Essential Outdoor Gear Manual: Equipment Care, Repair, and Selection (Paperback, 2, Revised)

Acknowledgments

Preface: Meditations on Glues, Screws, and Goos

Part 1. Soft Goods

1. Essential Techniques

Sewing Basics; Fabric Patching; Zippers: The Full Disclosure; Fasteners; Cordage; Seams and Seamsealing

2. Fabrics and Insulations

Unraveling Fabric Mysteries; Insulations; Cleaning Methods; Patching; Seamsealing; Coating or Recoating Synthetics

3. Specialty Garments

Wetsuits and Neoprene Care; Drysuits; Shelled Gloves; Gaiters

4. Shelter

Tents; Poles; Sleeping Bags; Sleeping Pads

5. Packs

A Cautionary Tale, or Quasimodo's Revenge; The Five-Point Pack Check; Pack Rats; Patching; External-Frame Packs; The Tumpline

Part 2. Footwear

6. Weatherproofing Boots

Keeping Water Out; Boot Linings; Drying Boots

7. Custom Fitting

Boot-Fitting; Lacing Tips and Tricks

8. Boot Repairs

Typical Repairs; Ski Touring and Telemark Boots; Plastic Mountain Boots; Rock Shoes; Rubber Boots

Part 3. Hardware

9. Stoves and Cookware

The Crankiest Item in Your Pack; Stove Types; Pressurized Liquid-Fuel Stoves, Simplified; General Stove Maintenance; Fuel Conservation; Cold-Weather and High-Altitude Operation; Small-Space Safety; Get the Most from Your Cookware; Cast-Iron Cookware

10. Water Filters

Filter Field Care; Ye Olde Bleach Flush; Didn't Clean Your Filter before Storage?

11. Knives and Multitools

Cleaning; Storage; Gaining an Edge

12. Optics and Electronics

Binoculars; Still Cameras and Video Cameras; Goggles and Glasses; Compasses; A Bit about Batteries; Headlamps and Flashlights

13. Climbing Gear

Carabiners; SLCDs, Friends, and Assorted Springy-Thingys; Ropes; Slings and Kevlar and Spectra Cord; Harnesses; Ice Tools; Crampons; Ice Protection; Helmets

14. Winter Gear

Touring Skis; Bindings; Poles; Skins; Snowshoes; Collapsible Avalanche Shovels; Sleds and Pulks

Part 4. Paddling

15. Boats

16. Rules of the Resin

Warnings about the Warnings; The First Resins; Thermoset Resins; Resin Types; Safe Sets

17. Hull Materials

Of Canoes and Geologic Time; ABS or Royalex; Aluminum; Skin-over-Frame, a.k.a. Folding Boats; Fiberglass and Kevlar; Gelcoat; Polyethylene; Inflatables; Wood-and-Canvas

18. Canoe Inspection

Gunwales; Furniture: Seats and Thwarts

19. Kayak Inspection

Bulkheads; Rudder Assembly; Hatches; Cockpit Coaming; Hanging Seats; Footbraces; Sprayskirts; Hardware; Seams; Deck Rigging; Storage Tips

20. Paddles and PFDs

Wood Paddles; Composite Paddles; PFDs

21 Dry Storage and Flotation

Patching; Dry Bag Tips; Flotation Bag Tips; Dry Boxes

Appendices

A. Adhesives

B. Low-Tox Cleaning Solutions

C. Kit Suggestions

D. Tools and Supplies for the Trail and Shop

E. Useful Knots

F. Directory of Repair Services

G. Materials Resources

H. Recommended Reading

Index