdoor Sewing Kit is a great hiking and backpacking sewing kit if you already know how to sew. While it includes an “Expert Repair Guide”, McNett’s claim that “anybody is going to be able to make a sewing repair even if you’ve never picked up a needle” is …

I have torn holes in the side pockets of many backpacks, enough that I now ding manufacturers in product reviews that include them on backpacks because they’re not durable enough. External mesh pockets are nice to have, but the only “safe” place to put them so they don’t get ripped up …

Whenever you get back from a hiking and backpacking trip, it’s important to hang up your tent, backpack, footprint and other gear and let it dry off so that mildew doesn’t form on it. But mildew can also grow on gear that is stored in a damp place like your …

Backpacking and hiking gear has a nasty habit of failing when you least expect it or you need it the most – in the dark, when it’s pouring rain, or in the middle of nowhere. Knock on wood, I’ve never been stranded by gear failure, but it can be damn …

Describe a piece of hiking gear or hiking clothing that you damaged, destroyed or wore out this year, including what it was, the circumstances leading to its demise, whether you plan to repair or replace it, and if the latter with what. Here are a few examples: Damaged: I tore …

Do you remember the orange tag that was attached to your eVent jacket when you bought it? The one that said, Please Wash Me Often. It sounded like a good idea then, but I never seemed to get around to it.  That finally changed this week. My jacket was noticeably …