40page

38 BACKPACKER 03.2014 Skills: Hikers’ Handbook Basecamp Roasted Wet boots? A campfire can crack leather and melt rubber. Remove insoles and add a hot water bottle, or hang th em upside down. FIX AND MAINTAIN GEAR 3 Make your boots last 1 Save your zippers 2 Wash your sleeping bag 4 Defunk your hydration bladder. Midnight yanking on the sleeping bag and tent door (who hasn’t done that?), overstuffi ng a pack (ditto), and accumulated dirt and grime all can cause snags and damaged teeth. Keep zippers clean: At home, use water and a toothbrush, or a vacuum cleaner. For prob- lem zippers, apply Gear Aid Zip Care ($5; mcnett.com), a lubricant and cleaner in one. A drip of candle wax works in a pinch. Zippers have either coils or teeth, and they can both get damaged. Straighten bent coils with a knife or needle. For a misaligned tooth, gently pinch it with needle-nose pli- ers (if it breaks off, you’ll need to replace the zipper) and it should return to its place. Damaged (loose, worn) sliders stop weaving the zipper coils together. They can often be fi xed by pinching with pliers. Squeeze evenly on both sides (shown, right), and check the fi t often so you don’t over tighten. Broken sliders can be tricky to fi x, depending on the type of zipper. Separating zippers (they come apart at the bottom, like on jackets) are easier than non-separating zippers (like on tents and backpacks). Separating: Use wire cutters to crack off the “stop” at the end of the zipper track. Remove the old slider (it’ll slide right off), replace with a new one, and use needle-nose pliers to crimp a new stop in place (fi nd cheap zipper parts at sewing stores). Non-separating: Pry or cut off the broken slider, then install a new one using a screw-on FixnZip slider (fi xnzip.com). No toe cap o n your boots? Boost protection by building a cheap and easy one out of strong, clear polyurethane. Clean the rand; wipe it down with rubbing alcohol; let dry. Sand the leather on the toe with extra-fi ne sandpaper. Apply masking tape across the front of the boot to sec- tion off the area for the cap. Buff the sanded area twice with a rag dipped in rubbing alcohol, air-drying in between. Paint the toe surface com- pletely with Gear Aid Freesole ($7; mcnett.com). Remove the tape after 45 minutes; let dry overnight. Prevent dirt and body oils from diminishing loft. Before tossing it in a front-loading washer (it’s worth the trip to a Laundromat), turn the bag inside out to allow the water and soap to fl ow freely through the insulation. Zip it up and fasten any Velcro closures. Wash in warm water on the delicate cycle. Use a synthetic- or down- specifi c cleaning product (about $10 each) from Nikwax (nikwax-usa.com) or ReviveX by Gear Aid (mcnett.com). Run it through an additional rinse cycle, and dry on low heat (with a couple tennis balls) through several cycles. At home, unzip the bag and let it air dry overnight. Fill with clean water, add a half teaspoon of bleach per liter. After an hour, drain, rinse, and prop open to air dry. (Note: Remove any bleach taste by repeating the wash cycle with a tablespoon of baking soda.) Store in the freezer to prevent mildew from growing. Clean gunky hoses with a gun barrel brush.