Outdoor Retailer: Restore Old Gear with McNett

McNett offers a full line of of products to maintain, repair, and restore old gear and clothing.

Just about every week, McNett—maker of care and repair products for outerwear, tents, footwear, and other outdoor gear—hears from someone whose cat peed on his down sleeping bag.

“We can fix just about anything. There really isn’t a problem we haven’t seen,” says George Farkas, product and marketing manager at McNett.

In the cat pee case, the solution is to head to the laundromat with some ReviveX Down Cleaner. Then keep the cat away from that big bag of feathers.

Other scenarios they hear about include: the baby vomited in the tent, the oil from the can of tuna fish spilled in the backpack, the milk curdled, the dog met a skunk, and so on. For horrible smells the solution is MiraZyme Odor Eliminator.

Farkas says McNett uses consumer feedback and works with manufacturers' warranty departments to understand what the consistent gear repair problems are. The company then develops products based on the same ingredients and materials used by manufacturers, so users can care for and repair their gear on their own.

“Half of what we do is empower people,” says Farkas. The biggest hang-up for consumers is fear. No one wants to make a fatal cleaning mistake on her three hundred dollar shell or sleeping bag. But, “we can help people be proud of their gear again and help them do a beautiful job,” said Farkas. “You really can do it.”

Want to know how to:

• wash your climbing rope,
• deodorize your tent, or
• repair your sleeping pad?

McNett offers extensive gear maintenance, cleaning, and repair tips in their Repair Guide, available online: http://www.mcnett-outdoor.com/Repair-Guide/122.aspx

The company has several new products available now:

	Tenacious Tapes Made from actual tent fabric in five colors and clear, Tenacious Tape doesn’t leave a sticky residue like duct tape (“The warranty departments hate duct tape,” said Farkas). It’s made for patching holes and tears on tents, tarps, mosquito netting, rain gear, backpacks, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads. 20" x 3" roll (50 cm x 7.5 cm) 60 sq in (375 sq cm) MSRP: $4.50
	Smart Suds Scent Free Camper’s Soap The first camper’s soap certified by the EPA as “designed for the environment,” Smart Suds biodegrades rapidly through soil microbe action and has Leave No Trace instructions right on the bottle. It does not contain perfumes, dyes, or harsh cleaning agents and can be used to clean hands, face, body, clothing, and dishes. 1.25 oz MSRP: $2.50 4 oz MSRP: $4.50
	ReviveX Leather Boot Care Kit Specifically designed for all full-grain leather footwear, the kit bundles together McNett's ReviveX Leather Gel Water Repellent and Boot Cleaner Concentrate with a specialized boot brush and stain eraser block. Also available as a Nubuck, Suede and Fabric Boot Care Kit. MSRP: $15.95