Biggest gear fail

[Leo L.]

I thought that is what duct tape is for.

Duct tape is the poor man's method that would hold for a day, maximum.

The steel wire U-clamp is almost permanent. My son's Salomon came apart during the last trip and I fixed them, he is still using them every day, being proud of the clamps.
Maybe because they give a ncie counterweight to the clamps in his nose and ears <G>

[Bansko]

The biggest gear fail I ever had was not having a backup source of flame. Depending on weather conditions, the reaction to that can range anywhere from, "Oh, well" to "Oh, s**t".

[greensleep]

Duct tape is the poor man's method that would hold for a day, maximum.

The steel wire U-clamp is almost permanent. My son's Salomon came apart during the last trip and I fixed them, he is still using them every day, being proud of the clamps.
Maybe because they give a ncie counterweight to the clamps in his nose and ears <G>

do you have pictures of the repaired shoe? I'm very curious about that technique

[Leo L.]

A shoe consists of a sole and an upper material, the latter in case of the Salomons being sewn like a complete sock.

So I open the laces completely, take out the insole and insert the U-clamp from inside out, through the upper and through the sole.
Using barbed wire is a special trick developed in the Middle East, where barbed wire (the Egyptian one, cheap standard stuff, not the highly specialized NATO/Israel one) is available at every corner.
I peel out the "barbs", straighten them out, and form U-clamps. The tips are already pointy enough to let you push the clamp through the shoe material. You can also push a hole beforehand, by using the awl on the Swiss Knife.
At the end, I bend the tips of the clamp that point through the sole, down flat.

[greensleep]

A shoe consists of a sole and an upper material, the latter in case of the Salomons being sewn like a complete sock.

So I open the laces completely, take out the insole and insert the U-clamp from inside out, through the upper and through the sole.
Using barbed wire is a special trick developed in the Middle East, where barbed wire (the Egyptian one, cheap standard stuff, not the highly specialized NATO/Israel one) is available at every corner.
I peel out the "barbs", straighten them out, and form U-clamps. The tips are already pointy enough to let you push the clamp through the shoe material. You can also push a hole beforehand, by using the awl on the Swiss Knife.
At the end, I bend the tips of the clamp that point through the sole, down flat.

Thanks, I've got a pair of runners that whose soles are detaching. I'm going to try you fix.

[clusterone]

This happened just this last weekend....That is the stay protruding through the straps that are supposed to retain it. This is a 1year old Zpacks Arc Haul. I have contacted Zpacks(yesterday), awaiting a reply. IMAG0782.jpg

[clusterone]

This happened just this last weekend....That is the stay protruding through the straps that are supposed to retain it. This is a 1year old Zpacks Arc Haul. I have contacted Zpacks(yesterday), awaiting a reply. IMAG0782.jpg

UPDATE -- Zpacks responded within 24h and said the would repair the pack, just mail it to them!

[rafe]

Had a Svea stove turn into a flame thrower once, on a dry trail in New Hampshire. I was freaked that it was about to start a forest fire. Thank zeus that didn't happen.

I've had failures of pack straps, crampon straps, snowshoe bindings, nothing too serious.

I've had shoes that chewed up my feet, but that kinda goes with the territory, eh?

[DownEaster]

My gear fails have been fairly minor. My Olympus camera suddenly decided to devour its batteries, so I missed out on some pictures. My tent stakes proved inadequate in high winds that preceded a storm, but I was able to whittle some beefier wooden substitutes. Horizontal rain blew under my tent fly and soaked my down sleeping bag, forcing me to sleep in my emergency space blanket. I don't take down on the AT anymore.

[dzierzak]

My brain - the last time I packed for an outing...

[Leo L.]

During our most recent trip, both my friends carried lots of ziploc bags for to organize their stuff in the pack. They had brought a family-30-pcs pack of these.
Only several days into the hike, the bags started to fail, they broke in horizontal stripes. At the end of the hike, all of their ziplock bags had completely disintegrated.

[gwschenk]

Had a Svea stove turn into a flame thrower once...

They don't call them Swedish hand grenades for nothing.

