Red Domex Versalite sleeping bag and camping mat set up inside Ascent tent at a New Zealand campsite.

Camping Gear Check: Is Your Gear Ready for Summer?

The first warm weekend of spring has a habit of catching everyone by surprise. One minute the camping gear is tucked away in the garage; the next, you are trying to remember whether you fixed that tear in the tent footprint and where you put the pegs.

Before the camping season gets properly underway, give your gear a decent once-over.

A spring camping gear check does more than make packing easier. It gives you time to find leaks, replace missing bits, clean and waterproof equipment and make sure the sleep system you used last season is still right for the trips you have planned this year.

Here’s what to check before your first camping trip of spring or summer in New Zealand.

1. Get everything out before you need it

First job: pull your camping gear out of storage. That means more than opening a cupboard and confirming the sleeping bag is still there. Unpack the tent, unroll the sleeping bags, inflate the sleeping mats, and take out any other equipment you expect to use. Look for:

  • Damp or musty smells
  • Mould or mildew
  • Rodent or insect damage
  • Missing components
  • Corrosion
  • Perished elastic or webbing
  • Damaged buckles and clips
  • Stiff or damaged zips
  • Gear that was packed away dirty or wet

Finding a problem now gives you considerably more options than discovering it at the campsite. It is also worth looking at what you actually used last season. Camping habits change. Kids grow, trips get longer, and a setup that worked for a drive-in campground may be completely wrong for a backcountry weekend.

2. Pitch your tent at home

Yes, actually pitch it. A backyard tent check is one of the easiest ways to catch problems before a trip. As you put it up, check that you still have the complete set of poles, pegs, guylines and other components. Make sure pole sections connect properly and inspect them for bends, cracks or damaged shock cord. Then work your way around the tent itself.

Check the fly and inner

Look closely for:

  • Small tears or holes
  • Seam damage
  • Worn areas
  • Damaged mesh
  • Sticking zips
  • Signs that water-resistant coatings are deteriorating

Pay particular attention to high-wear areas around doors, pole contact points and the tent floor. This is the perfect time to add some UV protection to your shelter. We recommend Nikwax Tent & Gear

Check your pegs and guylines

Count your pegs rather than assuming they are all in the bag. Straighten or replace badly bent ones and inspect guylines for fraying or damaged tensioners.

And while the tent is standing, you might as well give it a UV and waterproofing treatment too. 

3. Give your sleeping bag some love

How your sleeping bag has been stored in the time between adventures matters.

Take your sleeping bag out and give it a good shake. By fluffing it up from the foot of the bag you can check that the insulation lofts properly rather than remaining flattened or clumped.

Look over the shell, lining, zip, drawcords and seams for damage.

If the bag smells stale, appears dirty or has accumulated body oils from previous trips, it may be time for a proper clean. We recommend Nikwax Tech Wash for synthetic bags and Down Wash for down bags. 

Has it been stored compressed?

A down fill sleeping bag should ideally spend long periods loosely stored rather than squeezed into its small travel stuff sack. Compression is useful when the bag is in your pack, but not ideal for several months in the cupboard.

If yours has been compressed all winter, take it out early, shake it gently from the foot and give the insulation plenty of time to recover its loft.

4. Make sure your sleeping bag still suits your plans

Your spring gear check is also a good time to ask a different question:

Is this actually the right sleeping bag for where I'm going?

New Zealand summer camping can mean everything from a warm night at a sheltered coastal campground to surprisingly cold conditions in the South Island high country.

Do not assume that “summer” automatically means warm nights. Consider:

  • Where you will be camping
  • Expected overnight temperatures
  • Altitude
  • How exposed the campsite is
  • Whether you tend to sleep warm or cold
  • Whether you are sleeping in a tent, hut or vehicle
  • The insulation provided by your sleeping mat

Temperature ratings should be used as a guide rather than a guarantee because sleep comfort varies considerably between people and conditions. If your camping plans have changed since last year, your sleep system may need to change with them.

5. Inflate every sleeping mat

A camping mat that looks perfectly healthy when rolled up can tell a very different story six hours after it has been inflated. Inflate each mat fully and leave it overnight.

By morning, check whether it has noticeably softened. A small amount of change can result from temperature variation, but substantial pressure loss deserves investigation. Check:

  • The valve and seal
  • Seams
  • The mat surface
  • Previous repair areas
  • Delamination or unusual bulging

A little soapy water can help identify a small leak by creating bubbles around the problem area. If the mat needs cleaning, use gentle soap and water rather than harsh chemicals and allow it to dry thoroughly out of strong direct sunlight before storing it again.

6. Check your whole sleep system

One of the easiest camping mistakes is thinking about warmth purely in terms of the sleeping bag. Your sleeping mat matters too.

The ground draws heat away from your body, which is why insulated camping mats use an R-value to indicate their resistance to heat loss.

For warmer summer conditions, a lower R-value may be suitable. Cooler shoulder-season nights, higher elevations and colder camps generally require more insulation beneath you.

If you bought a warmer sleeping bag last year but still spent nights feeling cold, your mat could have been part of the problem.

Spring is a good time to look at your bag and mat as one camping sleep system, rather than two unrelated pieces of gear. 

Sleeping bag comfort ratings are measured under EN ISO 23537-1:2022, which tests the bag on a mat of roughly R4.8. If your mat insulates less than that, expect the bag to feel colder than its rating suggests. 

7. Wash your sleeping bag liner

You get a gold star if you use a sleeping bag liner! This job is considerably easier than washing the whole sleeping bag. Give the liner a wash according to its care instructions and check it for tears, worn seams or damage.

A liner can help keep sweat, dirt and body oils away from the sleeping bag itself, making it particularly useful during a busy summer of camping, tramping or hut trips.

Depending on the material, it can also provide another layer of flexibility as temperatures change. On especially warm nights, some campers may find a liner on its own is all they need.

8. Check the small things that can stop a trip

The biggest pieces of camping equipment get most of the attention, but it is often something tiny that irritates. Go through the smaller gear you plan to take and check it now. Depending on your setup, that might include:

Check expiry dates where relevant and recharge rechargeable devices rather than assuming last summer's charge is still waiting for you.

9. Take a closer look at your cooking gear

Last season's dinner may still be hanging around, but many shelf stable MRE’s may still be good. Check those expiry dates. 

Inspect your cookware, stove and utensils for food residue, grease, corrosion or damage.

Make sure nesting cookware still fits together properly and that handles, lids and locking mechanisms are sound.

If you use a camping stove, inspect it according to the manufacturer's instructions before connecting fuel. Never ignore damaged seals, connections or hoses.

Then check the things that are especially easy to forget, like a lighter, backup ignition method and whatever you need to actually eat the meal once you have cooked it.

There is character building, and then there is eating pasta with a tent peg.

10. Reassess what goes into your pack

Camping gear has a tendency to accumulate. One useful spring ritual is to lay everything out and ask:

Did I actually use this last year?

Backup gear isn’t the same as the random pieces that travelled around New Zealand three summers in a row without ever leaving their stuff sack. A thorough audit before the season starts can save precious grams in the pack and space in the car. 

11. Make repairs now, not the night before

If something does need repairing or replacing, deal with it while there is still time. A tiny tent tear can grow. A slow mat leak can become a flat night. A damaged zip can finally give up when you are two days into a trip. Browse through the Gear Aid selection of repair tools and fix any issues today because small issues rarely improve in storage.

Once everything has passed inspection, clean it, dry it thoroughly and repack it, so your core camping setup is ready to grab when the forecast finally delivers.

Your essential pre-summer camping gear checklist

Before heading away, make sure you have:

  • Pitched and inspected your tent
  • Counted poles, pegs and guylines
  • Checked tent zips, seams, mesh and floor
  • Inspected and aired your sleeping bag
  • Confirmed your sleeping bag suits expected temperatures
  • Inflated your camping mat overnight
  • Checked your mat's valve, seams and surface
  • Washed and inspected your sleeping bag liner
  • Checked cooking gear and stove equipment
  • Charged electronic equipment
  • Checked batteries and power banks
  • Reviewed your first aid and repair kits
  • Removed unnecessary gear
  • Repaired or replaced anything questionable
  • Made sure everything is completely dry before packing

Start summer ready

New Zealand camping season is too good to spend the first trip discovering what went wrong in the gear cupboard over winter.

A bit of time spent pitching, inflating, cleaning and checking everything in spring can save a lot of hassle later.

And if your camping plans have become longer, lighter, higher or a little more ambitious since last year, it might be time to rethink your sleep setup too.

Domex has been helping New Zealanders sleep outdoors since 1979, with sleeping bags, mats, tents and sleep-system essentials designed with New Zealand conditions in mind.

Get the gear sorted now. Then, when the first great camping weekend arrives, the only decision left is where to go.

 

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