OTR Groups

Field notes from a garage workbench

OTR Groups is an independent blog about keeping outdoor kit alive. Strap stitching, shell patching, boot care, stove servicing and tent zip work, written for hikers, climbers and weekend trail crews who would rather fix it than replace it.

Every guide comes with a parts list, a stitch diagram and an honest note on whether the fix actually holds up on a long traverse. Some repairs are worth the evening. Some are not, and we say so.

Read the field notes Send in a repair job

Looking for a specific routine? Start with the repair guides or browse the latest teardowns.

OTR Groups: intro focus

More from the workbench

If a repair in the archive looks close to the one on your own bench, these are the posts most readers open next. Each one keeps the same format: parts list, stitch or seal diagram, and a straight note on whether the fix held up on a long traverse.

All field notes

Strap repair

Stitching a Torn Pack Strap Without a Machine

A saddle stitch at the webbing-to-body junction, backed with 25 mm nylon. Covers needle gauge, waxed thread and when the strap is past saving.

Read the guide

Shell repair

Patching a 3-Layer Shell with Heat Tape

Heat tape only works when the temperature and pressure are right. This one walks through cleaning the area, rounding the corners and testing the bond.

Read the guide

Boot care

Re-Waterproofing Boots After a Wet Cape Winter

Cleaning, conditioning and waxing for leather and synthetic uppers, plus how to tell when a boot needs resoling instead of another coat.

Read the guide

Got a strap that gave out mid-season?

Send in the damage and we will look at it the way we look at our own kit: what failed, what you already tried, and whether it is worth stitching back together. The best submissions get a full teardown on the blog.

Send in your repair

Not ready to send anything yet? Start with the field notes or see how the repair guides are put together.