I intended to wait a week to see if the little spray bottles of alcohol and Teflon dry film, laid over on their sides, showed any sign or leakage or evaporation, but kinda forgot about them. Zero Teflon dry film leakage or alcohol evaporation after two weeks.
P1280013 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Next test, the seldom-est cleaned and becoming most recalcitrant zippered bags I carry, the filthy toiletry kit bag and the (medium sized) first aid kit, the latter has too many oft unopened exterior and interior zippers.
P1280015 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The toiletry kit zipper, having been opened at least twice a day, and damp sponge cleaned at some point, wasn’t too bad, but it sounded a little GRLLZZRRRLL zipper tooth sick.
The seldom opened zippers on the first aid kit were another story. The back panel zipper on the personal first aid kit was finger immovable, requiring a pre-lube and a pair of pliers to open. That was a seldom unzipped mystery pocket that seemed to contain nothing. Oh boy, some pink surveyor’s ribbon. Wonder why I haven’t opened that zippered compartment very often.
P1280019 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
The main compartment opened without need of pliers; but still took some force. Not exactly what you want in a zippered 1[SUP]st[/SUP] aid bag. And there are more interior zippered compartments than I need, all somehow white crusty salted and recalcitrant from tidal trip exposure. I am increasingly not a fan of zippered pouches on tidal water trips.
P1280021 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
There was some serious sponge smutch just from those little zippers, and unlike tent zipper those bags are usually stored away, largely protected from blowing dust and grit. Salt encrustation on tidal trips is insidious. With all of the zippers finally opened I used a little (cut off piece) of wet sponge action along the zippers first, to remove any dust, dirt or sand debris.
P1280017 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Just damp cleaning the zippers on those little pouches left some crud on the sponge, and I’m about to do some Teflon dry film lubrication, might as well attend to cleaning and lubing some other zippers, raingear, down vest, heavy weight fleece jacket, all oft camp worn.
Yeah, those left some serious crud on the sponge. I wonder how much of that black from the clothing zippers is campfire smoke soot and the like.
P1280024 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
I do gently launder the clothing items (with zippers closed), but I guess that alone is not enough to thoroughly clean the zipper teeth.
Cleaned with a damp sponge, let dry and Telfon dry film applied (I used the Teflon spray on the clothing) all of those zippers now have
much smoother action. Lesson learned; I need to clean and maintain zippers more frequently.
And I had opportunity to revisit and replenish the contents of that 1[SUP]st[/SUP] aid kit, something else I should check more frequently.
The 1oz squirt bottle of Teflon dry film is now ziplock bagged in the Spares & Repairs kit, and the squirt bottle of 91% alcohol ziplocked in the essentials bag. If I find that alcohol bottle oft used handy for hygiene wipe downs or quickie fire starter I may fill a larger lighter fuel bottle.
https://www.amazon.com/Ronson-ounce...t=&hvlocphy=9007844&hvtargid=pla-849246192667
I know those Ronsonol (Naptha) plastic squirt bottles don’t degrade, leak or evaporate; I’ve had one half full for years. And years and years; I can still read the $3.19 price tag. danged inflation.
you don't have to dig into your pack.
