Happiness is...Reproofed Foul Weather Gear

My drover's cloak is hanging in a warm, dry place getting ready for the worst that Boston weather can throw at it later this week. It's been brutal up there, so I'm not taking any chances. I want a winter coat that covers my boots.

And actually sheds rain and snow.

When was the last time you reproofed your "waxed cotton" apparel? If you used actual wax the last time you did it, it's time to join us in the 21st century, where the new creams don't rub off on everything else in your closet.

The mighty Duck Back
from Outback Trading Company.
There are lots of reproofing formulas.
Just don't mix and match. 

I just learned that it takes two cans of Duck Back to cover a bone dry, full length oilskin coat. If yours is Drizabone or Barbour and you have a month or more to spare, consider using their corporate reproofing services. Your garment will come back with that desirably thin, even coating that only the professionals ever seem able to apply.

For the rest of us, there's Duck Back. Goes on easily and smells pleasant. Works like a charm. Just don't forget to hose down your coat in a wash stall beforehand (or rinse it by hand; I cheated and used the hand wash setting on my front loading machine). Let it dry fully and then warm it up with a hairdryer before applying the reproofing cream. Warm cotton fibers, like leather, really do absorb better.

Now get out there and rebuff all the wind, rain, driving snow and fashion critics you come across.

With any luck you'll start attracting photographers. Like this guy.

Shoulder Season

Chances are, you’re between trips. Time to tidy up your gear loft, log your equipment, send stuff out for repairs and restock.

I’ve gotten pretty disciplined about doing this after every trip. But stuff still falls through the cracks, so I make a point of making a thorough inventory twice a year.

This is the time to sweat the small stuff in your life of adventure. You don't want to go out again looking like this.

So here’s my list.



Health, Safety and Security


Quick-release key rings. Good ones. On every pack you use. You also want them in your briefcase or courier bag, and even in your travel luggage.

Do: Make sure they’re still there, and make sure the corresponding mechanism is still attached to all your vehicle keys.

Don’t: Use plastic, manufacturer’s-issue clips. They're lame.


PLB (personal locator beacon or SPOT). An electronic GPS-like device tied to a subscription service. 

Don’t: Head out again with outdated contact or profile information.

Do: Replace the battery (or at least buy a replacement battery and tape it to the device). Renew the membership. And update your profiles and contact numbers.


Electronic compass or chronometer/avalanche beacons.

Do: Replace the battery. For total piece of mind, calendar battery replacement every 3 months. 

Passport. 

Don’t: Put it away before checking the expiration date. You should not be issued an overseas air ticket or a visa on your next trip if your passport expires within six months. And if that safeguard fails, you will be denied entry at the foreign border.

Do: Renew your passport. Get a passport card, too.


Med kit.

Don’t: Head out again with expired prescription medications, particularly Epi and antibiotics. And don’t throw sharps in the trash.

Do: Thoroughly restock your med kit using a detailed checklist. It’s easy to miss stuff without one. Click here for my checklist. This is also a good time to adjust the contents to the needs of the new folks you’re now traveling with. Date your new checklist and keep it in the cupboard or cabinet with your first aid supplies.

Bin there.

Drybags and watertight containers (and air mattresses, while you’re at it).

Don’t: Assume that fabrics with laminated seals have survived air travel or descent from high altitude without blowing a seam. Happens a lot.

Do: Check for leaks. Submerge air-filled drysacks in a sink or tub full of water. Look for bubbles coming out of the pinhole leaks often caused by pine needles and sharp pebbles. 


Repair kit and toolkit. 

Do: Inspect and restock. Clean, sharpen and oil or grease all picks and knives for storage.


Lighting.

Do: Stash an ultralight Petzl E-lite (or similar) in every pack. Tape a replacement battery to the headlamp or lantern.


Ten essentials.

Do: Restock fire starter, individually wrapped matches (since you can’t fly with a lighter any more, you should ALWAYS carry matches as backup), whistle, bug repellent sunscreen, bivy sack, pepper spray, etc. Clean and disinfect all water containers, especially bladders.

Hardware 

Ropes.

Don’t: Forget to retire ropes that are done.

Do: Inspect, wash and dry your dirty ropes. Log falls. Confirm that there is no possible way any clean ropes in storage have been exposed to chemicals that can weaken them, compromising their safety. Always hang all ropes in a mountaineer’s coil. No exceptions.


Rack. 

Don’t: Forget to retire fallen gear or bad runners. Or to return other people’s gear. In person. Over a beer.