[handlebar]

Drowned my camera crossing the upper reaches of the Snake River (I think) on the CDT in WY. Had it in a fanny pack I wear in front with stuff I want to get at easily. I had jumped over the deep part of the stream and landed where the water was shallow over 2" smooth stones. Didn't realize the stones were moss covered and slippery and went down face forward completely dunking the fanny pack. Got the batteries out immediately and hiked with everything on the camera open, but still wasn't working after two days in the sun, so I had my support person overnight a similar model to West Yellowstone and sent my old one home. After a month when I returned from the trail, the old camera had come back to life.

[Zea]

Been lucky so far.

My only minor mishap was doing a .25 mile peak for a sunset with my fiance across the highway from Franconia Ridge. We brought one headlamp to the top, we "knew" we'd get down before dark and wouldn't need it but I figured it was better to bring one. At the top there's another trail about .6 miles long on what looked on the map like fairly flat ground to another peak I'd never been to before.

Long story short we decided to hit the second peak and come right back, and it started getting dark fast. I guess we were moving slower than expected, and once it started getting dark and we hadn't hit the peak yet we decided to head back down. Go to turn on my headlamp... nothing. Fresh batteries, it just was not working for some reason. Ended up moving very slowly down the pitch black mountainside with the help from one cell phone flashlight... headlamp decided to turn back on about 5 minutes before we got to the TH. At least I learned to always carry a secondary light source, and to be prepared even on small hills.

[rafe]

Small stuff, lots. Cameras stop working. Stoves get balky. Filters clog. Tent stakes bend or get lost. Packs get torn. Smashed a lid on a Nalgene bottle once. Don't ever put Frog Toggs in a dryer or next to the campfire. I can't blame my bad hikes on gear issues, for the most part.

I carry two headlamps and multiple lighters, though. Hard to function without light or fire.

[DownEaster]

I carry two headlamps and multiple lighters, though. Hard to function without light or fire.

Backups are good, but they don't have to be multiples of the same item. My phone is my backup light source, and a pack of matches is backup for my Bic lighter.

[MtDoraDave]

My Katadyn mini water filter/pump failed. Actually, it was stored in the outside mesh pocket of my pack and slipping on ice and falling on it several times cracked the screw-on portion of the filter. For 3 days, I was able to hold my left hand on it to maintain pressure while my right hand pumped. On the last day, it just died.
Boiling water uses a lot of fuel, and when you pour hot water into a smart water bottle, you go from a 1 liter bottle to about a .5 or .6 liter bottle...

Fortunately, if hiking during the season, there are usually plenty of hikers who will let you use their filter, drops, etc.

[Tipi Walter]

Small stuff, lots. Cameras stop working. Stoves get balky. Filters clog. Tent stakes bend or get lost. Packs get torn. Smashed a lid on a Nalgene bottle once. Don't ever put Frog Toggs in a dryer or next to the campfire. I can't blame my bad hikes on gear issues, for the most part.

I carry two headlamps and multiple lighters, though. Hard to function without light or fire.

Yes, I'm on my third or fourth camera---short shelf-life or field-life using substandard electronics, I guess. Filter clogging I see as normal usage and not gear failure, same with worn out stuff sacks, broken shoelaces, maybe even defective tent pegs. I remember putting my old blue polypropylene leggings in a dryer in 1980 and having it partially melt. No loss as the stuff stank.

[Leo L.]

Yes, I'm on my third or fourth camera---short shelf-life or field-life using substandard electronics, I guess...

Seems to be a hit or miss thing.
I've bought a Lumix FZ18 in 2008 and carry it on all my hikes. Tried a Lumix TZ 41 a few years back, but it got drowned in a creek after short time, so I resorted to my old FZ18 again. Works just perfect - since 9 years.

[Knarmore]

Not my worst gear failure but a humorous one, Bright angel campground in the Grand Canyon. We were new to backpacking and each had a camel pack style water bladder, my girlfriend at the time brought hers to bed with us. At some point in the night she or I rolled on top of it, releasing the full two liters on the tent floor! Waking up around 4 am soaking wet was a good learning experience for us both.