RE: [at-l] Equipment failures

["L. Parker" <lparker@cacaphony.net>]

Paddler,

> All funnin' aside, this is one thing that obsesses me a bit. The trick
> to dealing with equipment failures from my perspective, is to carry
> simply made equipment that can be easily repaired with a
> minimum of fuss
> - or things that can be done without when they break.

Or at least know HOW to do without them if you have to...such as how to make
a twig fire to cook on, or splint a leg, etc.

>
> My stove has no moving parts becuase I never wanted to deal with a
> broken "super-jet-diddly-squiggle-self-cleaning-walkabout" thing, that
> if it breaks makes my stove useless - or nearly so.

Funny, that you should pick that one, I actually like the shaker jet for
that exact reason, to fix it, you just shake it - it fits my get a bigger
hammer mentality just fine!

>
> I had a number of pack failures on my thru, but only one that
> I couldn't
> fix with materials at hand - and some duct tape... I carried no
> multi-tool of any kind, and the knife that I switched to
> about half way
> had only a blade and scissors. I decided that even a
> screwdriver was not
> interesting when I went through my gear and couldn't find a screw in
> anything interesting...

I have never carried anything else but that little knife. After one recent
trip and thinking I lost it, I may start carrying two, one safely ensconced
in my cook kit or perhaps first aid kit.

> By the way, I'm an engineer and I love to take things apart
> and see how
> they work - I just didn't want to bother while in the middle
> of the Wilderness...

I have spent some man-years of my time arguing with other engineers that
simpler is better. I have never liked the economics-driven mindset that
insists upon "improving" something that is already perfect just to sell more
of them. It seems that this almost always ends up shortening the objects
useful life and therefore, to me at least, DECREASING its value.

Lee I Joe

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