Do: Inspect and re-rack your gear, log every piece against a detailed checklist. Replace lost gear, upgrade if needed, and tape every piece for identification.

Junk it

Axes, tools and crampons.

Don’t: Let them rust.

Do: Inspect the crampons. Inspect the pick and the shaft on all tools, including the bolts if necessary. Oil the steel. Tape the hex tool to the climbing tool, or place it in your tool kit. Store in a cool, dry place.


Goggles and masks. 

Don’t: Forget to get new lenses if your prescription has changed. Shoulder season is the time for Lasix if you’re ready. 

Do: Inspect them for seal leaks and loose or weak straps. Replace scratched lenses.

Bad harness. Bad.

Harnesses.

Don’t: Forget to retire dodgy harnesses.

Do: Heed maker’s tag warnings. Inspect and clean all harnesses before storage. 






Other hard goods.

From canoes and kayaks to parapentes and balloons; from boards to regulators and technical packs; from backpacks to skis, poles and skins, from fishing rods and reels to firearms, flares and spearguns, all your hard goods need to be in working order.

Do: Check everything out carefully and thoroughly. Test all attachment points, buckles, fasteners, straps, welts, laminations, igniters, electrical systems, bolts and action. Clean all zippers and protect with silicon spray. Anything with a trigger, regulator or valves should go in for a professional check once a year. Make a log for this scheduled maintenance. Renew all permits. Disengage all firing or ignition systems and store fuel or ammo a safe distance from stoves or weapons.

Soft goods 

Don’t: Store wet or dirty tents, stoves, cookware, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, boots, helmets, gloves or clothes. Don’t ever store them under compression or airtight stuff sacks. Cotton stuff bags for down items are OK. Never store soft goods near food or chemicals, like bug spray, sunscreen or gas cylinders.

What a display! These are
ski skins, not neckties 

Do: Clean everything, laundering according to makers’ tags, and let it air-dry before storage. Check for delams, rips and tears, particularly baffle rips in sleeping bags; make repairs as needed. I’ve listed more resources for you here. Hang soft goods if at all possible. Make sure that all shelved items are safe from rodents and insects. Cedar closets and lavender sachets work well to ward off moths. Store items loosely, so air can circulate.

I've scoured Pinterest for great shots of World of Interiors-standard gear lofts. Looks like I'll have to start a board myself; maybe it will turn into a charity calendar! Send me your pics. In the meantime, your local guide service or climbing shop can be your inspiration for designing your gear loft. Here are my own tips. For soft goods, like jackets and sleeping bags, Set up a system for matching and storing attachments, like hoods, powder skirts, stuff sacks, gear lofts, cutlery, etc. I like to store mine in pockets. Another good way is in dedicated drawers.


Oh, and welcome home. Give that dog a big ole hug. Cuddle up to the one who loves you. And don’t blame me if she’s already nagging you to clean the gutters. As a great adventurer once said, "We go away so we can come back...."

Ahh... four walls.

Maxim No. 17

Adventure travel maxim no. 17: Don't forget the duct tape.

I know I've got enough when I've made a couple wraps around my water bottle. Which gives me one more good reason to bring along an actual water bottle (instead of just a bladder or an Aqua Pur).

There are like a zillion more reasons--like, who doesn't use theirs as a clothes dryer or a hot water bottle? But that's another story.

How to Fix Stuff that Gets Trashed

Plan on trashing your gear in the very near future? Who does?

We all wreck our stuff from time to time. Or else others do it for us.

And then there's the whole scheduled field maintenance thing. One day I'll actually calculate how many weeks out of seven months on the Appalachian Trail were spent "cleaning" and "repairing" my white gas-fueled MSR stove. It always felt like I was rebuilding the thing on a daily basis. I did less care and feeding for my newborn.

Now there's a hand to hold when field repairs get you down. The GearAid app for iPhone and Android.

It gives step-by-step care and repair instructions that don't suck. It even links to YouTube so you can attend GearHead University on the internet. And the app is incredibly intuitive and easy to use, at least on my iPhone, which is a bonus when you find yourself on the road, out of luck and not in the best of moods.

Heed Maxim No. 17: Don't Forget the Duct Tape. And don't leave home without a decent repair kit.

That doesn't mean you need to pack a separate suitcase. My travel kit always includes trusty ole SeamGrip, zipper repair tools, tweezers, mini scissors, eyeglass repair tools and spare parts, plus a ring-finger-size roll of duct tape, and it fits inside a sandwich-size Gladlock. My backcountry setup fits inside the smallest zippered pouch made by GearAid, the repair products division of Bellingham, Washington-based McNett.

