Hello Friends!
I am going to dive into what may seem like a boring topic, but I promise it will save you money in the long run! Packing away your gear properly, for the season, or for a few weeks, will preserve your gear for longer and make hiking a more cost-efficient activity for you! I’ll go through as much as I can on here and then will probably do a video on Instagram showing how to properly pack away a tent, clean a bear barrel, sort a pack, etc.
FOOD BAGS We will start with dry bags and bear barrels because they will give you the most trouble if not dealt with right away. The great thing about both of these is that they are 100% waterproof and mostly smell proof! The downside is that because of those qualities, they are also the gear that will grow mould and bacteria the fastest.
When I get back from a trip the first thing I unpack is my food bag or barrel, even if I am dead tired. The smell that will start to grow in there as you sleep peacefully will lead to some intense regret!
I normally pull out anything with liquid in it and then dump the whole thing on the table and sort from that point. Anything that didn’t get used and is still good can be saved for the next trip, and anything that has been opened or damaged to the point you question it gets thrown away or composted.
Any soaps can be used else wear and any washcloths get rinsed and thrown in the washing machine. Mesh food bags get the same treatment.
If an item is pricier and still in good shape I will tuck away into a bin for my next trip. These would be items such as store-bought dehydrated meals, protein bars, or Nuun tablets. Any meats, butter, or dairy products get thrown out and any fruits and veggies that have gone bad get composted.
Once it’s empty, I flip it inside out to clean if it’s a flip bag, and let it dry fully before storing. If it’s a bear bag I wipe it down with a spray and let it dry. If it is a dry bag I wash it with soap and water then leave it flipped inside out so it can dry fully before getting stored. For bear barrels I like to spray down the whole inside of the barrel and lid with Lysol and wipe it all down before anything starts to smell or grow.
Bear barrels can be used as a storage container for other camping gear and bags can simply be folded and tucked away.
TENTS Tents are probably the easiest thing to pack away properly.
I will get as much dirt, leaves, and branches out of my tent as I can while at the site. Normally I will take a small broom in with me to help with that. Some people just pick their tent up and shake it out, up-side down, but I don’t find that method as thorough. After removing all debris, pack your tent away and bring it home.
Once you are home, set it up again in your yard or living room. If you set it up outside you need to make sure it will be dry for the next day or so. I also set my fly out beside the tent so it can air out and dry off fully. You’ll need to turn it over once to get the other side too. If you are drying out a fly in your house then you'll want to drape it over something like a chair or table.
As for the main portion of your tent, once it’s set up, sweep it out again. Any dirt or small pieces will create a hole in your tent fabric while it’s tucked away and being subtly rubbed over any objects. Any leaves and twigs will start to decompose and create mould in the fabric which will wreck the waterproof level of your tent and create holes faster. Any moisture will do the same which is why you need to let the tent dry out in the sun, or with a fan on it, for several hours.
Once you are 100% sure there’s no organic matter or moisture left you can fold it up and tuck it away again.
WATER FILTERS Water filters can be a bit tricky. You need to take them apart completely, wash every piece, then dry out every piece completely. Only after you are sure it’s dry you can put it back together and store it for the next trip/season.
For gravity water filters you need to backwash them. To do that, you take either a regular plastic water bottle or the water reservoir they gave you and fill it with clean filtered water. Then you twist it onto the end of the filter that clean water would normally come out of and then squeeze the clean water bottle so that the water is forced back through the filter. Once the whole bottle has been forced through you can clean the water filter like you would any other. This will preserve the life of your water filter by twice as much as you would get out of it if you only cleaned, dried, and put it away.
SMALL GEAR
For a lot of your other small gear, you can just take them out of the pack, look them over, make sure no repairs need to be made or gear needs to be replaced, and then store them in a dry area so that they won’t get wrecked.
COOKWARE
Any dishes, pots, pans, and/or kettles need to be washed fully and dried before getting put away. Also, an SOS pad goes a long way in getting soot off of cookware.
SLEEP SYSTEMS Sleep systems are mostly straightforward except for sleeping bags. The foam pads need to be checked over for any tears and then dried out before being put away.
Air mattresses need to be blown up and checked for leaks. I like to wipe mine down just because my pup normally gets paw prints all over it and who knows what those paws got into while we were out there. Once it's clean, you can deflate it and leave the valve open when you put it away.
Sleeping bags need to be aired out just like a tent. I hang mine on a clothesline or banister to air it out fully. You’ll also need to check for stains and such, so unzipping it fully and laying it out flat is the best way to check it over, while airing it out. If there are stains and you think they will cause some mould problems or bacteria build-up, then take the sleeping bag to a dry cleaner or to a laundromat that can handle large items. For any repairs, a needle and thread will do the trick. And if it’s something that is out of your comfort level then your local tailor/seamstress will be able to help you out! Once you are ready to tuck it away for the season make sure there’s no moisture (as it will harbour bacteria) and then roll it up and store it in a dry spot.
CLOTHING For clothing, I would take it out of the bag and immediately throw it into the wash. Not only because you could probably level your neighbourhood with the smell but because you don’t know if any bugs or parasites decided to hitch a ride. Bringing a new species into an area can be devastating for the ecosystem.
PACK When it comes to the pack, you of course need to start by emptying it out. Once it is empty, you want to check it over for any tears or worn-out spots just starting to form. Once you have those taken care of and you are sure your pack is reliable again, take care of any spot cleaning or wipe downs. If you have a cloth bag you probably don’t need to worry about it too much but if the pack has a plastic coating on the inside, it could use a wipe down. If it’s one of those dry bag packs then you’ll need to treat it like any other dry bag. Flip it inside out and wipe it down to get rid of anything that spilled or could give you problems later. Then, once it’s totally dry, tuck it away for next time.
ELECTRONICS Last but not least -electronics. I like to prep this ahead of my next trip so I’m not going to forget anything. I charge my lantern or change the batteries, change any flashlight batteries that need it or are getting close, swap camera batteries, and charge any portable battery chargers.
I will post some videos of packing away your tent properly soon and attach them to the site!
Stay safe, active, and healthy and the next post will be up shortly regarding mental health on the trail.
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