A simple backcountry field repair kit

Joan and I often backpack away from popular routes and trails. Even for shorter jaunts of three days, we find ourselves away from easy access to a place where gear failure is merely an inconvenience rather than a mishap that causes some hardship.

Over the years, I’ve learned to carry a sub-half-ounce basic repair kit for mishaps that can, have, and will occur in the backcountry.

Now that I live in Utah, which tends to chew up the gear, the utility of a simple backcountry repair kit comes into its own.

And what do I carry in this half-ounce kit?   In a small snack-sized Ziplock bag, I carry –

    • Large safety pins for makeshift closures.
    • A large and thick needle to quick stitches with the floss I carry in my toiletry kit.

 With this kit, I find these few simple items that, combined with my other gear, work well to get me to the next town or back to the trailhead or beyond.

 

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Jhon Adan
Jhon Adan
2 years ago

You sold me on bank line many years ago. Great stuff.
Now safety pins. I have found diaper pins stronger by far than any of the rest. And the very strongest brand is BABYKING ANIMAL DIAPER PINS
About $6 but worth every penny. Used to find them at the 99¢ store for a buck for 4 but hard to find. I bet you will like as much as I like like Bank line and my ULA CDT pack that you also suggested

J C
J C
2 years ago

tyvek tape is the best stuff I have found for repairing light nylon – when you run out of the tape you are using you might give it a try.