When you need to MacGyver in the backcountry, it’s helpful to have supplies.
Repair kits: rarely used, always celebrated when needed
By Sarah Carpenter
Backcountry skiing can be so much fun: exploring new places, skiing powder with friends, moving efficiently through the mountains. But every once in a while, something goes wrong. A binding breaks, skin glue gets cold and loses its stick, that old ski boot rivet finally blows out. Or worse yet, you hit a buried stump and tweak your knee or your partner slices her head open on a tree branch.
It’s times like these that the people and gear repair kit at the bottom of the pack comes in handy. The kit is an item that lives in my pack at all times. I’ve added, subtracted and substituted items over the years of guiding, teaching and touring in the backcountry and the problems I’ve experienced. It’s that piece of gear that I almost never use, but am psyched I have it when I need it.
Gear repair kit
My gear repair kit lives in one ziplock bag and my people repair kit lives in another. I store both of them in a small zippered bag, or if I’m headed to the northwest, in a small lightweight drybag.
The obvious pieces that live in my repair kit are the multi-tool, 4-5 ski straps, duct tape, and 10-15 feet of p-cord. For anything other than a really short tour, I also throw in a binding buddy or screwdriver and an assortment of bits, including the pozidrive #3 bit that works with my bindings. These are the pieces that can fix the simple problems -– loss of a skin tip, skins with no skin glue, loss of a snowboard binding strap. Most days, I also throw in glide wax, as well as skin wax for spring time adventuring. The glide wax is a recent addition, after a day with old skis that decided they didn’t want to slide downhill on a powderday.
Additionally, I always carry a headlamp, a lighter, and fire starter (the pre-packaged kind, chunks of bike tube, or dryer lint with or without petroleum jelly) just in case I get caught out in the cold. I also carry a light-weight rescue sled by Alpine Threadworks that can act as a bivy sack or tarp in case I need to stay out or keep a patient warm, and a chunk of bright flagging in case of needing outside help.
Two small hose clamps and aluminum from the body of a beer or soda live in my pack to splint a broken pole, and an assortment of binding screws that work with my (and my partners’) bindings, plumbers putty, and steel wool are in a small bag for binding repair. This came in handy high in a couloir a few years ago when a student on an avalanche course made a turn and stepped out of his ski, with the binding toe piece still attached to his foot. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it was good enough to get him down the couloir and out from the day.
One of the less obvious pieces that I carry is a large hose clamp. It came in handy once when a partner exploded his heel piece while on a ski tour. I strapped his boot to his ski with the clamp and we skied out. This was the other fix that I had in my pack for the binding that pulled off the ski on the avalanche class.
People repair kit
Regarding the people repair kit, I carry medical tape, blister repair including moleskin, mole foam and 2nd Skin, and steri-strips. I carry a pair of gloves, mini trauma shears, ibuprofen, Aspirin and Benadryl. I also carry a few tampons. They are hard to improvise, and you are the superhero if you have them when they are needed. I put a couple in my husband’s first aid kit each winter, too. During days when I’m working, I add an ace wrap in case someone tweaks a knee. I don’t carry many gauze pads or band-aids, as I can improvise these from clothing and other items in the first aid kit.
Editor’s Note: for more on first aid, check out Louie’s play by play of building his first aid kit.
Tweak your kits depending on goals
The people and gear repair kit changes size based on the objective. Multi-day or multi-week trips merit a larger repair kit –- more of the essentials and added pieces that might be needed on an extended trip. Ski objectives where weight matters might lend to a lighter kit and a triple check on the condition of your gear. A guiding day calls for a larger kit than a ski day out with my husband.
The important thing is to have a repair kit for gear and people and some practice using it. Ask yourself what could go wrong with gear and then practice ‘fixing’ it before you’re facing an emergency in the field. Those practice repair sessions wrapping the ski straps around a boot or unrolling the duct tape may tell you that your straps are too short or long or that your duct tape is too old. I keep a document on my computer that lists my current gear and people repair kits, so putting these kits together early season isn’t like reinventing the wheel each year. And I make adjustments based on quizzing my partners about what they carry or from learnings on the days when something or someone breaks.
Once my general repair kit is honed in, I keep the essentials in two zip lock bags and add or subtract as my objectives dictate.
