The hard truth from the repair bench is that most gear does not fail from use. It fails from neglect. A pack hauled hard for a season and then thrown wet and dirty into a garage corner for the winter will not survive nearly as long as the same pack used twice as much and cared for a little. Dirt, salt, and trapped moisture do more damage in storage than the trail ever does in motion. The fix costs about five minutes, and almost nobody bothers.
The routine is not complicated. Empty everything, every pocket, every season. Brush off the dried mud and the grit, because grit works into seams and abrades them from the inside like sandpaper. Wipe the leather down and, once or twice a year, work in a thin coat of conditioner so it stays supple instead of drying out and cracking at the fold. If it is waxed canvas and it has started wetting through, re-wax the high-wear panels before you put it away, not after it has already soaked.
Storage matters as much as cleaning. Dry the gear fully before it goes anywhere — a damp pack in a dark corner grows mildew that rots thread and stains canvas permanently. Store it loosely, not crushed under heavier gear, so straps and panels keep their shape. Hang what you can hang. Stuff nothing wet. Five minutes of this at the end of a season is worth more than any repair we can do after the fact.
We build Blackwater Ridge gear to last decades, but the gear and its owner are partners in that. Give it the five minutes and it will give you the years. That is the deal, and it is a good one.