Protecting Your Camping Gear When It's In Self-Storage

Camping is a wonderful pastime, but it's also one that is very demanding and time-consuming. If the season comes when you don't have time for camping, you may want to put your camping gear into storage so it's there for you when you have more time to camp again. Since camping gear is designed to withstand the rigors of outdoor use, it's not too tough to keep it in good shape during storage. However, there are some intricacies to storing camping gear. Here are some tips to help.

Make sure it's clean and dry.

A little surface dirt on a tent can get ground in and become a permanent stain after months in a humid storage unit. If something is moist, mold is likely to grow. So prepare for putting your items in storage by spending some time cleaning them. Do this about a week beforehand so the items have time to dry completely. Hang fabric items like tents and sheets out in the sun to dry so you can be sure they're not retaining any moisture.

Enclose items in plastic.

Materials like wool and canvas are commonly used for camping gear. Unfortunately, these materials are also appealing to insects. Encase any items like these in plastic so that insects like moths and spiders don't take up residence inside them. Either enclose them in ziplock bags or keep them in sturdy plastic storage containers with secure lids.

Don't store liquids and perishables.

Items like lighter fluid, chlorine for your water, and waterproofing spray aren't really worth storing. Since these items are consumables, they are not really expensive to replace. Putting them in storage just puts you at risk of spilling them, which could damage other items you're storing. Plus, many of them might be expired by the time you take them out of storage.

Label everything well.

When you decide to start camping again, you might not need everything all at once. For example, you might go with a friend who has a tent, but need to dig out your backpack and cooking gear. To ensure you don't have to unpack the entire unit, label everything clearly. Use a permanent marker directly on bags and boxes rather than stick-on labels. Stick-on labels may peel off it the unit gets too warm or humid.

Don't get rid of your camping gear just because you have not used it in a while. In storage, it will be out of the way, but still on hand when you get back into camping one day. For more information, contact companies like South Town Storage.