Re: Checking your gear

My wife and I have hiked something more than 2500 miles in the Sierra Nevada and other parts of the West. We've backpacked for years and years, and we are as experienced a pair as you are likely to find on any given day on the trail. So what could possibly go wrong?

Well, on our last trip, just as an example, we had a few misfortunes. My toothbrush broke. It was a source of some amusement to see me trying to brush my teeth holding the stub of the brush with both hands and still reach the teeth in the back of my mouth.

And my sunglasses also snapped above the ear. No worries, we had packed duct tape--except that for some reason I had switched lip balms, and the supply of duct tape was wrapped around the old lip balm tube, not the new one. That's OK. We also have adhesive tape in the first aid kit. In fact, that tape came from my parents' first aid kit...and let's see...my mom passed away how many years ago?

So It was tape, but it wasn't adhesive. hmm. Luckily, we still had a few small band-aids, and a couple of them, wrapped around a twig as a splint, fixed the sunglasses at least enough to get him home. Just a reminder that it pays to make sure all your gear is newish...and that you've also got a back up!

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Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963

...and that your air pillow doesn't have a hole in it (56 y/o, I need to sleep well)
...and that you have 2 water bottles with you (depended upper Yosemite falls a few weeks ago, no water
...and that your GPS is still registered (couldn't send messages to loved ones, thought we were in trouble)
...and that you reviewed your checklist before the trip so the above doesn't happen
It's easy to get lazy on this stuff

And always try setting up a new tent before taking it on a backpack.

Totally! I recheck first-aid kit every couple of years and didn't know until a few years back that the hand-warmers have a shelf life and expiry date. Thankfully we had just reached DeweyPoint from the tunnel v and it wasn't too cold.
Your reminder about a thorough check totally makes sense.

We found out the antiseptic wipes in the first aid kit were all dry. Luckily, I had a smaller one in the depths of my pack that had one that we could use to clean a minor scrape. You never know!