How to Clean & Store Your Camping Gear: Protect Your Investment
- Hike Like A Woman
- Jun 13
- 6 min read
DOWNLOAD THE PDF GUIDE ⤵️
Camping and backpacking gear can cost a pretty penny.
By the time you've invested in a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, backpack, water filter, stove, and fuel you've probably invested around $1,000 if you're shopping at your typical outdoor retail store.
That doesn't even include the money that you've spent on clothing, socks, boots, or shoes and the investment of taking time off from work to adventure.
And I'll be the first to admit that spending money on outdoor clothing and gear is worth every single penny, coming up with the cash to replace it when it breaks or wears out or is not fun.
Today I want to help you protect your investment by knowing how to clean, dry and store your camping and backpacking gear.
This will help your gear be used and loved out on the trail for many years and keep old gear out of landfills and you'll never pull a moldy tent fly out of your attic again (🙋🏻♀️ <- yes, that happened to me).
Ready to make your gear last? Let's dive into it. For those who prefer to read keep on reading, if you'd like to watch or read and watch at the same time (no judgement from me) here's a video or if you want to skip all the fluff and get right into it click here to download a free PDF guide.
Table of Contents
Why Gear Care Matters (Beyond the Cost)
Taking proper care of your camping and backpacking gear goes far beyond simply protecting your initial investment. As we discussed, outdoor gear can represent a significant financial outlay, and choosing to regularly replace it not only hits your wallet hard but also contributes to unnecessary waste in landfills.
Beyond these economic and environmental impacts, well-maintained gear performs better when it counts.
Clean gear retains its waterproof integrity and insulation loft, ensuring you stay dry and warm.
Identifying and repairing issues like ripped tents or malfunctioning zippers before you hit the trail can prevent dangerous situations and ensure your equipment functions as intended when you need it most.
By investing a little time in care, you're investing in your safety, comfort, and the longevity of your adventures.
Tents: Cleaning, Checking & Maintaining
Step 1: Set Up & Inventory:
Set up your tent in your yard, garage or wherever you have space.
Inventory it to make sure you have the following items:"
Footprint or groundsheet
Tent poles
Tent
Fly
Tent Stakes
Step 2: Clean Your Tent:
Shake it out.
Vacuum with a handheld vacuum.
Spot clean any dirt or grime with a gentle cleaner (I like Dr. Bronners unscented) or a cleanser designed for tents.
If the tent is really dirty, take it down and scrub it with a gentle cleaner or soak it in your bathtub or spray it with your garden hose.
Set it back up in a shady place to dry, shade is important here. We'll get to that in a minute.
Step 3: Check Your Tent:
Run all the zippers up and down. If they stick add zipper lube, replace any missing zipper pulls and make sure the zippers are fully functional.
Check for holes in the fabric and mesh.If you find a hole fix it with tenacious tape, or sew it up, if you're crafty.
Check seams to make sure they are still sealed. If you find a seam that needs sealing seal it on up.
Check to ensure that water droplets bead off the fly, if not apply DWR spray (durable water repellent). DWR isn't the best for the enviornment so I'm looking for more eco-friendly solutions because this girl does not like to be wet. If you have one let me know!
Make sure that your stakes aren't bent, missing, or damaged.
Check and replace any buckles or straps.
Backpacks: Shake, Clean, Inspect
Step 1: Shake It Out (again 😉)
Take everything completely out of your backpack, flip it upside and shake out any crumbs and debris.
If you can't get everything out then vacuum out your pack.
Step 2: Clean Your Pack:
Spot clean any dirt or grime with a mild cleaner.
If your pack is really dirty, scrub it with a gentle cleaner or soak it in your bathtub or your garden hose.
Hang it in a shady place to dry, like a garage or laundry room. Shade is important here, UV can damage tents, backpacks etc. I know we use them outside in the bright sun but this is a good time to find some shade.
Crucial Note: Putting your backpack in a washing machine can be very tempting, but I'd avoid it so the backpack doesn't lose it's structure or shape.
Step 3: Check Your Pack:
Run all the zippers up and down. If they stick add zipper lube, replace any missing zipper pulls, and make sure the zippers are fully functional.
Check for holes in the fabric, including holes in the rain cover. If you find a hole fix it with tenacious tape.
Check all buckles to make sure they aren't broken, replace any if you need to.
Check all straps to make sure they aren't cut, damaged or ruined.
Sleeping Bags: Synthetic vs. Down Care & Storage
General Inspection:
Lay your sleeping bag out in the yard or hang it on your clothesline or drape it over the railing of your deck.
Inspect the inside and outside of your sleeping bag looking for rips, tears, and looking for grime and dirt that you can see.
If your sleeping bag is smelly leave it out for a day and see if it smells better.
Check your zipper and any velcro to make sure that everything is still functional, replace any broken zippers, fix any sticky zippers and replace any velcro that doesn't stick anymore.
Check for holes inside and outside of your pack, and fix anything you find.
Down Sleeping Bags:
If your down sleeping bag needs to be washed, unzip it, flip it inside out, and wash it in a front-loading washing machine with down-specific wash.
When washed, put your sleeping bag in a dryer on a gentle cycle. Use a wool ball (not a tennis ball, that will degrade the fill over time) to help fluff the down and keep your sleeping bag warm.
Store Your Sleeping Bags:
The goal with storing sleeping bags is to protect the insulation.
Its best to store sleeping bags out of the stuff sack and either in a mesh bag or loose under a bed or in a closet to prevent the loft from being compressed and causing cold spots in your sleeping bag.
General Tips for All Gear
Dry Completely: After every trip everything must be bone dry before storage to prevent mold and mildew before you store it. This is also super important with knives, stoves and cookwear.
Loft Protection: It's important to make sure not to storing sleeping bags or insulated jackets compressed, keep those feathers loose!
Ventilation: Store gear in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. We keep our sleeping bags under our bed and the rest of our gear in our insulated attic.
Batteries out: If you have items like GPS devices, cameras, flashlights etc it's a good idea to take the batteries out to prevent corroding.
Recommended Cleaning & Repair Products
Affiliate Disclosure: If you liked this workshop and want more like it check out our affiliate links on Amazon and Rock Porch! When you shop for gear repair, storage and cleaning supplies through our affiliate links it doesn't cost you a thing but the teeny bit of money that we earn through affiliate programs helps offset the cost to provide high-quality free outdoor education. Thanks so much!
By following these simple steps, you'll ensure your camping and backpacking gear remains in top condition, ready for countless adventures on the trail. This protects your investment and aligns with our commitment to sustainable adventuring.
I'd love to know your thoughts on this guide, what you found useful and if you enjoyed this guide and the accompanying video.
Share your best gear care tips in the comments below!
Cheers,
Rebecca
p.s. I'm here for you, just reach out to hikelikeawoman@gmail.com if you have any questions, comments, concerns or an idea for another guide.
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