Backpacker Magazine’s Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair

www.falcon.com, 199 pages
New gear is wonderful, but there’s nothing better than a your old, reliable, favorite jacket, tent, pack, or sleeping bag.  If a product works, you never want to relegate it to the trash, which makes a piece of gear’s inevitable retirement more tragic than any sort of golden watch could remedy. Thankfully, Kristin Hostetter has your back. She’s been the gear editor at Backpacker Magazine for nearly 20 years, and she has spent hundreds, if not thousands, of days in the backcounry pushing gear to its limits.  From cleaning boots (“there’s something very gratifying about giving your boots their own little spa day…”) to cleaning, patching and storing your tent or sleeping bag, Hostetter’s knowledge is equivalent to a post-grad degree in technical apparel and equipment.  There are 15 chapters, each devoted to a topic, from fabrics and zippers to specific gear categories like stoves, hydration, lights, and packs. Our favorite is “Duct Tape Ingenuity”—something that should be required reading for everyone who steps into the backcountry. The book’s well-written, amusing, and vastly informative. We’ve been testing equipment for two decades, and we learned tricks we didn’t even thing were possible. In addition to in-depth discussions of general maintenance and quick repairs, Hostetter also offers a comprehensive look at what makes gear good, how to make the best gear choices, and how to use the gear to its maximum potential.  We almost worry we’ll soon be out of a job…