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The zipper on my old REI backpack finally gave out after 15 years
I was three days into a week-long loop on the Uinta Highline Trail last August when the main compartment zipper on my old REI pack just split apart near the top. Had to rig it with paracord and carabiners to keep everything inside for the rest of the trip, which worked but was a pain every time I needed something. Anyone else had a favorite piece of gear fail on them mid-route and have to jury-rig it on the fly?
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andrew_baker99d ago
The good news is you got to keep hiking. I had a similar thing happen but not with a pack, with my tent. I was out on the Appalachian Trail a few years back and one of the pole sections just snapped in half during a wind gust. Had to use a broken branch and duct tape to keep it upright for three more nights. That tent ended up being retired right after that trip, but it got me home. Your paracord fix is classic trail ingenuity, I bet half the people out there have some story like that. It always seems to be the stuff you've had forever that goes at the worst time, not the new gear you just bought.
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henry_anderson549d ago
Dude that tent story is wild. @andrew_baker9 how long did you spend trying to get that branch to hold before you gave up and just went with duct tape? I swear my first fix on the trail is always garbage but by the third try it's somehow bomb proof.
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