most broken uncooperative winter stuff

[cbcbd]

whatever happened to the one piece long sythetic underware????

I saw some one piece long underwear at ems. Although it didn't have a full top...

 

[sugahjohn]

Sherpa replacement parts?

I would have to say bootlaces and snowshoes as being the things I seem to break the most. I have to relace my Sherpa's every year, and every year it's harder to find the materials. If I didn't like the bindings so much, I would buy one of the new solid deck shoes. The Hypalon gaiter straps seem to wear out quickly for me on my OR's and my internal gaiters on my Arcterx Bibs too. Funny, all these things are made of the same type of material?
My repair kit definitely grows in the winter.

There's a company (http://www.irl.bc.ca/Forestry Supplies/snowshoes.htm; about a quarter of the way down the page) that supposedly carries replacement parts for Sherpas, since their own model (i.e., the Arctic Trekker) is based on the Sherpa design. I hope this helps.

John

 

[NYBRAD]

Thanks sugahjohn, I'll see if they have the crimps and lace today.

 

[Chip]

Stove: Of course it's dangerous! Your recommendation?

I don't know, I guess I've had good luck. I used an Optimus 8R from 1973 to 1993 and I never cleaned it. I've a Primus Himalaya vari-fuel now for 2 years that I probably should clean, but I havn't had any trouble with it.

How about foggy winter camera lenses ? Any tricks there ? Half my pictures from last saturday looked like they were taken in the fog.

 

[spider solo]

Great ideas.
I'll try anything to prevent fog up. Last season I took to wearing a head band across the bridge of my nose which worked pretty good.
Well, with that and a little arm waving ..."and they all moved away from me on the group W bench..."

I know I should sew a backing on my sleeping bag zipper, still if one were to observe my sewing capabilities it would be easy to see why I was hoping the cure involved something with duct tape and a blowtorch.

One cold winters overnight I bring 2 sleeping bags, somehow I manage some kind of maschoistic combination of..putting one right handed bag inside a left handed zipper jambing bag...then slide it into a top entry dry bag.
Would that be enough to seal my fate?....NOoooo I take the whole thing and slide it into my handy dandy right sided bivy bag........
Spent the night spinning around like some Tasmanian devil...think I immerged in the morning like something from the Exorcist ...

 

[hikerfast]

i had that 'pants falling down' problem and solved it by getting a pair of suspenders. Little kids on the trail used to ask if the moon was out up ahead.

 

[dave.m]

My item I seem to alwasy have to be fussing with is my stove. Forever cleaning and tweaking it.

Lemme guess. An MSR?

I've been put off by those things after seeing 2, not 1, in total meltdown mode on different occasions. In both cases, the pumps were burning and melting. Total fireballs.

Add to this the countless numbers of nights sitting shivering in shelters while glaring at one of my buds as he poked, proded and blew on the jets of yet another sputtering, gummed up MSR.

My humble little SVEA 123 has been churning away without a single failure in the 20 years I've owned it. The only regret I've ever had with my SVEA has been the times when I've let a bud talk me into letting him bring his "field repairable" MSR instead of my SVEA.

For the pants, get some heavy duty clip on suspenders.

 

[DougPaul]

Lemme guess. An MSR?

Not everyone has problems with them...

I have an Optimus 8R and an MSR model G (coleman fuel only predecessor to the XGK line). Never had any problems with either one.

Doug

 

[SherpaKroto]

1) Losing the Bottle Parka (and water bottle). BTW, if anyone finds a blue OR parka with a nalgene with "SK" on it - let me know.
2) Poles. I've gotten in the habit of constantly adjusting them. The problem stems from twisting your wrist as you pole and move forward. That will cause the poles to eventually loosen. When you try to pull the pull out, the basket snags, the pole separates, and you are left with a fragile connection at the end of two pole sections. Any weight causes it to snap.

For sleeping bag zippers, attach a zipper pull. It alleviates the problem quite a bit.

My Primus Yellowstone Light Classic stove has performed well for the past 7 years in most conditions (I've used it down to around -20F. Down to 0F has been no problem at all). I doubt I'd want to spend any extended length of time trying to melt snow, but for heating water, it works fine. I'm working on fabricating a foam "cozy" that will fit around the canister and allow me to place hand warmers beneath the canister while still keeping it stable.

