Time to review the troops

With the news full of road closures and snowstorms in the Sierra, now is a great time to review, refresh and re-think your equipment for next year.

We usually take a weekend to pull out every piece of backpacking equipment that we own. We drag it all out into the center of the living room, and make sure it's all in tip-top shape. Sometimes a tent needs a leak fixed, or a sleeping bag needs a wash. The bug juice gets checked to make sure it's still good, as do the medicines and any dried food...

And every year, we find that we've picked up another piece of equipment or two, to replace something that's a bit old, a bit tired, or maybe just a heavier version of the new one.

And while we keep some of the old equipment just to make sure that we have what we need, we also give some of it away. We may one girl scout troop very happy a few years ago, when we gave them some old sleeping pads, tents, and bags. We weren't using them any more, and the scouts were able to enjoy a trip together--even those who couldn't have afforded to buy their own gear.

We hope you'll do the same this year. Besides, going through your gear is not only a smart thing to do, it will also give you ideas for planning next year's trips, where you just might need one or two things before you go.

Do it now, and avoid the Christmas rush.