How to Extend the Life of Your Camping and Outdoor Adventure Gear
Outdoor adventure gear is often thrown into the garage or the back of a closet when you’re done using it, and it stays there, forgotten, until the next hike. It can take many months before you find that your tent is moldy or your inflatable raft is leaking. It’s not uncommon for items that show some wear and tear to be replaced rather than repaired, but this can get expensive quickly. Here are some ways to get more miles from your camping and other outdoor gear and save some money while you’re at it.
How to dry and store your camping and outdoor gear
The first step to saving your gear is prevention. How your outdoor gear is stored can make a difference in how long it lasts, so taking a little extra time to put it away with some care will save you a lot of hassle later on. One important thing to do is make sure you dry your tents, raincoat, ropes, and any other items that might get wet. Even if they seem dry, it’s a good idea to lay them out and let them dry a little after you get home.
Set up the tent in a cool, dry place overnight to make sure it is completely dry before packing it up. Raincoats and other raincoats should be hung up and ropes stretched out to dry. Once your gear is dry, instead of putting it in a compression bag or duffel bag, fold it up and put it in a large storage bag. Ropes should be loosely coiled and stored in a larger bag. This will help keep the fibers from wrinkling and kinking, which can later lead to weak spots where they will break.
How to fix rips in your gear
Finding a leak in your tent or raincoat when you’re home and dry is always better than finding it when you get wet unexpectedly on an adventure. Inspect the seams and check for holes or tears. Depending on the material of your tent, bag, or other gear, you can re-sew the seam with a needle and thread . If it’s rubber or a similar material, you can use glue to close the torn seam. For holes, use the patch kit .
How to restore the water resistance of your equipment
Another trick to extend the life of your gear is to waterproof it again. Despite the fact that the factory waterproofing will last quite a long time, it can collapse with use. You can use a spray waterproofing product for tents and other outdoor gear that is too big to fit in the washing machine. For small items like clothes, laundry detergent is best because it will last longer.
Remove batteries or use rechargeable devices
are a common source of equipment failure. It’s easy to forget to remove batteries from electronic devices, but over time this can lead to corrosion. Keep batteries separate from flashlights, flashlights, and headlamps and store them in a cool, dry place to prevent such damage. You can also invest in rechargeable LED lights and headlamps – these will have a much longer battery life and won’t have batteries that you have to remember to remove.
Keep these repair supplies handy
While some repairs will need to be done at home, it’s a good idea to have some basic repair supplies on hand while you’re out on your adventure. A sewing kit , patches , a zipper repair kit, and a tent repair kit are all small, inexpensive items that will help you keep your gear running (and warm and dry) on your next outdoor adventure.