TIP number 26

Care of the equipment

This is a skill, and like any other skill it can be developed and perfected. It’s no different than setting up a tarp on a windy conditions or reading a map, it is a skill.

I’ve had dubious traditional campers hold certain UL items in their hand and they’ll scoff (with venomous contempt) informing me that it’s simply too flimsy to stand up to the hellish rigors of camping in the mountains. That’s not true. There is a surprisingly simple technique I employ to maintain my gear and avoid unnecessary wear and tear, and it’s easily summed up in three words: I am careful.

The traditional camper has an arsenal of cordura, ballistic nylon and steel. No need to carefully set their pack down, they can just drop that formidable beast - and then sit on it! Not so with the UL gear.

Everything in the UL campers quiver is dainty, true enough. But, the perception is that the stuff is so flimsy that it’s unreliable, and some will even say unsafe! I am ever mindful of my gear and it’s limitations, and I make sure to treat it with loving kindness.

Also - I do NOT sit on my pack.