Gear problems and causes / solutions

[J M]

Thanks for the ideas, I'll suss it out a bit more and see if I can work out what's happening. I initially thought that the gas must have run out as it was a very gradual decrease in flame until it extinguished.

[J M]

So I've tried it twice more - once again with the gas on full and once about halfway. With it completely open it died out again after a couple of minutes but when I had it on a more moderate heat it seemed to be fine (and still brought a pot of water to boil faster than my trangia would have!)

[Orion]

That means that it's the cooling of the canister that is triggering the failure. It doesn't mean that you don't have a problem with the stove. When you're trying to boil water and it's cool out you might find that the issue resurfaces. What should happen is that as the canister cools the output will slow, which in turn will reduce the cooling rate. A balance should be achieved, with a lower flame than what was produced initially. But it shouldn't just stop outright.

Like NNW, I use my canister stove at sub-freezing temperatures. In those conditions I rely on the pot and a simple windscreen to reflect some heat back to the canister. That said, if running it at full power at 15°C caused it to crap out completely I'd be looking for a different stove.

[GPSGuided]

Have you tried a different canister with different gas mix?

[J M]

Not yet. I should get a chance to try a different canister and stove next weekend so I'll see how it goes.
Thanks Orion, I think I'll take your advice and keep an eye for something else because a lot of the time I'm cooking in colder temperatures than 15 degrees

[RonK]

It would be very unusual to ever burn a canister stove at full throttle. It won't heat any faster and you will just waste gas.

[wildwanderer]

Are you using a Optimus gas canister by any chance ? A couple months ago I brought one to use with my pocket rocket stove. Similar symptoms to what you outlined. Flame died for no reason after a few mins. Sometimes it wouldn't start at all. Plenty of gas in the canister.

I switched to MSR isobutane canisters and haven't had a problem since. Was strange because there was no reason why the Optimus canister should not have worked as well as the MSR. Temp was about 10-15 degrees so the different gas mixes should not have been a factor (to a cause stove failure degree)

[J M]

Nope, not using an optimus canister. It's actually an Edelrid mix (30% propane, 30% iso-butane and 40% butane). It's interesting that you had similar issues though.

[johnc]

The fly on my 20+ year old Fairydown Assault (2 man) tent has succumbed to old age. I have found that the fly for the Marmot Tungsten 2 man tent is almost exactly the same size and shape as the one for the Assault. It even has the same size webbing tapes and plastic bayonet fasteners at the corners, and these fit perfectly into the sockets on the Fairydown inner. The only modification needed is a new sleeve on the top of the Marmot fly to take the short central cross pole, which is apparently attached to the inner of the Marmot tent. Cost - $160 for the fly and $100 for the new sleeve on top of the fly.

[rcaffin]

Can i rewaterproof japara jackets (only used in grampians)? I have 10 jackets at school that need to be rewaterproofed to save students having to buy raincoats, as school camps are getting expensive.

Yes. You can get stuff for cotton fabrics at most saddleries. Don't even think about any of the more 'modern' chemicals.

Cheers

[Moondog55]

Hey ? johnc can you post a link to the replacement Marmot fly please? I too have a semi defunct Fairydown Assault courtesy of Sambar 358

[Neo]

Any tips for drying Platypus soft bottles?

The one litre has a handle so can hang it (upright) with the lid off to air. The two litre does not.

These have the small standard size bottle tops/opening. Am only using plain water in them. Ta

[Moondog55]

Plastic coated coathanger through the neck and then pegs to hold it on a line upside down

[Neo]

Thanks MD can do!

[Neo]

I seem to have a slow leak in my mat, a Nemo Tensor 20s which is a short Yellow mat a bit like a cheaper neoair.

Never used outside the tent so im thinking it might be a valve issue. Recently have blown some air in once or twice during the night.

Currently at home base so i could use a bathtub to look for a leak. Very slow though so doubt its a puncture!

[Neo]

Replaced mat above. Next

Problem: fine sands stick to Silnylon and sealed seams, likely to be abrasive on gear!

Causes: camping by rivers and in sandstone areas

Solution:?

[Neo]

I seem to have a slow leak in my mat, a Nemo Tensor 20s which is a short Yellow mat a bit like a cheaper neoair.

Never used outside the tent so im thinking it might be a valve issue. Recently have blown some air in once or twice during the night.

Currently at home base so i could use a bathtub to look for a leak. Very slow though so doubt its a puncture!

Used the bathtub method and found three leaks in the Nemo mat. Curiously they are all on the top surface, in the dimple and a little off to the same side. Test it tomorrow.

