Gear Repair and Maintainance

Do Stickers On Your Car Attract Thieves

August 23, 2016 by Jason Clements

We all do it to support our favorite brands. We plaster our cars with gear stickers. Some stickers are super cool. Some sticker display a message that we want to help spread the word or the good news. But do stickers on your car attract thieves?

How often do we hear stories of car break-ins and our hearts go out to our fellow climbers. Did that vehicle have some gear stickers? We all know that gear is NOT CHEAP. Tents, sleeping pads, ropes, quickdraws, trad gear, pants, and even your Icebreaker undies are all valuable. If your stuff is stolen, your trip is basically over.

So what do you think? Does a sticker on your vehicle make you a target?

Did you know that thieves target cars with gun stickers to burglarize.

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A recent article from the Hampton, Virginia area states: “suspects they’ve arrested have admitted to targeting properties with NRA stickers, military insignia and campaign signs that can tip criminals off to residents’ political values.”

Another story from Charlotte, North Carolina states: “police in the University Division arrested a group of suspects officers say broke into cars specifically looking for firearms. They looked for various gun-related decals and bumper stickers to pick their targets.”

Should you think twice before plastering your car with your favorite gear stickers?

That is really up to you. You know it is very unlikely that your car will be broken into. However, you can do a few things to help make things easier in the rare even that you are a victim of a vehicle burglary.

First, call your insurance agent to find out if your car, renters, or home owners insurance covers theft from your car.

Second, get into the habit of taking pictures of all of your gear before each outdoor trip. This works to keep track of your gear and for insurance purposes if need be.

Third, take a picture of the contents of your wallet and purse. Take a picture of the front and back of all of your bank cards so that you have the customer service numbers handy – just in case you need to report lost or stolen cards. I hope that does not happen to you; but if it does, you will be prepared.

Lastly, lock your doors. Be aware. Stay safe.

Here are some alternative ways to show your support of your favorite gear or outdoor companies:

When you loan or give a book as a gift, include your favorite stickers as bookmarks.
Water bottles. You already do this one. Yeah, everybody does this.
On your mob gear. I use a Sterling Rope sticker to keep track of my rumble roller.
Guide books.
Kitchen kit container.
Route setting bucket.

More thoughts on supporting your favorite gear or outdoor companies.

Get social. Support your favorite gear companies through social media. Write about them. Write gear reviews. Got to their events. Learn how to share on Facebook. Like on Instagram. Learn how to re-tweet.

What are your preferred methods to support your favorite gear companies. Share in the comments below.

Learn a whole lot more about climbing gear and easy repair and maintenance in the HCRBeta Gear Repair and Maintenance Section.

Jason Clements is the founder of and writer for HCRBeta, Hike Climb Relax: How to… Jason has served as the President of the Kansas City Climbing Club where he grew the club from 100 members to 1000 members. He lives in Shawnee, Kansas and also runs the cell phone recycling company, Cells for Cells, which recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer.

You can follow Jason on Facebook or on Twitter @jasonclements.

You support HCRBeta when you shop at Amazon through the links provided below. HCRBeta receives a small referral fee at no cost to you.

How To Repair A Cracked ProHands Hand Exerciser

May 4, 2016 by Jason Clements

How To Repair A Cracked ProHands Hand Exerciser

The best warm up tool I have is the Prohands hand exerciser by Grip Master. Almost every boulderer I know has one of these or something similar to it.

This is the second Prohands Pro (heavy tension) that has cracked on me. Both of mine have cracked in the same manner, so I decided to take to look to find out if it was repairable.

The Answer Is Yes

Yes, the Prohands hand exerciser was repairable; and it was worth the time to fix it.

As you watch the video, you will notice that I call it “busted and unrepairable” around the 5:15 mark. However, while I was gathering up everything to clean up and throw it away, I made a DISCOVERY (at 5:35 of the video) that lead me to fixing it. Here is the video; and the Step By Step is below.

