Saving weight by saving money - looking after your gear.

"I'm a tightwad!"

There, I said it. Actually, I'm not a miser, a hoarder, nor a poor friend - it's just that I'm a great believer in "a penny saved is a penny earned", and I always reckon - why waste money repeating purchases when I'd rather get new, quality items - new backpacking equipment, better household appliances, more interesting holidays, and so on. Money I save by making gear last longer, or by repairing rather than updating, is money I can put towards an expensive tent, sleeping bag, camera - or air-fare to a great expedition site.

If a sleeping bag costs $400, and you get 100 nights use out of it, it's cost is $4/night. If I can get 200 nights out of it, I'm down to $2/night, and over the longer period, I've saved the equivalent of $200, to spend on other items. So here are a few thoughts on looking after gear to make it last longer, and to decrease your usage cost - the amount it costs you per day/night of use you get out of an item. 

Sleeping bags. Take great care of them in the field - especially be careful of snags and tears of the material, allowing down to escape. Be gentle with zippers - repairs cost big! Keep clean - always use an inner sheet - I figure every time a (down) sleeping bag is washed, you lose 1 to 2 degrees of warmth, so the less often I wash bags the longer the useful life. Don't dry clean down! I actually air dry the bag (in open shade) for 12 hours or so after every trip, with the zipper open wide to let air in and smells/moisture out. 

Always store your bag dry, and always in a storage bag - a big cotton or breathable nylon bag that allows the down to be uncompressed - some people use a big pillow slip, but a bigger bag is even better.

Air mats. For a number of years now, I have used air mats, having evolved from the thinner "self inflating" mats on which I rarely slept "well". In contrast, some nights on the thicker mats (currently a Big Agnes insulated air core) I sleep as well as in my own bed at home - they really are great for comfort, and fine for warmth for all but snow camping.

The problem with air mats is that, unlike "self inflaters", which use the expansion of the insulating foam within the mat to draw air in, air mats need to be manually inflated - usually by mouth - like blowing up a balloon. This is fine with me - the increased comfort is more than worth the 2 minutes effort - but it does introduce a small amount of moisture to the interior of the mat, which probably does not come back out with deflation. This, in turn, could lead to deterioration of the materials within the mat - especially a breakdown of the air-tight lining - which could lead to leaks, and eventual failure. I've already thrown away three previous air mats, probably after, say 50 nights use over two or so years - and, being a tightwad I don't like it. (They were a different brand, and I suspect their design and materials were the real cause). Here's my solution:

When you inflate the mat, because you're introducing water vapour from your lungs at around body temperature (over 35 degrees C), most of it probably condenses immediately on the inside walls of the mat, which are at ambient temperature (say, 30 degrees C, or lower). It's effectively a "dew point" effect. To get that moisture back out, I have to re-evaporate it again back to vapour - by heating the mat (and the air inside) back to a temperature well above the "dew point". 

So after the hike, when I get home, I re-inflate the mat, warm it up (either in the sun in the warmer seasons, or in front of a heater in the cooler seasons), and then squeeze out the air (by rolling it up) to expel what has now become water vapour (ie. it's now a gas, not liquid). I normally go through the process twice, to be absolutely sure I'm maximising the effect.

But how, you may ask, do I re-inflate the mat - if I blow into it, I'm just making the moisture problem worse. I experimented with several different methods, but settled on "the balloon method" - that is, a cheap party-balloon pump, connected to the valve by a cut-off balloon.

Balloon pump with cut-off balloon

The trick I discovered (with my set-up) was to use the really small "water" balloons that kids use for water fights - they're only a few centimeters long un-inflated. I just found the regular size balloons were too big to get an air-tight, snug fit on the mat's valve. Cut off the very end of the ballon with scissors, slide the normal neck of the balloon over the pump and then the "cut" end over the valve. I can use this system to pump up a mat in under 90 seconds.

Be careful when you warm the mat - don't over do it either in the sun, or with heater, as you don't want to melt any of the welded seams - keep touching the mat in the likely hottest spots, and if it's getting above your own skin temperature, it's probably too hot, You probably want around 35 degrees or so (that's celsius).

