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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 sugary stuff (your candy, or cutting up fruit) a good soak in hot water will free up the blades.
After cleaning it is a good time to sharpen it. If the hinges ...
15
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 them include:
Cut the top off a 2 liter soda bottle (use two bottles for full containment).
Make or buy a heavy (e.g. 500D) cordura nylon bag.
Cut off an old ...
15
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
dry thoroughly
put some oil on the friction points (where the blades rotate), open and close multiple times
@chris-h's answer is also spot on. I, too, use a ...
14
You do not need a tarp in addition to the rainfly of your tent (that's what the rainfly is for).
While it's always nicer to pack up a dry tent instead of a wet one, as long as you air dry the tent when you get home you'll have no problems with damaging the rainfly. If you do not dry your tent at home, it will mildew and smell really, really bad.
I ...
13
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 hot/warm
the faster the leather dries (so don't dry over a heater!)
Normally the stiffness should go away soon if the items are worn/used: after a short while ...
12
After considering the existing answers and doing some additional research, here's my take:
Spray-on waterproofing
Spray on waterproofing should be used on Multi layer garments. You only want to treat the outer layer which reduces the chance that it will be 'wetting out' quickly, which allows the inner membrane to maintain it's porous properties. I've ...
11
You definitely need to be concerned if you are using waxless XC skis with fish scales under foot. Skiing over hard dead sticks can break off the edges of these scales (or wear them down over time) making them less effective on climbs.
For smooth bottom skis, pine needles, roots, etc will likely do nothing more than scrape the wax off your skis (which if ...
11
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 plug that should stand up better to water than a single patch.
11
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.
10
Slightly different take here: prevention
You should regularly inspect the pack
The joining of straps to seams. Can you see stitching? Can the strap move independently of the seam (even a little)? This is easy to reinforce. I turn it inside out, add a piece of fabric over the inside seam, and stitch just a bit past the original (note this can only ...
10
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 surface which causes the top layer of your skin to get stuck on the surface.
For Example: it's freezing cold outside and you put your tongue (which is very moist, ...
10
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 or so), and let a professional ski shop handle your edges a couple times per season. This would be analogous to doing your own oil changes on a car, but letting ...
10
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 keep you tent away from direct sun light when you store it for months. Obviously short term (weeks) exposure isn't a problem, as that's what tents are made for.....
10
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 a little moisture in if squashed around in water. I think the roll seal isn't as good if they're too flexible, especially if you also attach it by the loop ...
10
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 Store. People have used nail polish to remove scratches on cars for many years now.
Some people may only know nail polish as something women put on their ...
9
Guidance that came with my extreme sleeping bags was to randomly stuff, as @Russell commented, trying to use a different pattern each time, and to hang it over a line and give it a good beating when you return home.
The small bags they came with seem fine - and they have lasted 10 years+ so far.
9
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 completely fine when dried. They get all the time at least a little moist from sweat, they are designed to withstand that.
With chalk, it will depend on the ...
8
I've always either used 3-in-1 oil or the gun oil, the kind used for cleaning and caring for firearms. These both have always worked fine for me for years and years of use.
Usually I just wipe a small coating of the oil on with a shop rag before leaving it for a while. Make sure it's clean and dry before applying the oil.
EDIT: AFAIK the type of oil or ...
8
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.
7
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 at most home supply stores here in the states (not sure on your location).
Making the Tyvek match your tent dimensions perfectly is a touch of work. You'll ...
7
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) isn't readily conducted away, and the energy that is, takes a while to dissipate into the rest of the material so the point of contact retains the transferred ...
7
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 separated until the Shoe Goo has dried.
I repaired a small hole in a waterproof Ortlieb bag quite a few years ago and it is still holding up as a repair.
7
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 scenario.
I would first soap-wash (if recommended) the gear so that there is no dirt. Dirt, deposited and remained there over the longer period time can cause ...
7
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/impregnated and ready to use (apart from breaking them in). You'll likely not gain anything by applying additional impregnation.
Treatments I have experience with:
...
7
Soap / water / kitchen brush (not wire for me) + 30 minutes of listening to good music and scrubbing.
7
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. It just makes you feel better to see the shiny fresh oil, but unless you wiped it away, it's still there and has dried.
When you are prepping for your outing, ...
6
After some googling I found a very nice guide to axe maintenance here: http://woodtrekker.blogspot.nl/2011/04/beginners-guide-to-basic-axe-care-and.html
The head of the axe is the easier part to protect. As with all carbon
steel objects, the enemy here is moisture. If the head gets wet, it
will start to rust. All that is required to protect it is to ...
6
I don't take a tarp to protect my tent, I take it to create another dry area outside - typically for cooking and eating. It can also create shade for cooking, eating, and just lounging around. (On a rainy day I'll lounge around in the tent if anywhere, but on a nice day there are lots of options.)
Packing a wet tent won't damage it, but if your tent bag is ...
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