Through regular care and repairs, your outdoor gear will last longer and perform when you need it most.
All outdoor gear benefits from regular maintenance. Sooner or later, almost everything will also need to be repaired.
Sometimes equipment failure can affect the days ahead or, in the worst case, the outcome of an adventure. That is why it is worth preparing and addressing potential problems before you set out. Wash and reproof your shell clothing, wax and check your boots, and inspect the ends of your tent pole sections. Once you are out, give your gear a daily check and make adjustments as needed to keep everything functioning properly.
When you are out on an adventure, you have to repair things as best you can. If the repair does not hold, simply do it again. Remember: function before appearance!
If you are guiding a group and repairing someone else’s clothing, boots or other equipment, explain how you intend to make the repair. Also tell them what it will look like afterwards. Ask if they are okay with you making the repair.
Field Experience
Over the years, I have had to repair a lot of gear in the field. I have patched clothing, fixed boot soles, repaired broken tent poles and replaced backpack buckles that had cracked. I have also repaired the melted bottom of a backpack, replaced and serviced pumps and hoses on multi-fuel stoves, and cleaned nozzles on different stoves and brands. I have even sewn a sleeping bag zipper back together. And then there was the pulk, where several rivets had been pulled out and the shafts had snapped like spaghetti.
Repair Kit – Balancing Function and Weight
You cannot carry a universal miracle tool that will solve every problem. Your repair kit cannot take up too much space or add too much weight either. It is all about balance. You need to consider whether you are somewhere you can simply call it quits and head home, or whether you are in the middle of nowhere with several days to go before reaching the nearest road.
Repair Kit
The size and contents of your repair kit will naturally depend on a number of factors. Here are some of the items I usually carry or have found useful over the years.
On Foot – Three Seasons
- Gore-Tex repair patches
- Duct tape
- Needle and dental floss for sewing
- Steel wire (I carry two thicknesses, with a maximum of 1 m of each)
- 75–150 cm strap
- Multitool with good pliers and useful functions
- Heavy-duty cable ties
- A replacement waist-belt buckle, perhaps when having a larger group
- Buttons
- Safety pins
- 2 mm Dyneema (you can also repurpose guyline)
- Awl with an eye
- Gorilla Super Glue (for soles and other repairs)
- Silicone grease (for stove seals and O-rings)
- Stormsure Flexible Repair Adhesive 5 g (flexible repair adhesive/sealant)
- Nail (I have used one more than once to repair a pulk shaft)
- Tent pole section in the correct diameter, plus a repair sleeve
- Seam Grip + WP™ for PU-coated fabrics such as tent floors and footprints
- Seam Grip + SIL™ (formerly SilNet) for silicone-coated fabrics such as outer tents and tarps
- Some stoves require one or two specific tools to access the burner jet. Without these, it can be very difficult to service the burner if the jet becomes clogged, causing the stove to burn poorly or not at all. Some burner heads should also be loosened periodically to prevent them from corroding and becoming stuck.
On Skis in Winter
- Spare pole
- Spare basket
- Spare binding
- Outdoor adhesive (for bindings)
- Small hand drill (for bindings)
- Spare screws (for bindings)
- Spare pump for the stove
- Spare ski tip 😉
The best way to become successful is when you have no other option…