A great thing about this DIY system is that it costs me nothing - literally a few dollars for the pump, balloons are, like, $1 a bag. For car camping or short hikes, I've started taking the pump with me - to save time later on at home. And it's easier on the lungs.

balloon pump blowing up mat

Air mats can be repaired, but I've found it's hit and miss - sometimes the problem is finding the damn leak - and sometimes the repair just doesn't seal. I never lay my mat on bare ground - I'm terrified of a small barb or sharp pebble creating a puncture - it only ever lays on the floor of my tent (preferably with a groundsheet underneath).

If you use a self inflating mat, the instructions suggest you store with the valve open, inflated - so that the foam inside doesn't become compressed. If it does, you then need to finish off the inflation with some puffs, which introduces moisture - eventually the foam decomposes and your mat is dead. If you need to blow up the mat, use the (described) balloon pump drying method to remove moisture.

Tents. Clear the ground before you pitch a tent to avoid punctures in the floor. Similarly, pitch away from sharp branches/bushes. Stay well away from a campfire - you don't want ember burns putting holes in your fly. Don't use insect repellent/deodorant/hair spray/anti-perspirant/sunscreen etc. inside a tent - often the chemicals can "attack" the water-proofing layers of a tent (and so too gore-tex jackets). One problem I've had is that birds (Kookaburras in particular) will use tents as a perch - but their claws will punch tiny holes in your fly - so no longer waterproof! Shoo them away!

Be especially careful of poles - I've noticed in recent years that some tent manufacturers have reduced pole diameter (whether to save you weight, or to save them expense) and thus strength, and poles are more fragile than those of ten years ago. Eg. the more commonly found DAC poles seem less strong than the older Easton poles. Treat them with great care, especially don't drop them or let the shock cording "snap" poles together too strongly.

If cooking in a tent, be very careful of burns to the fabric - I have a rule that when cooking in the vestibule, nobody may enter or exit by that door, and preferably everyone sits still and stays at the other end of the tent as much as possible. Hot food inside the tent must be handled very carefully - more for safety, though, than tent care.

Do not "overfill" a tent - my students love to cram 7,8 or more into a 3 person tent for "ghost stories" or whatever, but it will just wreck the zippers or stretch/rip the tent inner material.

At home, air your tent so that it's thoroughly dry - otherwise you'll get mould during storage, which smells bad and probably reduces your water-proofing - and fabric longevity. Air everything - poles and pegs - and turn the stuff sack inside out to get it thoroughly dry. Don't wash your tent - sponge off dirt or stains.

Pack. In general, backpacks should be pretty resilient - dry them after your hike, and treat with the respect they deserve. Don't overload lightweight packs  - the stitching, zippers or other fabrics will let you down.

Clothing. Looking after clothing is pretty obvious - treat gently, wash according to instructions (or use gentler cycles for greater longevity). Sometimes it's not possible to protect clothes, eg. during a bush bash they're going to get scraped and scratched by foliage, you just have to accept it. Down jackets, like sleeping bags, deserve special protection in rough environments, and should be kept packed away unless absolutely necessary for warmth. Raincoats also will suffer if snagged, but if it's raining hard you really have little choice.

Electronic items - torches, radios, cameras, mobile phones, gps etc. - often very expensive, they should be kept safe and secure within the pack, away from damage and moisture. I'll usually zip lock this stuff if there's rain about, and only use them when safe to do so, ie. away from water and rough situations. One thing I learnt a few years ago was that Sanyo eneloop batteries are by far the best value rechargeable batteries, and I now use them exclusively. Although their stated capacity is lower than many other brands, they produce more usable ampage, and so last much longer in the field (eg. with our 2 watt walkie talkies, they last double the other brands before going flat!). Needless to say, rechargeable batteries are the only way to go when maximising economy - cost per use.

Cooking gear. Generally pretty sturdy, though cutlery can be fragile. Treat your stove gently, especially as you don't want a "Fail" in the field. I save money by re-filling my gas canisters with butane - you need a special nozzle to fit the cheap butane canisters to a Lindal valve, and the butane will not work below 5 degrees C. Each refill, though, saves me around $10 - $12, so (for me and my partner) its well worth it - saving around $100/year.

Of course, much of the cost/use question comes back to the original price of an item compared to its useful life, and that is not always straightforward, eg. cheaper boots may cost more than dearer boots that last longer, or can be repaired. For every item, you need to consider that equation, and of course the cost issue becomes relative to your income. 

Hope these ideas help you stretch your dollar further, which eventually you can put towards more bushwalking!