Sleeping Bag Care Between Trips

Sleeping Bag Care Between Trips

Being an Outdoor Guide means that everyone asks you how to fix their stuff. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use!

Spot Cleaning

Any time you wash a sleeping bag, you subject it to wear and tear and decrease the loft a little. Spot cleaning the shell with a paste of laundry detergent, water and a toothbrush is advised before washing the whole thing.

Focus on the hood and collar where hair and skin oils tend to accumulate. By holding the shell or liner fabric away from the insulation, you can wash and rinse the area without getting the inside wet.

Washing

If your bag is losing loft, is darkened with grime and basically no longer inhabitable, then by all means give it a full washing.

Tip: Dry cleaning is not appropriate for sleeping bags, especially down. Solvents used in dry cleaning can strip the natural oils from down that help it retain loft. Solvents are also very difficult to remove from synthetic insulation.

If you decide to wash your bag yourself, use a gentle, non-detergent soap that is made for washing down- and synthetic-filled items.

• Down: For down bags, hand-washing in a bathtub works best. Fill the tub with warm water and add one of the above-recommended cleaners. Put the bag in and gently work in the soap, then allow it to soak for 15 minutes. Drain the tub and press out any remaining water. In a cold-water rinse, work the soap out gently, let the bag sit for 15 minutes and drain. Press out any remaining water. Repeat the rinse until all the soap is out. It's also possible, (according to some bag manufacturers) to machine wash a down bag, as long as a front-loading washer is used. Never use an agitator-style machine as the motion can damage the stitching and insulation. Make sure to wash on the gentle cycle in cool water with one of the aforementioned down soaps.
• Synthetics: Synthetic bags can be washed in the same way. Hand-wash in a bathtub, or use a large, front-loading washer with no agitator. Use cool water and mild soap. Rinse several times to make sure all the soap is removed. An extra spin cycle or an extractor may be used to remove excess water.

Drying

Air drying is the safest way to dry your bag, but obviously the longest. If you tumble dry your bag, use very low heat or a no-heat setting and keep an eye on it. Dryers have varying heat outputs, so you need to check periodically to make sure the shell and insulation aren't overheating, which can actually lead to melting. Add a couple of clean tennis balls when the bag is nearly dry. This will help break up any clumps of insulation and help restore the loft.

Storage

How you store your bag affects its lifespan. When you arrive home from a trip, first air out the bag inside-out to make sure it's dry. Then store loosely in a large cotton storage sack—often included when you purchase a sleeping bag, but also available separately.

Do not store your bag compressed in its stuff sack as this will eventually damage the fill. Watertight storage bags are also a bad idea. Condensation can build up inside and result in mildew.

Other Sleeping Bag Tips

Restoring DWR

The original DWR (durable water repellent) finish on a sleeping bag's shell eventually wears off. You can restore water repellency and help keep the bag cleaner if you reapply this finish. There are several products available to restore the DWR to your sleeping bag shell fabric.

Leaking Down

Many, but not all, goose-down bags feature "down-proof" liners and shells made of very tightly woven fabric which prevent the down from escaping. If a few feathers make it through the shell or liner of your bag, don't become too concerned. This is normal, especially along the seams. The sharp quills of the feathers may poke through, especially when the bag is new and the down hasn't totally settled. Work the feathers gently back inside, pulling from the opposite side; the holes should be minimal and close back up.

Fabric Tears

For small holes or tears in the sleeping bag shell, a patch of nylon repair tape will do the trick until you get home.

Article and others like it found at REI.com

Sleeping Bag Care On the Trail

Being an Outdoor Guide means that everyone asks you how to fix their stuff. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use!

