Overhaul Your Camping Gear While Its Winter

Overhaul Your Camping Gear While Its Winter
By David Harvey

Winter is a good time to reach for your camping gear and lay it out in the garage or on your living room rug. Why? To check it over and make sure its ready once the weather improves.

To make your camping equipment last as long as possible, and to improve your own comfort and safety when camping, you need to give it a service regularly, just like you do for your car.

Sleeping bags should be hung out in the sun and aired. Then examine them. If they need cleaning, follow the manufacturers instructions on the label. Most bags can be hand-washed, very gently. Some need to be dry-cleaned. Be careful of fumes from the dry cleaning process, they will kill you if you sleep in a freshly dry-cleaned bag. So hang it out on a line for a day to air thoroughly. Then you can pack it away for later use.

Your sleeping bags should also be checked over for faulty zippers or tears in the fabric. Small tears can be repaired with a needle and thread.

If the bags zip is jammed, you may be able to free it by gently pushing or pulling. And if it moves a little roughly, just get an ordinary white household candle and rub the wax on the teeth of the zipper to lubricate it. Then grab the zip and carefully zip it closed and open a few times to be sure it is working smoothly.

If a zipper is broken, replacing it will be expensive and can probably only be done at the factory that made the bag. It is worth while if the sleeping bag cost you several hundred dollars, but otherwise, it might be time to throw the sleep sack out or use it as a throw-over quilt for visitors who sleep over if they arent too fussy, that is. You could always give it to the dog, couldnt you? It wont complain.

Your camping tent also needs to be taken out of the bag and checked over for rips and tears. If you do sew on a patch, remember the needle is making small holes that water can get through. So apply a sealant (bought from the camping store) to waterproof the area, or make do by rubbing with a wax candle. Thats much cheaper and works fine, too.

Double-check the tent for any sign of mold or mildew, as these organisms will slowly try to digest the fabric, and the enzymes they secrete will weaken it badly. You can use a nail brush or an old toothbrush and a little diluted bleach to scrub away mold, but it will probably bleach the tent too. The best thing is to look after the tent properly in the first place, and never, ever, store it away when its wet. If you have to break camp in the rain, you should open up the tent at home and dry it out thoroughly.

Check your tent pegs and guy lines (the ropes that keep it anchored and steady the tent). Count them and make sure any missing pegs or ropes are replaced now, before you repack the camp tent.

Youll also want to go over the items in your camp kitchen. Make sure the pans and kettles are clean and rust-free. Cast-iron cookware should have a thin layer of protective grease anyhow. It gets baked on while cooking, so dont wash them with detergent or youll have to season the pans again. This is especially applicable to Dutch Ovens.

Check your camping stove for damage, and make sure the fuel bottles are refilled before you need them. If you need to take spare parts for the stove (such as pricking needles for a pump operated kerosene or dual fuel cooker) make sure theyre in the tool kit. Dont forget a box of matches and / or a little gas cigarette lighter to start the cookers or as fire with, and never forget the can opener. A small first-aid kit, including band aids, insect repellant and headache tablets is a must as well. Most small wounds just need washing in soap and water, but a tube of antiseptic cream is still a good idea, too.

If you have battery-operated appliances in your camping kit such as flashlights or battery lanterns, even portable radios, take out the dry cell batteries so they dont leak as they run down and destroy the equipment.

Lastly check your camping and outdoors clothing to be sure it is serviceable. Cleaned, mended and packed away ready for next use. That way your camping gear wont let you down, and youll get maximum enjoyment on your next camping trip.

David Harvey has enjoyed recreational camping for more than 40 years, sleeping alone or with friends in tents large and small, summer and winter. He has been both a Boy Scout and a Scout Leader, and still makes use of his camping gear whenever he needs a break from his Internet Publishing pursuits. David is a the publisher of several web sites, including http://www.1campingtent.com

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