Spring cleaning

As the wind howled and the temperatures dipped, it was probably hard to notice the change in seasons. But a quick check of the calendar shows that yesterday was officially the beginning of spring -- and that means camping season is right around the corner.

It's time to start digging out your tent, sleeping bags and camping gear (provided you don't do a lot of winter camping, in which case you never had to put your gear away) and see what kind of maintenance needs to be done on your gear.

Here are some maintenance and repair tips for some outdoor gear, so you don't get caught off guard with a leaky tent on that first trip of the season.

Tents

Set your tent up and give it a quick water sprinkler test -- douse it with some water and see if there are leaky seams, or perhaps small holes that you didn't notice before.

For larger holes in the floors of tent, buy some tent tape and make a "tent sandwich" with it. Cut enough tape to cover the hole and about an inch around it, and tape the inside and the outside. Duct tape can be used as well. Then take seam sealer and cover both sides, creating a waterproof patch.

It's even easier for seams -- and it's a good idea to use seam sealer at the beginning of every season, anyway. Just buy a tube of the goop and coat all the seams of the tent, including the rain fly. Seam sealer isn't expensive, but it works. There are also products that will restore the waterproofness.

Also make sure your poles are in good working order. You can repair poles by buying shockcord and running it through the sections, and attaching new ends. Broken poles are tough to repair for long-term use. In the field, a metal sleeve and some duct tape can get you through a trip.

Also, check your stakes to make sure they aren't bent. Stakes are just as cheap to replace as to repair.

Sleeping bags

There are a couple of ways to repair a hole in your sleeping bag. One way is to contact the manufacturer and see if you can mail it back to them. The other is to patch it yourself.

There are companies that make Gore-Tex patch kits, and they can generally be purchased for under $10. They are very durable, and well worth the money.

You can repair zippers and install new drawstrings by yourself, too.

Stoves

Many of the newer lightweight stoves are great, but they can get dirty. Check the jets to make sure dirt and grime hasn't clogged them before using the stove.

Simply cleaning the jets at home can make for a lot less headaches in the field when it won't work. One thing you can't fix is a broken pump housing -- you have to replace the entire housing.

Backpacks

A good backpack is vital to camping success. Check to see if you have any broken zippers, grommets, lash straps, etc. You can repair those yourself.

Holes or tears can be easily patched at home, too.

It's a good idea to wash your pack before you set out on your first trek of the summer. Scrub the inside and out in warm, soapy water.

Repair shops can help with minor repairs to external frames, but if you have a mangled frame, it might be better to simply purchase a new frame.

Those are major components you should check. Of course, you shouldn't neglect smaller pieces of your gear, like hiking boots, camp cookware and things like sleeping pads and lanterns.

A few minutes spent cleaning and repairing them now translates into a much better time camping in a few weeks.

There are a number of Web sites that are informative about how to repair gear. Check out www.backpacker.com or www.outside.away.com.