Step By Step Repair A Cracked ProHands Hand Exerciser

How To Store Your Expensive Sleeping Bag

November 24, 2015 by Jason Clements

Learn how to store your expensive sleeping bag by reading the labels on your sleeping bags

This label is from my Eureka Casper sleeping bag. Notice their suggestion to:

For Long Term Storage, Hang Bag By Loops At Foot
Do Not Leave Bag In The Compression Stuff Sack For Long Periods Of Time

And, I like to add:

Ensure That Your Sleeping Bag Is Completely Dry

Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know what those loops are. I didn’t know what those loops were for the first many times I went on climbing trips. I had to ask, “Hey, what are these things?”

Here’s a quick 1 minute video showing how easy it is to store your expensive sleeping bag. I store my sleeping bags on a hanger because I use a Portable Closet to store all of my tents, sleeping bags, and off-season clothing. This is what works for me. You may find something else that works for you. If you have a different system, share in the comments.

Well, one thing is for certain — you must maintain your sleeping gear as you would any other gear. It is important.

Tenacious Tape Repairing A Repair On A Marmot Jacket

November 23, 2015 by Jason Clements

Tenacious Tape Repairing A Repair On A Marmot Jacket

An unlucky wind caught some embers from my campfire and sent them to the sleeve of my Marmot Driclime Windshirt. It burned 2 small holes in the right sleeve.

After asking a few of my fiends, it became clear that I should repair my Marmot Jacket with Tenacious Tape.

I made the repair in only a few minutes.

And that repair lasted for about 4 years. I don’t have a clear memory of when I made this repair; but suffice it to say that that the repair lasted for a satisfactory amount of time. I wear this Marmot from Fall to Spring; so it gets quite a lot of abuse.

As you can see in the video and image below; now, the repair has worn out. It is time to repair the repair. [Read more…] about Tenacious Tape Repairing A Repair On A Marmot Jacket

3 Steps To Get Rid Of Foot Odor In Your Climbing Shoes Today

October 15, 2015 by Jason Clements

Foot odor in your climbing shoes is caused by bacteria. That is the bottom line. That is the end to the “why do my shoes stink” question.

It doesn’t matter if you shoes are leather or synthetic. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female. It doesn’t matter if your shoes are new or old. Bacteria is causing the odor.

3 Steps To Get Rid Of Foot Odor In Your Climbing Shoes Today

Step 1. Use a hair dryer to dry out your climbing shoes and kill bacteria
Step 2. Use a DIY spray of water, rubbing alcohol, and essential oil
Step 3. Improve your foot hygiene

Details of Step 1. Use The Hair Dryer Method

Use a hair dryer to kill bacteria in climbing shoes.

Use your hair dryer to dry out your climbing shoes and kill the bacteria.

Hair Dryer Method To Rid Your Climbing Shoes of Foot Odor — Don’t bury the hair dryer in your climbing shoe.

If you have a hair dryer, you know how to use it. Hold it 2 – 4 inches away from the shoe and direct the heat into the shoe; moving the “aim” of the hair dryer back and forth from toebox to heel. Do it for about a minute in each climbing shoe, then repeat.

You must be smart. DO NOT [Read more…] about 3 Steps To Get Rid Of Foot Odor In Your Climbing Shoes Today

How To Repair A Hole In My Merino Wool Underwear (Step By Step Instructions)

October 7, 2015 by Jason Clements

This is a step by step instruction guide to show you how to repair a hole in my merino wool underwear. This guide assumes that you know how to thread a needle and have, at the very least, some basic sewing skills.

This repair is specifically for the crotch of a pair of Icebreaker Beast underwear. This guide should help you repair any Icebreaker, Smartwool, or ExOfficio underwear.

You can choose any thread. Cotton thread is the best thread as it has more give than a poly or poly blend. There is no such thing as merino thread.

Step 1. Lay your underwear out flat. This is the inside view. I see that I have 2 runs and a hole. I don’t think there is a big difference if you sew on the inside or the outside of your underwear. Your stitches will be very small and you won’t feel the seam you create.

Step 2. The Icebreaker merino wool is perfect for sewing. You can catch the smallest piece of material and sew it right up. I start sewing the bottom run first. [Read more…] about How To Repair A Hole In My Merino Wool Underwear (Step By Step Instructions)