Camping Life

Spring Gear Check: The 4 Things You Need to Do This Weekend

Bridget O'SullivanBy Bridget O'Sullivan
Gear & Setupspring campinggear maintenancecamp stove

Look, March is here. The days are getting slightly longer, the weather apps are teasing us with 50-degree weekends, and if you're like me, you're itching to get the van packed or the tent out of the garage.

But here's the thing: you do not want to discover your gear is broken on Friday afternoon at 4 PM when you're three hours deep into the woods.

After 22 years of this, I can tell you that the first spring trip is when you pay the price for whatever you neglected in November. Gear doesn't always store well, especially if it was put away damp or left in an unheated garage over the winter.

Here is the non-negotiable gear check you need to do this weekend, before you even book a site.

1. Fire Up Your Stove (And Check the O-Rings)

This is the number one failure point on the first spring trip. Cold weather and long storage dry out rubber O-rings in camp stoves and fuel lines.

  • Pull your stove out of the bin.
  • Connect it to a fuel canister.
  • Fire it up.
  • Let it run for two minutes.

If it leaks, sputters, or the ignition fails, you have time to order a $5 replacement part instead of eating cold beans in the dark.

2. The Sleeping Pad Inflation Test

Your sleeping pad is your defense against the freezing spring ground. Do not trust that it's still airtight.

  • Inflate your sleeping pad completely in your living room.
  • Leave it overnight with a few heavy books on it.
  • If it's soft in the morning, you've got a micro-leak.
    Find the leak with soapy water and patch it now, while it's warm and dry in your house. Patching a pad in a 35-degree tent is a miserable experience.

3. The Water Filter Flush

If you use a hollow-fiber water filter (like a Sawyer Squeeze or a Platypus) and you didn't properly backflush and dry it before winter, or worse, if it froze while damp, it might be ruined.
Run water through it in your kitchen sink. If the flow rate is nonexistent, or if you suspect it froze, throw it out and buy a new one. A compromised filter means giardia, which is exactly how you ruin your entire spring.

4. Battery Audit

Headlamps, lanterns, and GPS communicators drain batteries over the winter. Turn everything on. If it's rechargeable, plug it in and make sure it actually holds a charge. If it uses alkaline batteries and you left them in since October, check the battery compartments for acid corrosion (the white crusty stuff). Clean it with a little vinegar on a Q-tip if you have to.

The Takeaway

Getting your gear dialed in now means when that first perfect weather window hits, you can just load up and go. You won't be scrambling for stove parts or realizing your sleeping pad is a deflated mess at 2 AM.

Take an hour this Saturday. Pull the bins out. Check the critical systems. Your future self will thank you.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear I've personally tested.