Keep your sleeping bag clean and dry. Accumulated body oils, sweat and dirt can rob your sleeping bag of its insulating power. Tips:

• Sleep in clean clothes. Best is long underwear, socks and a hat. If it's warm out, wear clean cotton clothes to bed. Just don't fall into bed in the same clothes you hiked in. You'll drag dirt into the bag with you, and you're likely to sleep colder because of accumulated perspiration.
• Avoiding sleeping in the clothes you cooked and ate in—especially if you're in bear country.
• Consider using a sleeping bag liner. Liners weigh little and keep your bag clean. Plus, they add about 5° F to 15° F to your bag's temperature rating. At the end of each trip, wash the liner and you're good to go again.
• Air out your sleeping bag daily. Even if you have to wait till midday to do so, turn it inside-out to dry out any moisture. Don't leave a bag in direct sunlight for very long, as UV light slowly degrades the fabric. But if your bag gets really wet, it may be necessary to air it out for several hours.

Tips for using a stuff sack:

• Use a larger stuff sack to make stuffing easier. You can still pack around the stuff sack inside your backpack.
• Compression stuff sacks save space in your pack; just avoid compressing your bag for an extended period as it will reduce the bag's loft.
• For easier stuffing, start with the foot first and the zipper at least partially closed. Push the bag firmly into the bottom of the stuff sack and stuff evenly as you go up. This also puts even stress on the stitching.
• Wet weather? Line a nylon stuff sack with a plastic garbage bag and then stuff the sleeping bag in it. Or use a waterproof stuff sack.

Article and others like it found at REI.com

Tent Care at Home

Tent Care at Home

Being an Outdoor Guide means that everyone asks you how to fix their stuff. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use!

Tip #1: Got a new tent? Set it up at home first before going to a campground or into the backcountry. This lets you become acquainted with its assembly process in a no-pressure setting and confirms that you have all of your tent's stakes, guylines and accessories.

Tip #2: When you store a tent, make sure it is dry. No tent-care rule is more important. Wet tents, or even damp ones, invite mildew. After a trip, unpack your tent and inspect it carefully. If you detect even a trace of moisture, set it up in a shady spot (a garage, for instance) and let it air dry. If you have the space, store it loosely outside of its stuff sack. Avoid storing a tent in damp basements or hot attics.

Tip #3: To clean a tent, use a non-abrasive sponge, cold water and a non-detergent soap. Gently scrub soiled areas by hand. Avoid household cleaners such as dishwashing liquid, bleach, spot removers or laundry presoaking products. (Why? Virtually all household soaps are perfumed and will attract bugs, mice and other critters. These soaps also mask a tent's durable water repellent [DWR] coating.) Rinse thoroughly, then set it up in a shady spot and let it air dry completely.

Tip #4: Do not machine-wash a tent. If placed in a traditional top-loading washing machine, the back-and-forth churning of a washer's central-axis agitator could snag the tent and overstretch it or even pull apart its seams. In a front loader, repeated tossing and tumbling can wear off waterproof coatings. Machine-drying a tent is never an option; too much heat could cause the material to distort or melt.

Seams and Waterproofing

The floors and rainflys of nearly every tent come with factory-sealed seams. Seam tape is used to plug the tiny holes created by sewing needles when fabric sections are stitched together. One exception: ultralight tents that use silicone-treated nylon rainflys. Why? Seam tape does not bond to silicone.

Considerations:

• Any tent that is not factory-sealed must be sealed manually using seam sealer, a liquid or glue-like product with a built-in applicator. Follow directions on the product. Seal seams at home prior to camping in the tent. Typically, seam sealer should be applied to the coated (shiny) side of the floor or rainfly. Seam sealer can also be used to plug seam leaks on a heavily used tent.
• Well-worn tents (and single-wall tents) may also need to have the waterproof coating of their floors or rainflys rejuvenated. The latter becomes apparent when you notice your tent rainfly or walls increasingly sagging due to rain or dew. Wash-in or spray-on products used to revive waterproof/breathable outerwear can be used for tents, too.

Removing Mildew

Mildew can develop any time your tent is stored wet. It looks bad, smells bad and can damage your tent's waterproof coatings. Don't let it start.

