After a long hiatus of being away from Kuching for over 7 and a half years, and after 4 months of lockdowns in various forms, I can resume my long town hikes again. Today, over a 1.5 hour hike, I was testing my old gear for a field trip to the Mulu Caves. In the background is Gunong Serapi, the very peak of which I scaled with troop of scouts in 1971. Also on the mountain can be found the Sri Maha Mariamman Hindu temple.

 

My Camelbak Rim Runner backpack with 3 L water bladder still functions although there is a small leak at the top of the bladder (so not a real problem).

Camelbak Rim Runner

The drinking tube in my set (see my pic above) looks different from this pic as I used a standalone Camelbak insulated bladder hence the black neoprene insulating the drink tube equipped with a bite valve cover.

Camelbak water bladders do not last forever even though they have a lifetime warranty. My 2 L bladder (with insulated reservoir sleeve) also sprung a leak but at the bottom thus rendering it unserviceable. Camelbak Australia replaced the old system with a Crux 2 L bladder and sleeve.  The Camelbak lifetime warranty is real.

The Rim Runner has to be suspended low on the straps in order for the waist straps to take the load because the backpack is small (and short length-wise). One of my larger backpacks is probably better-sized for longer treks where there is load to bear.
 

My chest rig is just a small two-compartment bag suspended from the backpack harness via small carabineers.
The chest rig is for holding ID, wallet, phone, and a Sony A55 Walkman player.

My boots for the day were Hi-Tec Altitude WP.
 

Mine are very old and worn but extremely comfortable which is why even though the midsole and outsole had separated from the upper, I chose to reseal them using GearAid Aquaseal+SR and contact cement instead of throwing them away.
 

Reuniting the soles of a pair of boots will need at least two tubes of Aquaseal+SR while one tube of Shoe Goo should be sufficient for the pair.
You would have to decide whether the cost of the adhesives is worth the repair.

Today was my first test of the repaired Altitude. Although looking much tatty, the repair worked well and the fit was as comfortable as ever. Nothing beats well-worn in boots - not my newer boots such these which I bought on a whim in Luzern:

This item too has stood the test of time well (not that it has been out a lot in eleven years). Only the liner inside has perished. I simply removed it with no deleterious effect on either the hat or the wearing of it.