Save money and protect the environment by repurposing your old outdoor gear Don’t let go of your favorite backpack—transform it.

[Le Loup]

Most hikers and campers have at least one torn and tattered piece of gear they refuse to let go. Those are the items that tell the stories of what we’ve seen, where we’ve been, and the muddy canyons and thorny bushes we’ve gone through to get there.
But just because a beloved jacket or tent has seen better days doesn’t mean it should go in the trash. In fact, you can often repurpose your old gear by using it to create something new. This has the simultaneous benefits of giving new life to a valuable item, saving you cash, and keeping perfectly usable materials out of the landfill.
MORE HERE: https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/repurpose-recycle-old-outdoor-gear/

 

[Kindliing]

I got a good Roman big man sleeping bag at the op shop a while ago which goes well in my swag .

It cost me 5$ or there abouts, I pointed out to them the zipper didn't work.

That would be why somebody thought it was no longer any good is my guess and parted with it.

I got pliers and gave the zipper puller a slight squeeze gently on each side not over doing it , like how a can opener stops grabbing properly , a bit similar the zip was not closing the two sides together properly.

I ended up with a good sleeping bag then it worked a treat.

Must be heaps of items left abandoned because of zips not working like , back packs , tents jackets etc.

Heres a good vid showing how to fix zips that have a couple other issues too

 

[Randall]

Kindling, re your zip: if it's nylon, I give my zips some armorall protectant every now and then. I do the zip up, undo the top of the spray bottle, and run the end of the hose that supplies the spray head along the zip. Dip the hose and do another section. It's like lubrication for nylon zips. Keeps them young and in good working order.

 

[Randall]

Most hikers and campers have at least one torn and tattered piece of gear they refuse to let go. Those are the items that tell the stories of what we’ve seen, where we’ve been, and the muddy canyons and thorny bushes we’ve gone through to get there.
But just because a beloved jacket or tent has seen better days doesn’t mean it should go in the trash. In fact, you can often repurpose your old gear by using it to create something new. This has the simultaneous benefits of giving new life to a valuable item, saving you cash, and keeping perfectly usable materials out of the landfill.
MORE HERE: https://www.popsci.com/story/diy/repurpose-recycle-old-outdoor-gear/

My very first sleeping bag has a cotton liner, which has been crumbling for years (like 20 years). It's dacron hollofil, not down. I have the bag open and in a doona cover; it gets used on the bed. I've also had a pair of blundstone walking boots resoled. They weren't particularly expensive and fairly light weight leather, but I've always liked them. The soles are awesome now. I have kind of retired those boots to urban duty which suits my "always up for exploring" mentality If my day packs are still in good order, I patch them and have had a few re zipped. For the last 20 years I've been pro longing the life of the zips with armorall protectant. Now the packs literally wear out before needing zips replaced.

 

[Redtail]

I got a good Roman big man sleeping bag at the op shop a while ago which goes well in my swag .

It cost me 5$ or there abouts, I pointed out to them the zipper didn't work.

That would be why somebody thought it was no longer any good is my guess and parted with it.

I got pliers and gave the zipper puller a slight squeeze gently on each side not over doing it , like how a can opener stops grabbing properly , a bit similar the zip was not closing the two sides together properly.

I ended up with a good sleeping bag then it worked a treat.

Must be heaps of items left abandoned because of zips not working like , back packs , tents jackets etc.

I tried that on a cheap zip, and the whole thing just fell apart, so I went for a Fixnzip. Bought a two-pack, and used both on the one project (an Oztent JetBunker).
It cost me $40, where the local canvas repairers wanted $80 per zip to replace each of four zips in their entirety.
(The Bunker cost me near on $400 - don't get me started on the cheapo zips they used!)
https://www.fixnzip.com/

 

[Kindliing]

I tried that on a cheap zip, and the whole thing just fell apart, so I went for a Fixnzip. Bought a two-pack, and used both on the one project (an Oztent JetBunker).
It cost me $40, where the local canvas repairers wanted $80 per zip to replace each of four zips in their entirety.
(The Bunker cost me near on $400 - don't get me started on the cheapo zips they used!)
https://www.fixnzip.com/

That's good to know too.

20$ a zip if it was something worth fixing. By the sounds of their ad at least then you'd have peace of mind.