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My old tent hit 100 nights in the field and I'm not sure what to do with it.
The zipper's getting stiff and the floor is thin, but it's never actually leaked. Part of me says to retire it before it fails, another part says to run it until it rips. What's your personal cutoff for replacing a piece of gear that's just worn, not broken?
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theabennett3d ago
Honestly if it ain't leaking, it's still working. A stiff zipper just needs some lube, that's a five minute fix. Gear doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to not fail in the woods. I'd keep using it until you actually get wet or a real tear shows up. Replacing stuff before it breaks just feels like giving in to new gear hype.
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morgan.cameron3d ago
Yeah, @theabennett has a point about the hype. My old rain jacket looked like it went through a shredder, all those little scuffs from bushwhacking. The DWR was totally gone so it would wet out in five minutes, but it never actually leaked through the seams. I kept using it for two more seasons as a wind layer until I sat on a sharp rock and put a hole right in the seat. That was the real end. A stiff zipper is nothing compared to that.
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