Gear Maintenance – I

A Day For Gear Maintenance

Spent a lot of time today pulling out some of the camping and outdoor gear and doing a bit of maintenance.

I want my gear to last a good long time and not break down when I need it most.

Time For Some Backpacking Stove Maintenance

Today, among other things, I am cleaning up my backpacking stoves. I have several of them. How many folks take the time to do the basic preventive maintenance recommended in the owner’s manual?

Taking a few minutes in the garage sure beats messing around with these things out on a camping trip. I have learned that one the hard way.

I also take it a step further by lighting them up to make sure they work as expected. My belief is that the more you use this gear, even in the garage, you will be a lot more familiar with how it should work when it doesn’t.

Lantern Maintenance

Come to think of it, I have a small Coleman model 229 backpacking lantern and a bigger Coleman model 288 lantern that needs a bit of TLC. I can’t believe the 288 is considered an “old” lantern!! The smaller model 229 lantern is a bit bulky and fragile in my opinion for stuffing into a backpack. But I use them when car camping, canoe camping, or just sitting out by the fire pit. The noise it makes reminds me of those family camping trips made years ago.

Come to think of it, I should probably pick up a few mantels next time I get out to the store, –if they have any. I also like to have an extra gallon can or two of fuel on hand. Everything here is electric, so if we lose power, at least I have a way to generate some light if needed.

Anyway, all I do for the regular preventive maintenance on my stoves is to inspect the rubber bushings and O-rings. Then give them a good lubrication with a bit of mineral oil.

Afterwards, I clean all of the soot and carbon that builds up. Some of the stoves have shaker jets, so I make sure these all move freely.

Lastly, just fire them up to make sure they work as expected!

Making Some Pine Needle Tea

The stoves are working pretty good. I grabbed a hand full of pine needles earlier while walking the dogs. I think I will brew up a batch of pine needle tea here in the garage while I do a bit of maintenance on the fishing gear.