Alas, if it already exists, here's what to do:

• Try some light scrubbing with a sponge.
• If mildew is still apparent, mix 1 oz. of MiraZyme® (or similar product) to 20 gallons of water in a bathtub and dip the whole tent. (Note: Lysol® also works, but its scent is attractive to bugs and critters and is thus not recommended).
• For spot treatment, use 0.5 oz. of MiraZyme (or similar product) per 1 gallon of water and thoroughly scrub afflicted areas by sponge.
• Set up the tent in a shaded spot and allow it to air dry.
• Then, mix 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of concentrated lemon juice with 1 gallon of hot water. Rub solution into the visible mildew and, again, allow the tent to dry.

This procedure will stop mildew growth and eliminate the odor (including food odors), but it will never remove the stain.

Article and others like it found at REI.com

Tent Care in the Field

Tent Care in the Field

Being an Outdoor Guide means that everyone asks you how to fix their stuff. Here are some tips and tricks that you can use!

Tip #1: When selecting a setup spot, look for an established campsite with a smooth, level surface with no vegetation. Clear away tiny debris (pine cones, twigs, small rocks) that could jab you in the back or poke a hole your tent floor. Avoid disturbing a site any more than that. As prescribed by Leave No Trace principles: "Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary." Also from LNT: "Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent."

Tip #2: Use a footprint. This is a custom-cut ground cloth designed specifically for the floor plan of your tent. Footprints protect your tent floor from abrasion; in the morning they provide a clean surface where you can fold up your tent.

A footprint also discourages rain water from collecting under the tent floor. This commonly occurs when using a generic ground cloth that extends beyond the tent’s perimeter. If using a generic ground cloth, tuck any excess material under the tent floor.

Other tips:

• Avoid sleeping atop any uneven surfaces. Low spots can collect runoff.
• Stake your tent tautly and use guy-lines to keep the rainfly taut.

Other wetness may be the result of condensation. This occurs when the ground and footprint are cold, and the tent floor is slightly warmer. You can't prevent this, so just be sure to dry out wet items before long-term storage.

Tip #3: When you climb inside your tent, leave boots or camp footwear (and all the debris clinging to them) outside or in the vestibule.

Tip #4: The sun's ultraviolet rays cause nylon to degrade. If your campsite offers little or no shade during the day, cover your tent with its rainfly. The rainfly's urethane coating helps it hold up better under the sun's glare.

Tip #5: If your tent is a freestanding model, pick it up and shake out debris in the morning before you pack it away. Pick up any trash that falls out and pack it out.

Tip #6: If you forget your stakes, lose them or the ground is too hard to permit staking, dig out some cord, collect a few melon-size rocks and follow these steps:

1. Tie lengths of cord (or fishing line, even dental floss) around 4 rocks and attach 1 cord/rock combo to the exterior webbing at each tent corner.
2. Push the rocks away from the tent until the tent is as taut and stable as you can make it.
3. Leave about 1 foot of cord between the rock and the webbing. Then place a second rock (and a third and fourth, if needed) atop the cord. The additional rock (or rocks) pushes the cord to ground level and adds weight and friction for security.
4. No cord? Find some smooth rocks and gently place them atop each tent corner. If the rocks are super-smooth, you could consider placing them inside the tent to anchor the corners. The possibility of abrasion, however, makes this a risky move.

Tip #7: With shockcorded poles, resist the urge to whip them around to cause the sections to "snap" together. It's fun, yes, but all that snapping could chip the section fittings and weaken the poles. It's better to fit the sections together one at a time by hand.

Tip #8: When disassembling a tent, first separate a shockcorded pole in the middle rather than starting at the end of the pole. This eases tension on the entire cord while it is stored.

Tip #9: What if a tent pole breaks? Most tent manufacturers include a pole repair sleeve that can straddle a damaged pole section and act as a splint. The diameter of a pole sleeve is slightly larger than your tent pole, so it can slip over a bent or broken section pretty easily. If tape is available, it's good to secure the sleeve by wrapping a few strips around both ends.

Tip #10: When packing a tent, avoid folding the tent or rainfly fabric on the same crease lines time after time. Over the years those creases could become permanent and grow brittle. Fold a tent in different places each time you pack it up.

Article and others like it found at REI.com