Buying and checking used gear

Gear ages through use, UV light, moisture and the way it was stored. Fabrics wear through, seams come apart, zips lose teeth. Coatings on the inside of tents or rain jackets can turn sticky or flake off over the years. Things stored damp smell musty or have mould spots. On shoes the sole can come away – this is called delamination.

All these kinds of damage have one thing in common: they can be found with a careful check. What you can see, pitch and try out can therefore be judged well second-hand. Anyone who takes their time often finds gear that has hardly been used.

Protective equipment is different. A rope that has held a severe fall, a helmet that once took a hard knock, or a harness that came into contact with chemicals can be weakened without it being visible. Manufacturers state in their instructions when such equipment must be retired – for example by age or after a severe fall. Without knowing the history, you cannot check these criteria.

First think about what you really need. Don't buy anything just because it is cheap, but because it suits your planned use. Check size and fit – especially for packs and shoes – in person. Used shoes have often already shaped themselves to someone else's foot, so try them on especially carefully.

With textiles such as jackets, packs and sleeping bags, look at seams, zips and buckles, search for abrasion and thin spots and feel the inside: is the coating sticky or flaking? Smell it – a musty smell points to mould, which often cannot be fully removed.

Pitch a tent before buying if at all possible. That way you see whether all poles, pegs and guylines are there. Check the poles for cracks and hold the floor and fly against the light to spot holes. With stoves look at seals, valves and rust; with lamps look in the battery compartment for corrosion, meaning greenish or white deposits; and with knives check the blade and lock.

Don't buy ropes, harnesses, helmets, carabiners or avalanche equipment with an unknown history second-hand, and don't use them for safety-critical purposes. The danger lies precisely in the fact that they can look fine even though they are weakened. Follow the manufacturer's information on service life.

Check a used stove for leaks outdoors before its first use, away from open flames. Replace worn seals and use it only with the fuel it is built for. Don't buy gas canisters and fuels of unknown origin second-hand.

Rechargeable batteries deserve a close look too. A swollen, deformed or damaged battery in a lamp or power bank should be neither used nor charged; it belongs at a collection point. If you are unsure whether a device is safe, better leave it.

Clean used gear before its first use. Wash clothing and sleeping bags according to the care label; wipe down packs and tents. If water no longer beads up, you can reproof jackets and tents as the manufacturer recommends.

Test everything on a short trip near home before you rely on it for a long one. That way you find small defects while you can still fix them calmly. Used gear usually has no warranty and hidden defects are possible – so a test is especially important.

You don't have to own everything. Clubs, neighbours, friends and swap groups often lend gear for single trips. That is ideal for trying out whether you even like a certain tent or pack before buying anything.

Buying second-hand and swapping are especially worthwhile for children's gear, because children grow out of shoes, jackets and sleeping bags so quickly. Many items are then still almost new. Used gear is also often a good choice for spares or for the go bag, which will hopefully rarely be used.

And when you pass gear on yourself, be honest about what it has been through. That way the next owner can judge it properly – and with protective equipment it is usually better not to pass it on at all.