From drying socks using your body heat, to dealing with spots from mold. Learn how you can safeguard the clothes that will protect you out in the great outdoors.
Being in the elements demands protection from the elements, and as every hiker is aware the outdoors typically involves getting sweaty dusty, and/or wet. This is a part of the adventure, if dirt sweat, and moisture persist, they can affect the performance of outdoor gear and turn the hobby that was once inexpensive into a pricey one.
“Consistent laundering of gear really helps prolong the life of a product,” says Corey Simpson of Patagonia, because technological fabrics “all perform better when they’re not clogged or covered with dirt and oils“.
It is a good idea to wash your hands during hikes.
If you need to wash your camping gear on the excursion, Simpson says to “find a creek, stream or river to rinse the garments“. Although washing is acceptable, applying soap to a river isn’t. If your campsite doesn’t have laundry facilities on-site clothing should be hand washed in a tub or bucket using the soap bar that is biodegradable and the resulting gray water should be poured out of the area away from running water.
Lastly, hang the garments for drying in the breeze or sun.
What should you do when it rains?
The ability to keep your gear dry is among the most essential elements of maintaining it, but it can be difficult when you’re stuck by the water, midway up a mountain during an extended hike.
The first thing to do is clean up any excess water Then, find a dry area to hang it. General manager of product at Kathmandu, Robert Fry, suggests inside “your tent’s vestibule” as an ideal drying location, “so there’s no chance it’ll drip and wet your dry gear, like your sleeping bag“.
Use your body heat
If your down jacket is saturated, Simpson suggests you “shake the Arcteryx beta ar jacket to get the moisture off … and get the down to loft up again“. You could also apply the heat to your body to keep the clothing dry. Cover the jacket with a layer of wicking you have, then rub your fingers over the jacket in order to cause friction and heat entering the jacket from the outside. Finally, put your shell on over the jacket, and move so that your body heat gets into the garment from the inside too.
It also helps dry your socks. If your shoes and socks are damp, Simpson suggests wringing out any moisture left in your socks before hanging them up to dry. However, if they’re still damp when you next leave, “put them in the inside pocket of a jacket to get your body heat to dry them out“.
Post-hike cleanup
When you come home from a hike, start with shaking or rinsing the dirt and debris that has accumulated in your gear, then wash each item according to the care guidelines. Fry states that waterproof items, as well as breathable fabrics, must be washed “using a cleaning agent made specifically for [them] on a cold, gentle cycle“.
Inspect and fix
If your gear is getting older and is beginning to show signs of wear, Fry suggests that you recognize this, as it can impact “your overall experience and safety when spending time ‘out there.”
Of course, sometimes the damage will be minor and will not affect the performance of your equipment. Simpson states, “If your favorite hiking shirt has a few holes in it, no worries, you can continue to use it and earn some more rips and tears.”
Fry suggests inspecting gear following each excursion, and if you spot any serious problems – for example, broken zips – make sure to bring it to a specialist repair center. So you don’t have time to forget about problems before you embark on the next trip.