Gear fails of 2025

[arlenmyles]

Senchis have a good cut. I think there's a lot of people cranking these out now and the patterns get pretty basic.

My senchi came in key on a couple of hunts this year!

 

[blackhawk219]

This might be a dumb question but did you know that rangefinder has 4 brightness settings? You get to it by holding the menu button down and cycling through by pressing it again about 6 times to get to the brightness settings. Press the range button to change the brightness once you’re in that setting menu

Not a dumb question as I didn't know about it when it happened in the field, but after doing some research when I got home I figured it out. Unfortunately that wasn't the issue and it seems like it was something with the display

 

[bigunit]

Forgot to post that my msr windburner as well as pocket rocket 2 would not work at minus 7c with 4 season fuel. Have to go back to white gas for winter I guess.

 

[CMF]

Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX - Couldn't make it through 24 days of sheep hunting. Sides ripped up, soles starting to come loose, lace broke.... Maybe my expectations are too high. They were light and comfortable.

 

[Maverick1]

Kifaru Duplex light frame, not a failure but man does it like to squeak. So much so that its the loudest thing when I'm trying to sneak in on something. End up dumping my pack sooner than I would like to on stalks

On the Kifaru frame - one thing that I’ve found as the source of squeaks is when dirt or debris gets into the pocket of the waistbelt where the frame & stays go. Have to remove the waistbelt from the pack entirely, dump it out, brush it off, and then reattach. (If that makes sense.)

 

[Maverick1]

Some of these failures sound like minor inconveniences, others would result in some extended misery. Oof!

 

[Blacktail_]

Had some Danner High Country boots start squeaking on me, like insanely loudly. Tried everything, grease, new insoles, nothing helped…

 

[Dobermann]

I had some issues with my Stone Glacier bino harness on my elk hunt this year. Specifically, it was when I added the bottom zippered bag. I imagine it was the extra weight but I'm not a huge fan of how velcro system for that one specific item. The velcro for the phone holder and the mag/garmin pouch have worked great ...

I made some tweaks to how it connects by cutting down the length of the velcro straps which allowed me to get it to hold to the main harness a little tighter. But I still don't trust it for carrying important items or anything with some weight to it.

I think the Velcro attachment for the bottom pocket is the most janky part of the design. If you tighten the Velcro up as much as possible, it's still wobbly - and the Velcro overlaps by about 5 mm. SG needed to do a little more R&D on this before releasing, I think.

 

[MtnSquach]

Somewhere in mountains of CO is the PEAX Backcountry Duo charging cable...
Without their cable, you can charge their headlamp.

PEAX Backcountry Duo headlamp is essentially a rebranded Sofrin D25LR ($30/USD), with some tweaks to brightness settings and battery capacity. The real sticking point is the power cable—so much so that the Sofrin cable won’t even charge the PEAX, despite Sofrin being the actual manufacturer.
My workaround has been to swap the PEAX Backcountry Duo headlamp battery into my Sofrin headlamp unit to get a charge it with a standard USB-C cable. Not ideal, but it keeps me running two solid headlamps when I’m deep in the backcountry.

I really like both headlamps, but won't be buying the PEAX unless they switch a standard USB-C cable.

I also bought the Peax before knowing it has a temu clone. After a late, dark packout and hearing my wife (first packout ever) complaining about not having a headlamp and having to hold her phone light out, I bought a sofrin as a backup (primarily to compair the two). I agree it is super annoying the Peax has a special cable. Honestly the only thing I like about the Peax over the Sofrin is the lock feature. If My peaks charger fails I’ll probably just buy another Sofrin and save $75. I guess I can always take the battery out when it’s in my pack.

 

[twall13]

I also bought the Peax before knowing it has a temu clone. After a late, dark packout and hearing my wife (first packout ever) complaining about not having a headlamp and having to hold her phone light out, I bought a sofrin as a backup (primarily to compair the two). I agree it is super annoying the Peax has a special cable. Honestly the only thing I like about the Peax over the Sofrin is the lock feature. If My peaks charger fails I’ll probably just buy another Sofrin and save $75. I guess I can always take the battery out when it’s in my pack.

You don't even need to take the battery out. Just turn the battery closure 1/4 turn to disconnect it and you're good to go.

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[MtnSquach]

You didn't even need to take the battery out. Just turn the battery closure 1/4 turn to disconnect it and you're good to go.

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That’s a great idea, I’ll be doing that from now on

 

[Dobermann]

I might have missed this party if this is an annual event, so I'm going to stretch the rules and list a few failures from the last few years:

Sitka Timberline pants - threads came undone after only a handful of washes. Not cost-effective to send them back for replacement so I had to sell them locally at a big loss. In the meantime, I'd seen @THLR's posts about the stupidity of tight thigh designs and @Formidilosus's recommendations for Fjallraven Keb, and couldn't be happier. UF Pro have been the go-tos for range use and comps.

Swaro RF binos - not sure what model. Slower than my (gulp) Vortex Furys.

Thermarest - again, not sure what model. This was from a few years back, so maybe they've fixed it, but the surface material was crinkly like a potato crisp packet on speed - so loud I'd wake up when turning over in my sleep. Main lesson was to not buy online or rely on people saying "It's not that bad" and test for myself. Followed Form's advice on the Exped and sleep better on that than I do in my own bed.

Fjallraven Singi Stubben backpack - I bought one on Form's recommendation, and used it as an EDC pack and dayhike pack for a couple of years. It's heavy and bulky, but that's the payoff for having an internal steel frame for a seat. But the real issue was that the side pouches wore holes within a few months. Not what I'd expect from Fjallraven.

About three Black Diamond Storm headlamps - apparently, they had an issue with the locking latch quality a few years ago. A known issue, but looks like instead of issuing a mass recall, they just let retailers hock them off for cheap - my source was a major outdoor gear shop, who then didn't want to issue replacements. I've been told the latch has been fixed since.

Dark Energy battery pack - I wanted to support these guys and followed Aron's suggestion some years back. USB cable failed pretty quickly, as did the replacement. Pack seems to not like charging iPhones for some reason. It's now relegated to a power outage emergency box.

MDT Ckye Pod - I know this is the darling of the PRS crowd, but mine was wobbly as all get out - there's no way they did the most cursory of checks before letting it out the factory. When I contacted them, they suggested I pull it apart to try to fix myself - no thanks.

And .. it pains me to say it, but I had a Kifaru day pack fail. This was clearly a mix of a design/stitching placement issue. Had to pay for the return shipping - which, at international rates, is the same cost as buying a brand-name backpack on the local market. Kifaru wouldn't budge on covering the shipping, even though it was their issue. While they repaired it well, it didn't leave a good taste, espcially after 10 years of being a loyal customer. Had me wondering if they're a bit rudderless these days.

And the quest continues for merino boxers that last more than a year of once-a-week use. Let me know if you think you've found them. I'm tired of my kids laughing at the holes in my undies.

 

[SloppyJ]

I think the Velcro attachment for the bottom pocket is the most janky part of the design. If you tighten the Velcro up as much as possible, it's still wobbly - and the Velcro overlaps by about 5 mm. SG needed to do a little more R&D on this before releasing, I think.

Completely agree. Reminded me of something id slap together in the garage and give er the ol "that'll hold" at 1am.

I think if I cut some of the hook part of the tabs off that it might let me cinch it up a bit more. That or ill just sew the bastard on there with 50# fishing braid.

 

[rclouse79]

Waist buckle broke on my MR Beartooth 80.....first load of my 5 mile solo pack out of an elk. Made that pack out a lot of fun. Had to tie my waist together with paracord to make it even slightly bearable.

I bought this pack for my son. Overall I like it, but we had a buckle fail when tightening down a load. I should replace all the buckles with the locking ones from Exo while I am thinking about it. The MR buckles just feel cheap in comparison.

 

[dirtytough]

Some of these failures sound like minor inconveniences, others would result in some extended misery. Oof!

Agreed. Some of these aren’t even failures.

 

[one66stang]

Not a dumb question as I didn't know about it when it happened in the field, but after doing some research when I got home I figured it out. Unfortunately that wasn't the issue and it seems like it was something with the display

I had this happen, Leopold's response was that electronics just wear out and get dim. We can offer you 40% off a new one but no warranty.

 

[kswaterfowl]

Marmot precip eco rain jacket. Leaked through on both arms. Luckily my jacket underneath kept me dry.

Outdoor research crocodile gaiters. The lace hook had a rivet pop off. Ive only worn them a handful of times.

Just wanted to update that outdoor research took care of me. They sent a new pair free of charge.

 

[Carrot Farmer]

Salomon boots lace. While scrambling/traversing up a dodgy incline my footing broke free and slid about 14’, caught and snapped the lace on one boot. Their “quick lace” system is an extremely thin synthetic lace that is convenient and I’ve used various versions of their boots for years without issues, however blowing that specific type of lace in the field was a dumpster fire.

Sawyer mini filter. Had a pretty good freeze one night after topping off water that evening, likely there was some level of water still in it. Next day the temps continued to drop and were in the teens when I went to refill at a creek the next afternoon, ended up with it being blocked (likely frozen) and water leaking from a crack in the filter attachment fitting.

Battery pack jumpstarter. Like a USB bank but with a special connector for car battery terminals. Mine has sat as part of my vehicle/recovery kit for a few years and maybe been used 3 times total without issues; always charged or topped off before a trip. Same cold snap as above, went to jump a partners car with a dead battery and when I pulled it out it was only showing 25% and wouldn't hold a charge.

Had a few experiences similar to @MT_Wyatt that were ‘me’ failures

Lawson iron Kevlar laces.

I’ve got the same pair of laces, that are on my 2nd pair of Crispi daily boots…2.5 yo!


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[Carrot Farmer]

On the Kifaru frame - one thing that I’ve found as the source of squeaks is when dirt or debris gets into the pocket of the waistbelt where the frame & stays go. Have to remove the waistbelt from the pack entirely, dump it out, brush it off, and then reattach. (If that makes sense.)

I believe that goes for all packs. My Exo tends to get like this near the end of the season. I disassemble, wash in tub, and it’s good to go get dirty!


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