I tend to trust razor blades though I do give them a look over before dragging the sharp thing across my face and head, everything else I tend to test. It seems rather silly to go out for a fun overnighter and have that turn into a possible life threatening event because a key piece of gear wasn't checked out. I know that's a little extreme to say your hammock wasn't sewn pretty and it became life threatening but what if you got out in the middle of nowhere and your underquilt and overquilt didn't have any down in them? Ooops. and it's 15 below? OUCH!!! And your in the deep woods past the narrow rocky gorge filled with trolls that feast on blood. NOW you're in trouble. There's no going over that at night because the Goblins will tip you off the path.

So see, ALWAYS check your gear when you get it BEFORE you become a Gnome Sammich!