Gear & Kit
Buying used gear: what is fine second-hand and what never is
Outdoor equipment is expensive and much of it lasts far longer than one owner. But some items carry invisible damage, and those you buy new, without exception.
Buying second-hand is how most people afford a full kit, and for many categories it is straightforwardly sensible. For a small number of items it is a genuinely bad idea, and the boundary is worth being precise about.
Never buy used
Soft goods that hold a fall: ropes, slings, harnesses, quickdraw dogbones, cord, via ferrata lanyards.
The reason is that the failure modes are invisible. Nylon and polyester degrade with ultraviolet exposure, and a sling that has hung in the sun for two seasons can be substantially weaker while looking fine. Chemical contamination — battery acid, some solvents, bleach — destroys nylon with no visible trace at all.
And you cannot know the history. The seller may be entirely honest and still not know that the previous owner stored the rope in a garage next to a leaking battery.
The same applies to helmets, where foam crushes internally after an impact and does not spring back, and to avalanche airbag systems and inflation vests, where the mechanism and cartridge matter and the deployment history is unknown.
Avalanche transceivers are a partial exception — a recent three-antenna model from a trusted friend whose history you know is acceptable, provided you verify it against a known-good unit and check for manufacturer recalls. From a stranger, no.
Buy used with inspection
Metal climbing hardware — carabiners, nuts, cams, belay devices. Metal does not degrade with age the way textiles do, and damage is generally visible.
Inspect for: deep gouges or sharp burrs on carabiners, particularly in the rope-bearing area; gates that do not close and lock crisply; wear grooves worn into the basket; and any deformation.
On cams: the slings are textile and should be treated as soft goods — many can be re-slung by the manufacturer, and buying a cam cheap and paying to re-sling it is a good trade. Check the lobes for cracks, the axle for play, and the trigger wires for kinks and broken strands. Cams should spring back briskly when retracted and released.
Avoid anything with an unknown fall history where damage might be internal, and avoid hardware that has been in salt water.
Skis, bindings and boots. Fine used, with the caveat that bindings must be checked and adjusted by a qualified technician, and that some older bindings are no longer supported and shops will refuse to work on them. Boot liners pack out and can be replaced. Check ski bases and edges for damage.
Ice axes and crampons. Inspect for cracks, particularly around the head and at points. Re-sharpening is normal. Avoid anything visibly bent.
Boats. Composite boats can be repaired; check for cracks and repairs around the seams and the bow. Plastic boats deform with storage — a hull that has sat on its side in the sun for years may be permanently warped. Inflatables need a careful check of seams and valves.
Buy used freely
Packs, tents, sleeping mats, cookware, stoves, poles, clothing, boots.
Check what you would expect: zips, buckles, seams, pole shock cord, tent floor waterproofing, stove function.
Sleeping bags are a partial exception. Down loses loft over time and a bag that has been stored compressed is often much less warm than its rating suggests. Check loft by shaking it out and looking at the thickness, and be sceptical of temperature ratings on old bags.
Waterproof shells used heavily may have delaminated membranes or worn-through repellency. Delamination is permanent; worn repellency is fixable with a wash and a treatment.
Questions to ask a seller
How old is it, when was it first used, how much use has it had, has it ever taken a significant fall or impact, how has it been stored, and why are you selling it.
Honest sellers answer these easily. Evasion is information.
Ask for photos of the specific wear points rather than a general shot.
Where to buy
Club sales, gear swaps and known individuals are far better than anonymous online marketplaces, because provenance is the thing you are actually buying.
Some retailers and manufacturers run refurbished or trade-in programmes with genuine inspection, which is the safest way to buy used hardware.
Be extremely cautious of counterfeit safety equipment sold cheaply online. Counterfeit carabiners and harnesses exist, they are convincing visually, and they are not made to any standard. Buy safety-critical items from established retailers, new.
The summary
If a component's failure would drop you, and its condition cannot be verified by looking at it, buy it new. Everything else is fair game, and second-hand is how most good kits get built.
