Maintenance

Have we ever talk about how much work is involved in maintaining our gears for backpacking?!? After every trips my garage is just full of gears hanging up to dry and be cleaned. I'm currently taking a small brew break from wiping my tent bottom down before I store it. It got dry dirt and little mud on it from the other day when I did the overnighter. Can't seem to find a better method other than detaching it from the rain fly and hang it then proceed to wipe down with a damp rag. I already stored my sleeping bag after letting it dry inside out for a day, already back flushed my water filter, cleaned my cookware, etc.

I told my dad when I get permanent place, I need a yard where I can build a storage building that half bike shop and half backpacking gears! Room to work on the bike and room to dry, clean, and store hiking/camping stuff. Some people like guns, cars, clothes, me? I like outdoor recreation equipments and taking care of them.

I see a store called ETSU Outfitters in your future. Welcome to the Dark Side, aka Gear Junkies.

I don't think that makes you a gear junkie necessarily; it makes you responsible for taking care of your stuff and making sure it will serve you well for years to come. If you can manage to hang on to what you've got for a long time without replacing it, that's kinda the opposite of a gear junkie, isn't it?

Yeah, technically, you're right: making gear last is the opposite. But, I was seizing on the "I like outdoor gear..." part, just because...well, it was Friday night, I was a little bored, and I just wanted to see if we could have a little fun.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

No problem - it wasn't that big a bubble.

I go both ways! I actually be higher junkie for mountain biking. I always want to ride new frames, new drivetrains, new brakes, etc., but it VERY EXPENSIVE! so I don't get to do it like I want. I rode a bike for couple hours last September that has a $1,000 drivetrain (front crank, rear cassette, shifter, derailleur) and it was flipping sweet. As you can imagine the pricey components I have to keep things in good shape and care to keep replacement part cost down. I have had my current bike for 4 years and this year was the most expensive year due to getting the shock rebuilt, upgraded the brakes, and had get new cassette and chain. I really want a new bike, and i'm working on saving account for it but life can have bigger priorities. lol

For hiking I seem to hang onto my gears until I see something that comparable and worth trying out. I.E. A side door tent that weighs same or less than my current that would be easier to set up, less volume in my pack, etc. Other wise I upgrade as needed. The only two upgrades I plan to make this year is titanium cookware and probably a new sleeping pad. I might get a new canister stove if some retailer put one on blowout price that I like (I been using my Esbit more lately as well). I'm still using same cookware, sleep pad, trek pole, that I acquired when I first started in 2010! All in great shape. I still have the tent but recently started using the Tarptent Moment from last year due to lighter weight and ease of access getting in and out.

In short, it's fun to try new things that could be better than what you got or have certain personal intangible that only works for you. It kind of like when you think you got the sweetest pack, but then some unexpected company has a better fitting backpack that only works for you-then you gotta have it! Until that time comes, you keep your current stuff in great shape, loan out to friends, sell or give away to newbies, etc. No sense in buying high dollar stuff and trash them, in my opinion.

I take care of everything I have like it cost a million dollars. This probably came from my time in the army, where an unserviceable piece of gear could mean anything from frostbite to death by chemical agents. I always told my troops that the duffel bag full of gear they had was the end product of thousands of years of men going off to war and finding out what they needed to stay alive long enough to get killed, so keep your %$*& clean & serviceable! LOL I still have GI sleeping bags and other gear that are over 15 years old, and I just recently sold my large ALICE pack that I'd had for at least 25 years. It had a couple small holes and a broken snap, but it had probably spent close to 2000 days out of my 12.5 years strapped to the top of tracked vehicles, being thrown in & out of trucks, getting covered with mud, etc. I'd replaced straps and frames, but the bag itself was still in maybe 85-90% condition overall. If whoever bought it takes care of it like I did, he'll have it for another 25 years.

I figure I work too hard for my money to not take care of what I buy. The longer I can keep a piece of gear that still does what it's supposed to, the more money I have to spend on other things or set aside.

Case in point, we just used some EMS 30 degree down bags that are 25 years old to spend New Years on a 5 degrees F mountain.
(Zipped together with a 15 degree 800 fill used inside as a quilt). They aren't anything special, and I doubt that they have better than 600 fill. However, they've been extremely useful, and proper care has made them have a long and productive life.
Same for a 35 year old T-rest pad CCF that has never leaked, despite hundreds of nights. We take care of gear when we get home from a trip, but more importantly for us, we take care of stuff on the trail. Extra precautions for keeping dirt/snow out of the tent, policing sharp objects, trying to pack stuff in a protective manner, and just having an attitude of taking care of gear so it takes care of you, really helps us keep the gear that works . Though we've shed many pounds off our backs with new purchases and I would love to spend thousands we don't have on newer gear, I still can't bring myself to jettison durable stuff sacks to save some ounces. Sil-nylon has replaced cordura, but they still get used.