Rehab Your Used Gear

Navigating the world of used gear can be tricky. After tireless searching for your diamond in the rough, there may still be lingering odors, holes, or wear. Luckily, there area few simple ways to make your less-than-perfect thrift store find feel like a million bucks.

An unbearably cute fix: Tenacious Tape patches, in a variety of shapes, can save a piece of gear quickly and easily.

Tenacious Tape

If you find the perfect piece of clothing, but it features a small hole, don’t necessarily reject it. These colorful, easy-to-use patches come in a variety of shapes and sizes. A small kit of three to four patches is $4.95. Tenacious Tape also comes in rolls that can be cut to size. Add the extra to your repair kit for backcountry trips. gearaid.com

Mirazyme

If you end up buying gear that turns out to have a stink—or have a piece of your own gear you want to save—Mirazyme is an effective way to cut odors. It can be used as a soak or a spray. We tested it out on a backpack that, through a series of very unfortunate events, had cat pee on it. It took two tries, first a good wash and soak in a tub, followed by hanging and a thorough spraying, but the odor was gone. If Mirazyme can kill cat pee smell, it can probably save any bit of stinky gear. gearaid.com

deFUNKify

This is another way to deodorize clothing, specifically aimed for synthetics, which can really hold onto stink, even after they’ve been washed. If that’s a problem, deFUNKify will help kill that odor. You can also try their permanent odor control that will help keep the stink from coming back. It’s more expensive and takes a bit more work, but it can cut down the stink, which is particularly useful for backpack trips where clothes will be worn for many days. defunkify.com

Read More

• Clean, Protect and Waterproof Your Gear
• How To: Re-Waterproof Your Rain Gear
• How To: Fix a Zipper, Restore Worn Heels, Patch Holes and Tears
• Spring Cleaning: Refresh Your Hiking Gear With Fabric-Specific Cleaners