 

[DougPaul]

2) Poles. I've gotten in the habit of constantly adjusting them. The problem stems from twisting your wrist as you pole and move forward. That will cause the poles to eventually loosen. When you try to pull the pull out, the basket snags, the pole separates, and you are left with a fragile connection at the end of two pole sections. Any weight causes it to snap.

Leki poles prevent this problem by allowing the basket to rotate on the shaft--never enough torque on the shaft to loosen the twist-lock mechanism.

Doug

 

[Chip]

I did the same thing, hikerfast. I even sewed them to a pair of MH Conduit sidezips. Figured the damn things weren't meant to be heirlooms, so why not keep them up where they belonged?

"Hello, My name is Chip, and my pants fall down..."

I was really reluctant to mention that. I'm glad I did. It appears to be fairly common.

 

[MadRiver]

I too use suspenders, which works far better than an Elly Mae rope.

 

[Becket1903]

Lemme guess. An MSR?

My humble little SVEA 123 has been churning away without a single failure in the 20 years I've owned it. The only regret I've ever had with my SVEA has been the times when I've let a bud talk me into letting him bring his "field repairable" MSR instead of my SVEA.

dave.m,

I'm looking to replace my whisperlight now (due to it being gunked up beyond repair...probably my fault), is this the same SVEA that you have?

http://www.rei.com/product/3023679.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC

They also mention a fuel pump sold separately, is this something that you would recommend if I went this route? Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Oldsmores]

...My humble little SVEA 123 has been churning away without a single failure in the 20 years I've owned it...

Ditto, but 30 years...

 

[Umsaskis]

I have Sherpa snowshoes and I love the bindings, but I have to tie the extra webbing in a knot to keep from stepping on it, and the knot invariably freezes into a snow-filled ball by the time I get back to the car. At the end of a long hike, with the fingers slowly freezing from the sudden lack of activity, it is wicked hard to get those things undone! There've been a few times when I took the whole boot off and drove home in sock feet.

If I forget to dry off the threads on my water bottle, it freezes shut. There is no way to open it again, either. You'd think I would always remember to dry it off, but sometimes I don't.

My shirt, jacket, and entire top layer ride up in the back whenever I'm hiking down hill, and that can get cold pretty fast in the winter (don't ask me why it happens - must be the up-and-down jarring).

If I drink cold water too fast in the winter, my heart starts going crazy, skipping beats and racing. I think that's the most annoying and scary thing, but completely unrelated to gear.

 

[Umsaskis]

When you place your water bottle in it's insulated jacked, put the bottle in upside down. The threads rarely freeze that way, whether you dry them off or not. Has to do with the way water freezes, and the fact that the zipper allows a bit of cold air to enter, and it's right at 'zipper height'.

Gee, thanks! I didn't know that. Sometimes I think everyone on this site should get together and publish a "hiking tips" book with everyone's contributions. It would probably cover every possible problem anyone ever encounters. Sort of like the typical collaborative cookbook, but with equipment and technique tips rather than recipes.

 

[MadRiver]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned crampon straps. I have tried wrapping the straps around the front straps or by putting the excess strap inside my gaiters, but nothing seems to work. I’m toying with the idea of sewing a double D ring on the side of my gaiters, thereby helping to secure the excess strap.

 

[Mad Townie]

The straps on my Charlet Moser step-ins are fairly short and stiff, which makes it rather difficult to put them on in tough conditions. End of complaint.

 

[Umsaskis]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned crampon straps. I have tried wrapping the straps around the front straps or by putting the excess strap inside my gaiters, but nothing seems to work. I’m toying with the idea of sewing a double D ring on the side of my gaiters, thereby helping to secure the excess strap.

Yes, I had that problem too. I found a way to tuck and wrap the excess strap under and around the part that I had used. You have to have just the right amount left over, though, or else it comes loose.

 

[timmus]

The tip of my boots always get worn from hiking on rocky trails. Although my problem have been cause in summer, it is during winter that it become a real problem. The water gets in my boots as if it was a sponge, and I can't enjoy the summit for too long because my feet freezes right away. I know I could wear my winter boots, but most of the time they are just too warm. My feet would freeze anyway, because of the sweat.

Someone told me once that I could apply some polyurethane coating like the one we use to seal tents. I just don't think it would last very long...

Have anyone ever tried that ?