Product Care & Repair

What is outdoor gear?

Outdoor gear is simply all the outdoor clothing and outdoor equipment products you use when you’re adventuring. Depending on your activity, this includes your jackets, pants, shirts, headwear, footwear and accessories, plus equipment such as packs and bags, sleeping bags and mats, tents and furniture, cooking equipment, electronics and navigation tools, and hydration gear.

How do I care for outdoor equipment?

Outdoor equipment care is essential for prolonging the life and maintaining the performance of your favourite outdoor gear. For any outdoor enthusiast, this starts with cleaning it. Regularly cleaning your equipment (removing dust, dirt, mud or any other foreign substances) helps to keep it performing correctly. More often than not all you’ll need is some warm water and mild detergent, a soft cloth and some elbow grease. Drying and storing your outdoor gear is also important, air drying will usually work best here. Make sure when you store your gear that it is fully dried; packing it away for a long period of time while damp will lead to mildew and unpleasant odours.

The same goes for outdoor clothing and footwear. Take note of the product care instructions that come with your gear and make sure you look after it. You can also use a variety of repair products if you damage your outdoor gear. Fixing it allows you to continue using it, and may get you a bit more use before you need to replace the item. Find these repair products in the Mountain Designs range, or for expert repair work, we recommend a specialist outdoor equipment repairer such as Remote Equipment Repairs.

How do I repair backpacking gear?

A backpacking trip can get rough and rugged, as packs and bags can be mishandled while in transit or when used as luggage. It’s always smart to have some replacement parts on hand (such as buckles, straps, rope and clips) as well as repair tape or repair patches. These can be used to fix the main issues that typically occur with packs and bags, like holes, punctures, rips and abrasions. If you have serious problems, getting your backpacking outdoor gear repaired by a specialist is advised. We recommend companies such as Remote Equipment Repairs.

What are the popular products for outdoor equipment repair?

The most common outdoor equipment products for care and repair include the following:

Cleaners – Fabric shampoos and conditioners, creams and waxes can be used to clean and enhance the look and performance of both clothing and outdoor equipment products. Often they help to minimise the effects of weather and outdoor environments.

Sealants/Adhesives – For mending seams or joints that have come apart, gluing down surfaces, or filling holes.

Repellents – Waterproofing treatments can be applied to the surface of clothing, footwear or equipment to provide water repellency. These often come in the form of a spray, wax or even cream.

Repair Patches/Repair Tape – These extremely strong yet flexible patches or tapes provide an airtight, waterproof cover for holes and punctures on most fabric types, including GORE-TEX®.

Replacement Parts – Such as buckles and clips.

One of the popular brands with many an outdoor enthusiast is Gear Aid, who offer a comprehensive range of these types of product care.

How do I build an outdoor gear repair kit?

An outdoor gear repair kit is an essential thing to pack on any adventure. Some brands offer product care kits with a pre-selected list of care and repair items. They may also offer specialised kits based on end use, such as hiking kits, a mountaineering repair kit, or a gear repair kit for backpacking. You can easily put together your own gear repair kit – choose things such cleaners, sealants and adhesives, repellents, repair patches and repair tape, as well as replacement parts and spares such as buckles, clips and tools. These product care products will cover most of the issues associated with outdoor gear wear and tear.