MSR’s Seattle Repair Shop: Keeping Timeless Gear Alive
When Larry Penberthy started MSR in 1969, he knew he couldn’t control the demands people would place on his gear, but he could engineer his products to be exceptionally durable and easily repaired in the field, back home or with the help of a skilled technician. By doing so, he’d ensure that MSR gear offered the longest possible useful life—good for both his customers and the environment.
Today, MSR gear is still built on that same philosophy and our Warranty & Repair Shop is here for you to back it up. Every year, the shop’s technicians restore thousands of well-used and lovingly abused MSR products to original working order, from neglected WhisperLite stoves inherited from their dad’s closet to abused Lightning snowshoes with broken bindings and ‘ancient’ MSR tents with torn rain flies. Repair Tech Liam Patrick Egan says, “It’s fun to see old things come in for repair. Many of the stoves that are sent in are older than me.”
These beloved items might have ended up in a landfill and replaced with new gear. Instead, they are given new life.
“This gear has a history and the people who bring it in have a history—you can see it in their faces,” says Iris Diligencia, the shop’s repairs supervisor. “They tell us they want to pass their gear on to their kids someday. It’s cool to work on classic products and know I’ll be able to keep that gear alive for years to come.”
Walk-ins welcome Mail-ins welcome
The repair shop is located at MSR’s headquarters in Seattle, WA. Pre-COVID, it wasn’t unusual for PCT hikers to stop in with worn-out gear as they neared the end of their hikes. Legendary mountaineer Fred Beckey once brought in his old cobwebbed XGK stove to have it serviced before a remote expedition. “We’ve rebuilt, cleaned and repaired over 300 stoves (and fuel pumps) for a N.O.L’s group in about a week,” repair tech Steven Foley says. Currently, gear repairs are accepted by mail only, but the shop plans to accept walk-ins again as the world slowly returns to it’s new ‘normal’.
The shop team, comprised of four full-time repair techs in addition to supervisor Iris, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of decades’ worth of MSR gear—they literally know the products inside and out.
Sustainable solution
It’s not just about breathing new life into old gear. MSR’s founder, Larry, wasn’t just a tech-minded engineer, he was also a passionate outdoorsman and lifelong mountaineer. He knew that respect for the outdoors was one of the best ways to help preserve precious wild places. The other way was to build gear that lasted as long as possible, so that excess resources needn’t be used up to replace them. That dedication to conservation is still alive today.
“The more things we can fix, the more things we can keep out of landfills, the better,” Iris says. “It’s just awesome that doing that keeps our customers happy as the same time.”
Warranty, maintenance, or repair?
When products come across their workbenches, the technicians determine whether the product falls under warranty, maintenance or repair. “We can fix most things because we stock practically any part we’ve ever made and might need to fix a piece of gear,” Iris says.
The technicians also spend a good deal of time educating customers on proper use and care of their equipment. MSR sells replacement parts and maintenance kits for many of its products so that people can maintain and repair their own gear, including stoves, water treatment devices and tents. Resources on fixing your own gear can also be found at the bottom of this post.
Location, hours and services
Have you got a beloved MSR product that needs service or repair? The MSR Warranty & Repair Shop is located at 130 South Dakota Street, Seattle, 98134, and is accepting gear by mail (be aware there may be a wait as demand is high). Here are a few of the main services it offers:
Pricing
(Pricing varies depending on the amount of work done and parts replaced): This typically includes thoroughly cleaning and unclogging the filter, and replacing worn or broken parts.
Tent Poles Replacements
If less than 3 years old, broken poles are replaced for free thanks to their 3-year limited warranty. Older tents can be repaired for $5 per pole segment and $20 per shock cord repair. The technicians’ “Tent Bible” includes tent schematic drawings that date back to 1998, and the shop has the pole segments to service many of those tents.
Tent Fabric Repair
Our in-house seamstress can sew in panels, fix mesh rips, and tape replacement panel seams. A seam-sealing service is available for Xtreme Shield fabric tents. The team can also replace the sliders on the zippers (but not the zippers themselves).
Snowshoes Repair
(Pricing varies depending on the amount of work done): We can replace straps, rivets, crampons, retainers, rails and tail spools.
Snowshoes Overhaul
If your snowshoes are older than 5 years and the damage falls outside of warranty, the team can upgrade you to a new pair of decks or bindings for a highly discounted price.
How to service your products yourself
Any outdoor gear benefits from some regular maintenance. “Clean your gear, and you will be surprised how long it will last you,” Foley explains. “We offer outdoor products, and when you use something outside, a bit of the outside is going to leave its mark on it. Yet the amount of gear that comes through the shop could have many more useful years left in it if, between adventures, the customer followed the care instructions.”
Just about every MSR product can be maintained in the field without special tools, and/or serviced annually with an MSR maintenance kit. Here are a few helpful links to get you started:
Stoves:
Tents:
- How to Make Your Tent Last Longer
- How to Wash a Tent
- Tent Pole Repair Splints
- Tent Mesh Repair Kit
- Tent Fabric Repair Kit
Water Treatment:
Snowshoes:
Updated. Originally Published November 8, 2018.