How to Breathe New Life Into Old Gear: Fixing Backpacks, Boots, Bags and More

Posted by Mike Richard
Filed under: Gear, Sidelines

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Just because your gear looks tired, beat up, and like it’s been dragged half way around the world (probably because it has), doesn’t mean that it’s always time to put it out to pasture. I unearthed this eight year old guide by Dan Nelson over at Backpacker.com on what backpacking gear can be salvaged and what should be tossed.

Much of today’s gear is too expensive to toss and replace when something breaks, tears, or unravels. Fortunately, there are repair shops specializing in just about every type of outdoor equipment. To find one near you that can fix that broken tent, pack, boot, bag, or item of clothing. To determine whether your gear has suffered a catastrophic injury and needs replacement or whether the damage can be fixed easily, here’s a rundown on repairs that shops can and can’t fix.

Believe it or not, your local backpacking outlet (REI, EMS, et. al.) can often provide these services at a reasonable price. Why ditch a two, three, or five-hundred dollar piece of gear just because a buckle or strap is busted when it can likely be repaired for less than twenty bucks?

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Vagabondish editor, Mike Richard, lives in Rhode Island - a spit of land in the northeastern U.S. He is a professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, camping, hiking and seeing the world. He enjoys knit hats, small, declarative sentences and speaking in the third person.



Share Your Thoughts

Rene
October 23rd, 2007

I have had my favorite $200 North Face hiking boots resoled at Rocky Mountain Resole, and it was a deal compared to buying new ones.

Also, my MSR tent was patched for just $20 by the official MSR repairer in Maine.

Recycle everything!


Mike
October 24th, 2007

Here here, Rene!


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