It's my scheduled time to look look over my junk, wherever I keep it.
Stored Gear Check
My calendar showed a notice that it is time to go through my emergency food to look for short "Use By" dates, and I found several one pound bags of pasta with six months left. I decided to donate them to the Food Bank and replace them with the identical brand from the local discount grocery store. Nothing else is close to going past the date until next year, but I will more than likely pull a bunch of those things out around Thanksgiving and make another donation.
While doing this, the stored water jugs were dumped, rinsed and refilled. It isn't necessary to change out water as often as this since it won't spoil, but I just do it since I have to get to the back of my closet anyway.
Related to stored gear, I had an opportunity to break out my suit last week only to discover it had been damaged by moths (first mentioned in this post). When I first discovered the moths everything was checked and cleaned, but the moth damage didn't show up as clearly as on my sweaters stored in that end of the closet. I now have a nice wool suit that has several pinholes in the pants and a small hole in the jacket, and fortunately you can't see them unless you really look for them. I don't need to wear a suit again until November, so there is still time to explore repair or replacement options.
Seasonal Gear Check
It's still very hot and dry here, but rain and cold (for California) weather is due, so I'm looking at all the things that will be rotated into and out of my GHB in the next few months. I pulled another snap out of my Goretex jacket this Spring, so before I need it it's going to Marmot to get a replacement installed... for free! I've had a zipper pull replaced before, and Marmot's Customer Service is amazing.
My GHB is lined with a plastic trash bag for waterproofing, but I'd like to get it out since the liner bag has to be moved around to find anything. There are several different water repellent products out now that compete with good ol' Scotchgard. I will look at treating the bag with the best rated and longest lasting water proofing.
This last isn't really a seasonal item, but I've been saving up for a pair of dedicated hiking boots to wear in place of the tennis-shoe-with-Vibram I wear now. I'm tired of buying a half size larger in a generic wide shoe just to be close to a shoe that fits! Due to the fact I wear a EEE (or EEEE, depending on the brand) shoe, and that several brands recommended to me like Danner do not have full-service stores close, I'm going to Red Wing. I haven't been there yet, but they had work boots in my size when I worked construction many, many years ago. A full report on the buying process and break-in will follow the purchase.
The Takeaway
- Looking after your gear well before you need it is not just prudent, it's necessary.
The Recap
- My good jacket taking a trip to the manufacturer for repair: $0.00
- Waterproof treatment for my GHB: unknown cost at the moment
- New hiking boots from Red Wing: final cost is also unknown, but estimated between $150- $200
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NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.
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