I like the branded pouch because it's distinctive enough for kids to locate while you're standing in a gale beside your pitched tent, holding a snapped pole that got its compound fracture inside the fabric sleeve. If you let go of that pole to grab the repair kit, you'll return to a shredded tent.

So practice saying, "Go get the billy goat kit! And bring my phone!" calmly, like you're on top of it with grace under pressure. Repeat ten times. Make sure you charge your smartphone before every trip. Set it to Airplane mode. Bring backup power if you think you might trash your gear a few days hence. And then get out there!

Best Air Mattress

I’m getting a great night’s sleep now that I’ve switched to the DownMat UL by Exped.

The definition of a good night's sleep.

At 580 grams, it’s half a pound heavier than my Thermarest NeoAir. They pack down to about the same size. Compare the gain in insulation and decide for yourself if it’s worth it. The NeoAir has an R value of 2.5. The DownMat: 5.9. That’s twice as warm. 

And, as one Himalayan guide had promised me, the DownMat is by far the most comfortable sleeping pad I’ve ever tested. 

 The stuff sack doubles as the pump.

Never take the DownMat on a trip without a good repair kit. Like all air mattresses, it’s useless uninflated. But unlike most air mattresses, you can’t fill this up with the humid air from your lungs. You'll wet out the down.

So you need the roll-top yellow pump, which is quite cleverly designed, but if that gets a puncture, you’re s**t outta luck. If you've been doing the math, your odds of a puncture that will leave you sleeping on the bare ground have just doubled. Bring the repair kit! I'm thinking about buying a second pump bag as backup. It’s as light as any other stuff sack on the market. And the UL air pillow that inflates with the same pump takes up less space than my face towel. 

Who needs an air pillow? Who needs a down insulated sleeping pad? Isn't this all just over the top?

That’s what I was mumbling before I spent a month’s worth of freezing nights in Idyllwild during a cold snap. I was “luxuriously” bunked on a twin-bed size, 9-inch Kelty base camp mattress that leaked every night. It was cold as f***. I’d brought along my NeoAir for the peaks, and I froze my ass on that, too.

So fibers and feathers do make a difference. They block cold spots. They’re warmer and more comfortable than foam (whether closed cell or open cell). If you can stomach the ticket price, splurge on an Exped and don’t look back. The DownMat is filled with IDFL certified down that's humanely sourced.

Here's a great shot of Exped in use by the UK blogger Robin. I like his helpful gear reviews. And I'm often jealous of his camp sites in the Fells, Wales and Scotland.


Down or synthetic? 

I compared the DownMat UL to its synthetic counterpart on Cumberland Island, Georgia, not known for its dry climate. They were equally warm and equally comfortable on nights that dipped down to about 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

The SynMat, filled with fairly eco fibers, inflates a bit stiffer, and the fabric feels a bit warmer to the touch. Paddlers might not want to test what happens if too much damp air is repeatedly pumped into the DownMat. But for trekkers and climbers, the hefty weight and the burly size make the SynMat a purely base camp mattress. I’d never carry it on a multi-day trip.

Exped MegaMat: base camp heaven

Some day, though, I’ll want that twin bed back. Think I’ll try the MegaMat. By then, maybe they'll make a double. That's down filled. Ahhh. Zzzzzzz.

Repairs: tent poles

Tent poles. Sexy subject, eh? Well, yeah. They're not disposable items, you know.

Meaning if you're out there at dusk in a driving rain and you haven't got them, you're indisposed.

The best of them are made from aircraft-grade aluminum, with characteristics designed specifically for your tent. When sections get stuck, bent, snapped off or lost, or when the shock cord slackens and the sections no longer spring up together, you're outta luck. No pitching a tent with less than the full compliment of poles.

Replacing them can be tricky. You need somebody who knows the industry and can source rare poles, or even redesign and fabricate replacements if need be.

Older poles, like the fiberglass ones that pair with my Kelty winter tent, may be worth repairing if they have special features that replacement poles can't duplicate. The Kelty has golf-ball sized nobs at the base of every pole, making it the only tent I've ever really been able to pitch with gloves on.

These are the folks you want for tent pole repairs. Always courteous. They give you their full attention. Their service is prompt, unfussy and affordable. Most important, they understand shock cord, aluminum and fiberglass like nobody else.

TentPole Technologies of Vancouver, Washington