26
votes
Accepted
How to clean and refurbish a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife?
When mine gets too bad I use WD40 to free it up, then clean with soapy water and a brush. Mine also goes through the dishwasher sometimes, with the blades partially open. If it gets gummed up with ...
- 23.2k
15
votes
Accepted
Carrying crampons safely when not using them
Collapse them down, sandwich them with the points facing each inwards, and wrap the straps around them. You can then use a "real" crampon bag to hold them, or improvise. Some ideas for packaging ...
- 8,358
15
votes
How to clean and refurbish a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife?
The producer offers a page of care instructions on their website (here) (PDF). The gist is:
don't use a dishwasher, that might be too aggressive
open and close the blade multiple times in warm water
...
- 1,451
13
votes
Accepted
Rain soaked leather jacket- how to repair?
It is normal to a certain degree that wet leather, after drying, is a bit stiffer than before.
The effects will generally be worse
the longer your leather was in contact with water
if the water was ...
- 12.1k
12
votes
Accepted
Cleaning the plastic residue of the inside of my old backpack
It looks like the waterproof coating is flaking off. Try washing with a cloth and warm soap and water. I've had reasonable success with this method in the past.
- 5,922
11
votes
Accepted
How to fix a leak in Hydration pack?
Push the torn area up to the mouth and apply a bike tire patch to it from the inside (make sure it's dry). Then apply another patch from the outside. Where the two patches bond together will form a ...
- 424
11
votes
Accepted
Relation of ski edge sharpening to skiing ability and snow conditions
TL;DR
Don't do it. It is really easy to ruin a perfectly good pair of skis. A great way to handle ski maintenance is to wax your own skis, touch up the burrs with a fine grit diamond stone (400-grit ...
- 3,773
10
votes
Why is it unsafe to handle metallic equipment with bare hand at higher altitude?
The Problem with metallic equipment and cold temperatures is that your hands are moist, if you touch a very cold metallic surface (or any other smooth surface), your moisture will freeze to the ...
- 3,161
10
votes
When should I use spray-on versus wash-in waterproofer for treating DWR garments?
Contrary to what a lot of people are saying, the wash-in treatment won't block pores of multi-layer fabrics (unless it's really dirty).
The chemicals used are designed to break down particulates as ...
- 109
10
votes
Should one store a tent loose for prolonged periods between uses to maximize its lifetime?
Storing tents follows the same rules as storing anything basically, with a couple of important additions:
Keep away from sunlight. UV radiation will damage many materials after extended exposure, so ...
- 12.1k
10
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between a sac liner and a dry bag?
The soft dry bags aren't as good as the stiffer sort anyway. My traditional plasticised dry bag can handle long periods in the water if it's been rolled down properly, but my nylon ones eventually let ...
- 23.2k
10
votes
How to touch up scratches on a black anodized aluminum flashlight?
How to touch up scratches on a black anodized aluminum flashlight?
Try using black nail polish on your flashlight 🔦. But make sure it is a good quality nail polish and not something from the Dollar ...
- 9,534
9
votes
Is it ok for my climbing shoes/chalk bag to get wet?
In addition to @Liam's fine answer: The usability of both chalk and shoes will be severely limited while wet, e.g. friction is extremely reduced and you will slip. Chalk will lump.
Your shoes will be ...
- 1,451
8
votes
Accepted
Tent Fly Coloured Reflective Tape
I recommend reflective lines for at night, and standard flagging tape for during the day. Both are lightweight and the triptease line really jumps out at night when hit with a light.
- 32k
8
votes
How to prevent strap slippage through buckle?
The solution on my backpack/bike helmet is a rubber band/hair tie like cord around the straps just below the buckle. In order to readjust the buckle you have to loosen the elastic cord around the ...
- 68.9k
7
votes
Ice axe and crampon post winter cleaning/preparation
I am not exactly the guy who have been doing that year by year, but I have some thoughts about cleaning and packing the gear after a high altitude expedition. I think some of it can be applied to your ...
- 31.5k
7
votes
How to fix a leak in Hydration pack?
You could try something like Shoe Goo or similar. Just dab on a small amount to seal the hole and ensure it doesn't stick to the opposite side of the hydration pack internally be keeping the sides ...
- 5,922
7
votes
Accepted
Why is it unsafe to handle metallic equipment with bare hand at higher altitude?
The conductive property of the material is a critical part of this phenomenon.
It would be safe to handle many plastics at very low temperatures because energy from your hand (and the moisture on it) ...
- 186
7
votes
Footprint or no Footprint in a TNF Assault
Yes, if you are camping in rocks and snow, you will want a footprint. Since there don't appear to be any specifically made for this tent, I suggest making one out of Tyvek. It is readily available ...
- 32k
7
votes
Accepted
Impregnation and waxing full leather shoes
Full leather shoes are easy to take care of in a way: they'll perform exactly accordingly to how you treat them.
First off: if the shoes are new, don't to anything. They'll already be treated/...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Cleaning the plastic residue of the inside of my old backpack
Soap / water / kitchen brush (not wire for me) + 30 minutes of listening to good music and scrubbing.
- 71
7
votes
How to store a knife
Oil the knife, then leave it alone until you are prepping your outing. Oil doesn't evaporate, it dries. When it's dried, it has the same and perhaps even better protective properties than fresh oil. ...
- 4,654
7
votes
Accepted
Should wax for G-1000 be continuously applied?
I own a couple of different Fjällräven items (trousers, jacket, hat, duffel) and a number of my friends do as well. While my personal experience with the Greenland wax is limited, it is my ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Can or should you season titanium cookware?
Seasoning is done for two reasons,
To prevent rust/corrosion.
To prevent sticking.
While titanium can rust, in the process it creates a layer of titanium oxide which creates a protective layer that ...
- 68.9k
7
votes
How to prevent strap slippage through buckle?
If you've got the strap to the perfect length and want to maintain that length, you can sew a small fold in the strap, similar to what's used at the end to stop the whole strap running through. ...
- 23.2k
6
votes
How to use all the fuel in a bottle with a MSR Whisperlite Internationale?
Most things I can think of would stop it working even when full.
My one suggestion is, is the pump below the fuel line when on its side?
The fuel line is the white tube in the picture. If it is in ...
- 7,069
6
votes
Accepted
How to store a bow?
It all depends on the bow. I'll run through the three most common.
For a recurve.
Never left strung and detach the limbs. My personal superstition is make sure the top and bottom bolts always go in ...
- 3,175
6
votes
Cleaning the plastic residue of the inside of my old backpack
Just a suggestion, you could try putting a small amount of something abrasive (such as rock salt or perhaps gravel) into the bag, closing the bag securely with a zip tie on the zipper pulls & ...
- 1,658
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible