News

Nov 09, 2023

Tips to Make Your Camping Gear Last Longer

Outdoor enthusiasts know that camping and hiking gear can be an expensive but

Outdoor enthusiasts know that camping and hiking gear can be an expensive but worthwhile investment. Although you pay more upfront for well-made sleeping bags and hiking boots, the high-quality equipment we recommend is built to last—especially if you know how to properly maintain it.

Usually just a few minutes of TLC in between uses can help keep your gear in good shape. Here's how we recommend cleaning, storing, and reconditioning your outdoor essentials so that they’ll be ready for your next trek.

Clean them regularly. It's a good idea to try to remove any visible dirt from your boots after every jaunt in the woods, especially if you’re able to get to it before it dries. Usually a damp cloth will do the trick, but if your shoes need a deeper clean, steer clear of the dish soap. Although it can handle near-countless jobs, dish soap can actually coat the boot materials and attract dirt if it's not completely rinsed away.

Check your boot manufacturer's website for care info, but in general, we’re fans of a water-based formula like Nikwax's shoe cleaner, which not only cleans your boots but also helps them repel dirt in the future.

Store hiking boots at room temperature. Leaving your boots in a cold garage or the trunk of your car all winter is a surefire way to dry out and crack the glue that keeps the treads attached to the rest of the shoe. When you’re not using them, keep your boots somewhere inside your house, like the back of a coat closet or on a dedicated shoe rack.

Walk in your hiking boots at least once a month. Taking your boots out for a monthly spin in the off-season helps maintain their flexibility. Simply taking your dog for a walk around the block will do the trick, as will wearing them around the house for a few hours.

Waterproof your boots a few times per year. Most of your outdoor apparel was likely made with a DWR (durable water repellent) coating that can wear off after frequent use. You’ll be able to tell when it's time for a new coat when water stops beading off the surface. It's easy to restore this DWR finish yourself using a waterproofing spray and a bit of elbow grease. (REI has a great how-to breakdown of the process.) Remember that full-leather boots should also be conditioned once or twice annually so that the leather stays soft and pliable.

Take extra care of them in the winter. If you use your boots during the colder months, they need a deeper clean—salt used to melt snow can corrode the materials.

Don't store your sleeping bag in its stuff sack. The pouch that you use for carrying your sleeping bag when you’re out on the trail is not intended for long-term storage. Keeping your sleeping bag crammed into a stuff sack year-round can compress and damage the fluffy loft, which, in turn, diminishes its insulating properties. A high-quality, down-filled sleeping bag—such as one of our picks, the Montbell Down Hugger 650 #1 or the Marmot Women's Teton—should come with both a stuff sack for on-the-go packing and a larger, mesh bag for off-season storage that lets the material breathe and maintain its shape. If yours didn't come with an additional storage bag (or you’ve misplaced it), any large, breathable cotton or mesh bag will also work.

Air out your bag when you get home. After an outing, turn your bag inside out and drape it over a clothesline (or a clothes rack, the back of a chair, a railing, and the like) and leave it to air out overnight. Use this time to spot-clean any stains or smudges with a wet cloth. The next morning, pack it away inside-out to reduce the chances of funky smells developing inside the bag.

Consider investing in a sleeping bag liner. Body oils, sweat, and dirt can build up in your sleeping bag over time, which can eventually wear down the fabric of the bag. A removable liner is easier to clean than the sleeping bag itself, and it’ll also provide a little extra warmth on cold nights. We like the lightweight, moisture-wicking Sea to Summit's Premium Silk Travel Liner.

Use a sleeping pad. These lightweight pads are designed to prevent conductive heat loss to the cold ground, but they also provide another layer of defense between your bag and the ground, keeping your sleeping bag cleaner than if you were laying right on the floor of your tent. For car campers, we recommend the comfortable Therm-a-Rest LuxuryMap Sleeping Pad, which is also easy to inflate, deflate, roll, and store. For backpackers, we suggest the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT—it's lightweight, warm, and comfortable, and it packs down to the size of a 1-liter Nalgene bottle.

Never dry-clean your sleeping bag. The safest way to wash a down bag is by hand in a bathtub, but you can also use a front-loading washer. Avoid using a top-loader because it can rip the bag's stitching. We recommend using Nikwax's Down Wash Direct for down-insulated bags and Nikwax's Tech Wash for bags with synthetic insulation.

Dry it in the dryer—with a few caveats. A clothes dryer is the best way to dry your sleeping bag. But keep in mind that many home dryers are "too small and run too hot even on low heat, which can melt the face fabric of the sleeping bag," says our outdoors staff writer Trey French. In our step-by-step guide to washing a sleeping bag, we note that if you have an extra-large bag or an extra-small machine, you might need to dry it at a laundromat.

But if your dryer is big enough, toss your washed bag in on the air-fluff or air-dry setting along with clean tennis balls or dryer balls. To ensure it's completely dry before storing, hang the dried bag overnight on a clothes rack. (Don't try to hang-dry a wet bag right out of the washer, says Trey. It puts heavy strain on the seams and might never fully dry, which could cause the fill to sour.)

Use a groundsheet to provide a barrier between your tent and the ground. Groundsheets help protect your investment from wear and tear and small abrasions. Any old tarp will help protect the bottom of your tent, although we do recommend using one with the same measurements as the tent's floor. You can also cut a tarp to size if need be, though most manufacturers also sell appropriately sized groundsheets for each of their tent models.

Sweep out your tent before packing it up. Packing away your tent with debris still in it can damage the tent's material. If you have a freestanding tent that holds its structure when it's unstaked, you should be able to lift the tent and shake out any debris. If you’re serious about keeping your tent clear of detritus, pack a small broom and dustpan to keep the floor tidy.

Don't just cram your tent into its carrying bag. Roll it up instead. Though it feels easier to stuff your tent into its case, doing so can put stress on the tent's fabrics and protective coatings.

Never run your tent through a wash-and-dry cycle or clean it with detergent. This can damage the tent's protective coating and seams. Spot-cleaning your tent with a mild soap and water is the best way to clean your tent after an extended camping trip. Don't forget to wipe down the zippers with soapy water, especially if you’ve been camping in a sandy area; otherwise, the sliders will wear out over time. Tent poles, on the other hand, should be wiped down with a dry, soft cloth. If you’re more of a casual camper, you can probably get away with wiping down your tent once a season to keep it in good shape.

Don't store a tent until it's completely dry. Mildew loves a wet tent, so make sure yours is completely dry both inside and out before packing it away. (Remember, condensation can accumulate along your tent's interior even in non-rainy weather.) If you don't have a clothesline to hang it on, set it up in your garage or another dry space until any trace of moisture is gone.

Only put water in your hydration pack. Sugary sports drinks can leave a residue that encourages bacterial growth inside the bladder.

Clean your hydration pack's bladder with hot—but not boiling—water. Boiling water can damage the bladder. Instead, we recommend filling your pack's bladder, bite valve, and drinking tube with a mixture of warm-to-hot water and about two tablespoons of baking soda. Let it sit for an hour, then drain, rinse, and dry.

Hang your bladder upside down to dry. You want the rubbery bladder to air out as much as possible in between uses, so hang it upside down in a dry environment or prop it open on your dish rack. Some manufacturers sell drying racks specific to their hydration packs, but you don't need anything special to get the job done. Our testers had luck drying out their packs by manipulating a wire hanger to hold the bladder open; they also recommend inserting either a whisk, a paper towel holder, or the cardboard paper towel tube to prop the bladder open.

Store your bladder by hanging it in a dry place. Don't leave it stuffed in a pack, even after it's dry—mildew could potentially still develop if even a bit of moisture is left behind. If you live in a particularly humid climate, avoid storing it anywhere mold or mildew could grow, like a damp basement or the garage. Proper storage will allow the hydration pack to stay fresh for longer periods between cleanings.

Dry rain gear on low heat or on a clothesline. The high heat of a dryer can cause the DWR on your clothes to prematurely flake off—but, though counterintuitive, a very short stint in a dryer on low heat can actually help reactivate the DWR. If your DWR finish seems up to snuff, though, line drying is fine.

Treat your rain gear occasionally to maintain its effectiveness. Nikwax adds DWR to rain gear through a spray or wash—we recommend coupling the brand's Tech Wash and TX Direct Wash-In to clean and treat your gear.

Wash your hat frequently by hand. A sun hat takes on a lot of sweat and sunscreen along its interior brim, which can hasten the fabric's demise, so washing it more than a few times per season is key. We recommend cleaning it under cool water with mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush to treat stains as needed. When your hat is cleaned and still moist, smooth out any wrinkles and reshape it before letting it air-dry.

Don't use bleach or fabric softeners on your hat. These chemicals can deteriorate the UPF elements that these hats rely on to keep your noggin safe from sun rays.

This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Catherine Kast.

Elissa Sanci

Staff Writer

Elissa Sanci is a senior staff writer for Wirecutter's discovery team based in Denver. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, Woman's Day, Marie Claire, and Good Housekeeping. When she's not testing TikTok-famous products or writing about car garbage cans, you can find her hiking somewhere in the Rockies or lying on the couch with a bowl of chips balanced on her chest. There is no in-between.

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