| 229 | Spring Repair Day | 2010-05-17 |
Sunday afternoon was our Spring Repair Day. We have been doing a hike, run, ride, etc. each week; but this week was an exception. It was Repair Day, the day set aside to repair all that ails our outdoor gear and clothing.
Starting with footwear I checked all my primary shoes and boots. Rats, a pair of my old favorites had to be thrown away. That makes two pair this spring that have been tossed. The old shoes were just worn out. For the remaining ones, I cleaned and reapplied the waterproofing gunk. On a few I had to re-glue detached parts of the shoes uppers and replace laces. I also took the opportunity to spray odor eliminator in each pair, which made my wife very happy.
My clothing was in worse shape than my footwear. Patagonia used to make a pair of pants I loved. The original Talus pants were made from Schoeller fabric and were rather expensive; but you got what you paid for... it was a great fabric. The Talus pants (I have four pair of the original ones) are my mountain pants. The pants are now over ten years old. I have to spend several hours each year patching the holes and re-stitching their seams. I use Seam Grip to fix the holes. It can be a bit messy, but once dried the gaping holes will be closed.
With clothing, I had to wash a rain jacket to prepare to send it back to a manufacture for repairs. Somehow removing the jacket from the washer, I dropped it on the floor and had to re-wash the item. A bit of good news, while sorting, I found an old pair of wind/rain pants which have been lost for years. I had always assumed a friend of mine, Ray, had borrowed the pants but had not yet, returned them. I was surprised to find them.
Moving to gear, I inspected and recoiled the ropes. Then, inspected and retied the webbing used for slings. We had changed our crampon strategies for the year and I refitted them to the matching shoes.
With kitchen gear, I reorganized our kitchen kit, which is an action packer with all the car camping gear stored, ready to go. A couple of the stoves needed some minor attention.
My aging Leki poles needed more attention. After completely breaking them down, I thoroughly washed them. I hope to reassemble them today, and hopefully they will give me a few more years of service.
The tents and pads were all in good shape, but needed a little bit of reorganization. The sleeping bags are stored in the bedroom and are in great shape.
In general everything was returned to good working order. By purchasing good quality gear, you are investing in many years of use. The equipment and clothing will last, as long as you take care of it in the field and at home.
It was a good day. Lots of good memories attached to the equipment were re-kindled. And, it is comforting to know that the equipment is ready to be used.
Happy - clean, sorted, and repaired gear - trails.