Repair Kit Must-Haves for Backcountry Hikes and Camping
Hiking and camping trips can be unpredictable. Despite regular gear maintenance, you could be caught with ripped tents, broken drinking bottles, and a flappy boot sole. Since these problems can make or break an outdoor experience, it’s essential to build a basic backpacking repair kit for those unexpected outdoor repairs.
Preparing your kit might appear tedious at first, but here’s a compiled list to help backpackers and outdoorsmen build their repair kits. Pay attention to the items that you need for conducting minor repairs:
Duct Tape
Being the “king of all repairs,” duct tape is among the essential items that you need to have in your repair kit. It’s one of the most-used tools mainly because hikers and backpackers use this pressure-sensitive tape in patching up almost everything.
Duct tape can be used to repair torn clothing, tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, and tarps. It covers torn edges and effectively secures everything by placing layers of tape on both sides of the fabric for extra strength. Clean the surface first before applying the tape to maximize adhesion.
Get duct tape that doesn’t take up too much space. Surviveware has a compact and highly effective outdoor duct tape that you can take and use anywhere. You can check it out here.
Multi-tool
A standard backpacking multi-tool can help to make simple backcountry repairs. It comes with different features and blades that are needed to repair broken gear. A good multi-tool incorporates a wide range of gadgets ranging from scissors, pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, blades, corkscrews, can and bottle openers, tweezers, and scissors. This eliminates the need to carry several tools that will only add bulk and unnecessary weight to the entire pack.
In choosing multi-tools for backpacking, get a lighter one that is compact and can be strapped on a belt or hooked to your backpack, ensuring that it’s accessible and easily retrieved.
Knife
Knives have multiple uses in the backcountry. They are not only useful for food preparation and bushcrafting but also for first aid and gear repairs. Knives range from compact pocket knives with folding blades to fixed blade knives with handles made from various material including plastic, metal, wood and rubber.
No matter what knife you’re carrying, it’s essential to maintain the sharpness of the blades. Knives with blunt blades are dangerous and difficult to use taking valuable time and causing extra exertion. If you find yourself in a pickle with a blunt knife, find something sturdy that provides friction, a wet rock is a great option for sharpening blades.
Paracord
While vines can be used as an improvised tool for securing pieces of wood and other material together, they’re not durable. You could either secure materials with duct tape or pack paracord.
Formally known as parachute cord, paracord is one of the most popular ties because it is lightweight, strong, and versatile. It can be used to pitch your tarp to a tree, in securing your gear, suspending your food containers, garbage, and toiletries when camping in bear country and hanging out wet boots and clothes. You can also use it as a belt for loose trousers and as a replacement for broken knife handles.
Glue
Duct tape works for most type of repairs but for those hard to reach areas and nooks, packing super glue helps. It dries faster and provides quick, long-lasting repairs on diverse surfaces and offers a quick solution to broken gear.
Sewing Kit
Countless items of clothing, packs and sleeping bags have been salvaged by needle and thread. Although duct tape is the ‘universal repair tool’, softer items such as wool socks, fleece tops, and base layers don’t have a smooth surface to work with and may require some needle-work.
What you carry in your backpacking repair kit can make or break your outdoor trips. Don’t be caught with your pants down. Start creating your outdoor repair pack today.
Preparing your kit might appear tedious at first, but here’s a compiled list to help backpackers and outdoorsmen build their repair kits. Pay attention to the items that you need for conducting minor repairs:
Duct Tape
Being the “king of all repairs,” duct tape is among the essential items that you need to have in your repair kit. It’s one of the most-used tools mainly because hikers and backpackers use this pressure-sensitive tape in patching up almost everything.
Duct tape can be used to repair torn clothing, tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, and tarps. It covers torn edges and effectively secures everything by placing layers of tape on both sides of the fabric for extra strength. Clean the surface first before applying the tape to maximize adhesion.
Get duct tape that doesn’t take up too much space. Surviveware has a compact and highly effective outdoor duct tape that you can take and use anywhere. You can check it out here.
Multi-tool
A standard backpacking multi-tool can help to make simple backcountry repairs. It comes with different features and blades that are needed to repair broken gear. A good multi-tool incorporates a wide range of gadgets ranging from scissors, pliers, wire cutters, screwdrivers, blades, corkscrews, can and bottle openers, tweezers, and scissors. This eliminates the need to carry several tools that will only add bulk and unnecessary weight to the entire pack.
In choosing multi-tools for backpacking, get a lighter one that is compact and can be strapped on a belt or hooked to your backpack, ensuring that it’s accessible and easily retrieved.
Knife
Knives have multiple uses in the backcountry. They are not only useful for food preparation and bushcrafting but also for first aid and gear repairs. Knives range from compact pocket knives with folding blades to fixed blade knives with handles made from various material including plastic, metal, wood and rubber.
No matter what knife you’re carrying, it’s essential to maintain the sharpness of the blades. Knives with blunt blades are dangerous and difficult to use taking valuable time and causing extra exertion. If you find yourself in a pickle with a blunt knife, find something sturdy that provides friction, a wet rock is a great option for sharpening blades.
Paracord
While vines can be used as an improvised tool for securing pieces of wood and other material together, they’re not durable. You could either secure materials with duct tape or pack paracord.
Formally known as parachute cord, paracord is one of the most popular ties because it is lightweight, strong, and versatile. It can be used to pitch your tarp to a tree, in securing your gear, suspending your food containers, garbage, and toiletries when camping in bear country and hanging out wet boots and clothes. You can also use it as a belt for loose trousers and as a replacement for broken knife handles.
Glue
Duct tape works for most type of repairs but for those hard to reach areas and nooks, packing super glue helps. It dries faster and provides quick, long-lasting repairs on diverse surfaces and offers a quick solution to broken gear.
Sewing Kit
Countless items of clothing, packs and sleeping bags have been salvaged by needle and thread. Although duct tape is the ‘universal repair tool’, softer items such as wool socks, fleece tops, and base layers don’t have a smooth surface to work with and may require some needle-work.
What you carry in your backpacking repair kit can make or break your outdoor trips. Don’t be caught with your pants down. Start creating your outdoor repair pack today.