(WildSnow guest blogger Sarah Carpenter has spent most of her life on skis. She is the co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute and an AMGA certified ski guide. She lives in a strawbale house with her husband, Don, in Victor, ID. A year spent building a house convinced Sarah that backcountry skiing, climbing, and working in the outdoors is easier than working in construction.)
31 comments
Bailing wire. Hose clamps can be finicky.
I bring trusting friends who have the same sized boots….
Scott, Great idea….
Mike, I’ve had mixed success with bailing wire. It can be useful, though.
I’ve moved towards bringing 2 different sizes of hose clamps and that’s worked well for me.
I’ve switched from Bivy to Bothy bag in my essentials kit. I like the 2 person size since it can also work solo to wait out a storm or cut wind chill. Multiple sizes are available for larger parties.
It is designed for a sitting up position and props open with ski poles and grants just enough room to change out a sock, dress a wound, read, journal or brew up.
Not ideal for a planned bivouac, rather an emergency one.
also you can screw 2 hose clamps together
IME those ski straps are good to fix the exploding rad heel piece, they will also hook together to make a very long strap and make sure you get the very long sizes
Two things:
zip ties – light and strong
needle and thread – I recommend sailmaker’s needles, a thimble, and some strong waxed thread
The second item is small, light, and will repair a lot of things from torn packs, straps, to malfunctioning zippers. Very handy.
I’m taking notes! Thanks for the comments. I haven’t used a Bothy bag, but I might have to test one out. XXX_er – ski straps are the #1 thing I make sure I have. They can fix so many things. Jack – I agree about zip ties, except in the cold. Then I’ve had them become brittle and shatter.
Lou, I too carry zip ties, a couple of different sizes. You can even get them long enough for the boot repair.
An emergency blanket (space blanket) they weigh nothing and are flat. a 5 or 10cm conforming bandage and a disposable CPR mask.
If you ever have to perform CPR on a stranger, one of these is comforting, trust me, first aid is my day job. Again, they’re light and pack small if you use the key ring type as opposed to a pocket mask.
ditto on the cpr mask.
combat gauze is another thing. it’s a blood clotting agent. seriously life saving and doesn’t weigh anything.
http://www.amazon.com/QuickClot-Combat-Gauze-Z-Fold/dp/B001E1CLTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444874119&sr=8-1&keywords=combat+gauze
And up the number of gloves! Nitrile, not latex. Bring as many gloves as you can shove inside of the cpr mask case.
Thanks for all the info!
There are outdoor zip ties that are good in cold. You can get some from electrical supply stores or flag down a telephone or cable tv technician… we have several varieties in our vans. They can be joined too alot like the hose clamps.
2 small hose clamps
2 3 inch pieces of old aluminum ski pole cut length wise
I have used this a few times to fix broken ski poles. Duct tape and something rigid can work for survival but this is way better. Totally useless for carbon. Thanks for all the great suggestions
This season I’m adding a spare heel and toe piece each for multi day tours. I’m on TLT Speed Superlights so the weight penalty is negligible. And at least one of my partners has the same bindings, so we can split it up. At the very least, carry 4 extra binding screws.
+1 on the bothy bag and nitrile gloves. The gloves also make a good VBL glove liner in case the temps drop unexpectedly low. Test this out in a controlled situation before you have to use it in an emergency. Not everyone reacts well to a VBL.
I’ll second the steri-strips, very useful and effective. I also carry Neosporin to treat cuts and abrasions.
Duct tape. everything from first aid, binding/skin repair, patching ripped clothing, and making splints. no tools required to apply or remove.
Uggh, I really wish people would get over the duct tape obsession. It’s ok for some stuff, but using it to patch clothes or other soft goods makes a permanent repair a total hassle in the future. It leaves a horrible residue to (try) to clean off, gums up sewing machines and is just amateur. Try tyvek tape instead or adhesive nylon patches.
If you’re carrying extra toe and heel pieces, think about adding steel wool (to help biding screws bite) and plumbers putty (works well in cold). Depending on the trip, I might also add some sort of auger or drill bit for a multi tool or binding buddy, in case the existing binding screw holes are stripped.
And yes. I too carry a CPR mask. Good point!
One half of a hacksaw blade, for repair and fabrication. 35 years ago we used it in Little Yoho to make pins out of nails to fix our three pin binders. Gate closed and locked with car on the wilderness side? Trolley locked across the river in unplanned evacuation?…just sayin.
I have found an extra tail clip and strap for my skins to be very helpful. On a few outtings some of my buddies were very thankful when they lost a clip.
