Off season gear care

[John Joseph]

Autumn isn't off season, but for this year it is for me as I'm home bound recouping from surgery and bored out of my mind so I'm getting a head start..
So it's time to go through the camping gear, perform maintenance, repairs, toss the broken stuff and contemplate sourcing new stuff.
So far, waterproofing my hiking boots and hanging an old ax head top my to-do list along with an Optimus 111 back packing stove that needs to be fettled with.
I really need to get a new head lamp too. For some reason I'm murder when it comes to headlamps---they just don't hold up longer than a season or two.
What off season projects are on your list?

[Happy Joe]

Winter is, for me, a time to; consider, review, inventory and inspect; (also helps in making a list for Santa).
I try every year to consider what I used, what I needed and what would make the experience better.
I make a pile of the gear and go over each piece; Did I use it? Did I need it? Will I probably need it next year? Does it need repair/replacement? Can it be improved? Could something (or a combination of things) work better (or can several things be combined)? Has the item become obsolete enough that it should be replaced? Are all of the parts/pieces there? Did anything get lost, used up etc. Is anything just plain ready for replacement/retirement?

The items end up in a good & useful pile, a good but not worth it pile (to be stored) and a repair pile the remainder get put on a shopping/Santa list to be replaced along with the missing items.
and the things that need modernization or a project or a project to design and build.

So far; ...
Last year I determined a need to improve the tent battery and solar recharge system; successful but the solar panels will only go on longer trips (may get some more powerful but lighter panels).
I solved the need for a headboard (pillow retainer) for the cot; it worked very well and will stay stored in the cot..
I accumulated everything needed to bake in camp (now headed for storage as baking in camp is too much trouble).
I expanded the hard cases used to store and carry the gear; some of the old ones are headed for storage.
There wasn't enough interest in camp for the games and puzzles; they too, are headed for storage.
The Bug zapper was a good idea and will stay.

I will revisit the tent ceiling light this winter to see if a lighter, more modern, more packable, rechargeable unit will serve...
The floor lamp will remain a viable option for some selected trips.
I still feel the need for a porch on the tent...(possibly holding up lightweight solar panels).

The above will likely change, a bit...

Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

I don't really have an "off season". I camp in the mountains in the summer and the foothills in the winter.

But I do have some things I perform on a regular basis:

Once a year, I go through all the compartments in my campers and remove things I did not use in the past year (exception, emergency and first aid gear).

I check expiration dates on canned goods and move soon to expire items into the house (where I'll eat it sooner).

I do research on new campgrounds.

I make a basic plan of trips for the next year - specifically so I can make reservations for certain trips and/or not end up not camping because I didn't consider potential fire closures.