Camping Equipment Maintenance Tips

Every time you return from a camping trip, your equipment necessitates at least some sort of maintenance. That, of course, if you want it to last for a longer period of time, and to be sure that on your next camping trip, it won't let you down. Therefore, here are some tips for the maintenance on your camping equipment.

Tents. Most tents are made from waterproof fabrics, but that doesn't mean water can't wear them out. Especially if you've been camping on rainy weather and your tent gets soaking wet, it's important to hang it up to dry, once you come home from your camping trip. Even if the water won't damage the pins or the other metal components of the tent, you may have the unpleasant surprise of not being able to sleep in it on your next trip, because it just reeks. So, you may even wash it up with a detergent before setting it up to dry, to make sure it won't stink. Verify if there aren't any holes in your tent which might have occured on your way back. Also, before folding up the tent, make sure that all the pins, lines, and other pieces are there, and none of them has been lost.

Sleeping bags. A sleeping bag must keep you warm and comfortable during any cold night. That's why its insulation fabric must be kept fluffy. So, after you have washed and dried the sleeping bags, don't fold them. Fluff them up, and find a place where you can stored being folded as less as possible. If you keep them compressed, the insulating fibres break down and the sleeping bag loses its overall warmth.

Clothing and boots. Needless to say, clothing must have an encounter with the washing machine after a camping trip. Boots must be cleaned up of the mud and dirt. Check if all the clothing has its buttons or its in good shape, without being ripped. Also, check the condition of the boots, see if the soles aren't loosened and the shoelesses are still in one piece. During a hiking trip, a boots malfunction can really become problematic.

First aid kit. Although this is quite an overlooked components, any camper or hiker should have one. A small cut can result in a nasty infection and ruin the whole trip. Plus, you may enrich your first aid kit with a bug spray or lotion, or refill the bandage, antiseptic or painkiller supply.

The last tip that I want to add here, although it's not about camping gear maintenance, it regards camping gear. If you need to resupply your camping equipment, it's always a good idea to pay a visit to an army surplus shop. The one I'm usually shopping at is here: ArmySurplusUK.org.uk