(meanwhile had put a nice rip in a new Exped mat back in November thanks to a dry bracken stump!)

[pulseevents]

Removing stickyness from pu coated silnylon.

I have an old 4 season tent that i just dont want to part with but unfortunately the seam tape has died and is flaking off and the underside of the fly has become sticky.
Is there anyway to remove the stickyness without destroying the coating or is there a way to recoat it?
Cheers

[Moondog55]

Recoating with diluted neutral silicon is the usual way
Success is not guaranteed but it usually works

[pulseevents]

Thanks moondog. I had read about using that on some other things but wasnt sure anout a large area like a fly.
Is there anything specail that works well as a cleaner for surface prep that isnt too violent on the silnylon that anyone had success with?

[Neo]

G'day does anyone know what this exped toggle setup is for? Came on a Lightning 45. Maybe you have a photo of where you use it...

[gbedford]

that toggle is for tying on something eg. a pole. Loop it around the object, slip the cord into the hook and pull the cord tight. Of course it has to be attached to the pack first.

[Neo]

OK thanks!

[Huntsman247]

Problem- Kathmandu jacket breaks
Prevention- Dont buy Kathmandu

hehehe Too right. I think Kmart is better. lol.

[Neo]

Another Exped question:

Anyone know the best way to attach the Flash Pocket to a Lightning 45?

It has an elastic and hook on each corner of the pocket. I try to not put anything heavy in the pocket and also it's fartherest from ones back...

Here is q pic of what I usually do, attaching the top where the zigzag compression straps clip in. Slight concern about the minor fraying seen on the pack loop. Can also fit the pockets hook slightly lower into the male end of that clip.

(have also used a bit of string and mini caribiner instead for the top two corners to reduce the elasticity but went back to standard recently).

Edit: other side no fray so may have been caused by something else.

[Lophophaps]

How do people repair leaking sleeping mats on trips? One method suggested to me was to attempt to locate the leak using soapy water - a bubble will form. Another was to immerse the mat in still water, find the leak, mark with a felt pen, dry and repair. This would only work on summer trips when one gets to camp in time to let the mat dry. Also, might felt tip pens have chemicals that are unkind to mats? Cycling tube repair kits have been suggested. It seems that bike tubes have far higher pressures that air mats. Finally, are what we sleep on sleeping mats or sleeping pads?

[Gadgetgeek]

finding holes is hard, you might be on your own there, but an alcho pad should help displace the water and dry it faster. Bike patches are designed to stick to butyl rubber, so I don't think they would work so well on mats. tenacious tape would be my first bet its what thermarest sends with their kits, along with some "glue dots" they are like a super thick putty or something. But anything that holds the seal would work, then the tape protects that. I would say that if its foam, its a mat, air is a pad, but that's just a definition I decided on now because you asked.

[Orion]

It's easy to find large holes. The tinier ones are next to impossible to locate on a trip. They're hard enough to find at home. I've never had much luck using soap. At home I dunk the pad in the bathtub full of hot water, fold it over to increase the pressure and I STILL find it hard to locate really slow leaks. On the plus side a slow leak is manageable to a certain degree. On one 9 day trip I couldn't find the hole so I just got into the habit of waking up every 3-4 hours to add some air to my pad.

If you do find the hole and don't have the manufacturer supplied patch kit, tenacious tape works pretty well. Urethane glue also works. I thought bike patch kits contained urethane glue. I could be wrong about that. In the field use whatever you've got. I made a temporary patch one time with pine tar and a band-aid. It held for the five or so days I needed.

I wouldn't worry too much about pen ink. I've drawn plenty of circles on pads (U.S.) / mats (U.K., Aus.) over the years and the failures have never been associated with those markings

[Lophophaps]

Thanks, most helpful. My Thermarest is maybe 20+ years old and did not leak. The recent Sea to Summit mat seems to be more fragile. However, I clear the ground of anything spiky or lumpy, footprint, tent floor and a 3 mm closed cell mat combine to stop spikes. Pine tar and a bandaid - interesting.

[Lamont]

It is (soon to be was) certainly mat -because it is the abbreviation for mattress. Inflatable sleeping mattress became "mat". Like much in our lingual past we abbreviated.
In the best current Australian tradition it will be "pad" soon as we more fully complete the move to "full American".
Who sleeps on a pad?
I suppose we all will be soon.
Nothing at all against our American cousins. I wouldn't be surprised if they were quite bemused with their culture being so easily and rapidly integrated here.
Oh well. But I digressed...sorry.