If you are going to bring fire starter, consider a titanium or ss cup as well.
Ok, Bothy just got added to my gear purchase list! Plus a few extra voile straps and either bailing wire or hose clamp as my ski boots are ‘well used’
The multi tool might be obvious, but I prefer to bring the smallest vice grips, a t-handle driver, and 1/2 of a hacksaw blade. Now you can grab stuff while you use the driver. You can grip the hacksaw blade firmly because the pliers lock. Use it in the pull-to-cut orientation.
The recent explosion of impact drivers means it is easy to find drill bits that fit 1/4″ hex drivers. Choose the size that will let you remount a binding. Oh, and a couple extra binding screws.
Ski patrollers fix everything with zap straps and electrical tape. There are many levels of quality for zap straps – the good ones are less brittle.
Bug your local bike shop for the extra torx driver that comes with almost every set of Avid brakes – they fit the Dynafit screws, and are small and light.
Single serve packets of epoxy are available, if you are hut based, or camping multi day- this could make for a stronger binding remount.
A scrap of old alu pole, a couple hose clamps, 2 or 3 of those old school smash to close rivets for skins, a spare pole basket, a bit of baling wire, two key rings (replace a broken pack buckle), and it seems I have Voile straps in every pocket!
On longer trips, a Clamp-tite tool is a great fix all. Weighs a bit, but you only need one in the party. Can stay at the hut/base camp. I have rebuilt a broken carbon pole with this and some epoxy.
I also add a couple of caffeine gel (Gu-type) packs to get me back when I don’t feel good or (theoretically) when a 3 hour tour turns into an all night epic, a couple of Lortabs, a few aspirin (after encountering a heart attack on the trail), and a couple of cough drops. Years ago I found a drill bit set that fit into a 1/4 in drive posidriver and I carry one of those bits and a handful of screws on hut trip (actually used it one time to remount a tele binding that tore out). And of course spare mitts and a bright colored puffy jacket. Another clever related trick I heard about someone using – they watched a heli circling, looking for them, realized they were hard to spot in earth tones and fading light, and then thought to trigger on an airbag pack.
A T-nut and matching bolt will fix a broken boot pivot. You can find plastic bolts to keep the weight down.
Robin B, those are some real insider tips! Thanks also Paul and Gerard!
Based on this thread/article, I bought a Bothy Bag. Will now be in my pack at all times. Will use it for lunch breaks in foul weather as well. Thxs!
I like to carry a few extra chemical hand warmers. Or better yet, one of the bigger 6″x6″ versions. Haven’t used it yet but would be nice for someone waiting for an evac.
Best fire starter on damp wood – bar none – is a road flare, cut in half to shed weight. Anything an ignited flare comes in contact with will eventually burn whereas a lighter does not produce enough heat and other tinder (lint, pine resin) unless carried in huge quantities will quickly flame out if the kindling or fuel is even semi-damp. Plus a road flare will act as your locator, much better than a headlamp, in a real emergency. Pack it in a ziplock or dry bag to keep it dry.
Gear Repair Kit: Zip ties, for sure. They came in handy when my buddy’s heel piece fell apart up near the Asulkan Hut. We cobbled the heel piece and boot together to the remaining base of the binding well enough that he still managed some great turns through the Tree Triangle on the way out. Also a spare pole basket…’cause that’s a tough one to improvise.
People Repair Kit: Timcture of Benzoine….one-time use vials (available through medical supply places and even REI). It dries wet skin so that bandages will stick…especially useful when repairing and protecting blistered feet on long, wet, spring tours….also MeFix tape….it’s very thin, flexible, and durable. I’ve used the stuff in many 100 milers without issue.
Leuko tape over duck tape. Simply the best for blisters and strong enough for all the other issues. With benzoin or Mastisol, one careful patch over the hotspot will last a week. Torx bits for adjustable race-style binding plate adjustment. Plum and Kreuzspitze use different bits.
Nothing. If gear breaks I will have to get off the mountain without that particular item. While it’s not fun to ski on a single ski for several hours and in steep terrain it’s doable. Had to do that just once in over 15 years of ski touring. When people break I have to improvise until the helicopter comes to rescue. To my excuse I have to say that I’m based in the European alps. Not the Himalayas, nor Alaska…
So my emergency kit consists of: a phone, 2 pills of ibuprofene