GearLog® is a Community Interest Company which means that any money we raise is re-invested in developing and managing the platform. We rely on larger organisations using our paid services and generous donations from people like you to provide this service for the global community

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In short this is because you need to provide as many as possible of the following (if you want alerts related to working life and total life):

1. When was it manufactured?
2. What is the manufacturer's recommended shelf life?
3. What is the manufacturer's recommended working life in years?
4. When did you purchase it?

However, here is a load more detail on how GearLog alerts on working life and total life:

GearLog has three warning indicators which can appear on an entry:

• Inspection: Overdue
• Working life: Reached
• Total life: Reached

Here is the logic used to decide which to show to you:

1. If the gear is overdue inspection just that alert is shown. If you then inspect it then that warning will go and the following logic is applied.
2. If the gear is not overdue inspection but has reached the end of its working life then just that warning is shown.
3. If the gear is not overdue inspection and has not reached the end of its working life but has exceeded its total life then that warning is shown.

To decide if some gear is end of working life the logic uses the purchased date (in the ‘Purchase Info’ section) to mark the start of the working life AND the working life you enter in the Manufacturer info section. If you omit those values it cannot calculate working life. But if you have provided them the working life alert is shown if the time since purchase is greater than the working life. We do note that of course you yourself might have a delay between purchase and first use but decided in the balance that is was one complication too far for people in recording data! This errs on the side of caution by assuming gear goes into use soon after purchase.

To decide if some gear is end of total life the logic has 3 possible cases depending upon the data you have provided:

1. If you have told the system manufactured date AND shelf life AND working life then if the time since manufactured date is greater than working life plus shelf life then the alert is show.
2. OR, If you told the system your own user retirement date and it has been passed then it alerts.
3. OR, If you have told the system the manufactured date and the working life BUT not provided the shelf life then if the time since manufactured date is greater than working Life then it alerts (this is to help you where you don’t know the shelf life recommended - which quite common).

Well, there are three ways we can help you there:

1. If you already created an item and have more like it then open that piece of gear and look for the clone icon (  ). Click that and you get a new item just like it that you can tweak (e.g. change the serial number).
2. Or, when you have created a new item and are about to save it look for the 'Save and add another like this' button a bit further down. This will save the item and then also create a new one just like it that you can tweak.
3. Finally, if you have a set of items you want to track as one set look out for the 'Is a set of similar items' option when adding or editing gear. That will allow you to create a batch of items.

Also, have a look at the file import section further down this FAQ.

GearLog has 3 types of account:

1. Firstly you have the single Primary account that you created at sign up. This is your administrator account. Larger organisations tend to use a general email account rather than a personal one for this so that access is not lost if staff leave. If you have set this up with your own email address and want to change you can do that on the 'Update Profile' page of the 'Account' menu
2. Next, you have User Accounts. These are for other people who you would like to be able to add gear, edit gear inspect gear, record loans etc. These accounts cannot, however, edit your profile or settings (e.g. the activities your organisation takes part in and the gear categories you use). These accounts are perfect for other staff members, club kit officers, other rescue team members etc. Set these up on the 'User Accounts' page on the 'Settings' menu by clicking the plus sign to add one and by making sure that Read Only is set to 'No' and Active is set to 'Yes'
3. Finally, you have Read Only User Accounts. These are other people who you would like to be able to view the log but not make any changes at all. These accounts are perfect for staff or club members who might want to browse what is available, but you don't want them changing the data. Set these up on the 'User Accounts' page of the 'Settings' menu by clicking the plus sign to add one and by making sure that Read Only is set to 'Yes' and Active is set to 'Yes'

A few more tips on user accounts:

1. If you want to remove access from a user permanently you can delete them by finding them on the 'User Accounts' page on the 'Settings' menu clicking them to open up their record and then clicking the 'Trash' icon. This cannot be reversed once done.
2. If you want to remove access from a user temporarily you can find them on the 'User Accounts' page on the 'Settings' menu click them to open up their record and then click the 'Pencil' icon to edit them, set 'Active' to 'No' and finally save the record. This is the best approach since they can no longer login, but you still have a record of them
3. When a User Account user logs in they use the username you created for them (not their email address - which is just used to let them know an account has been created for them and what their username is).
4. The primary administrator is responsible for setting the password for user accounts (so you can resolve any login issues the team has). We don't recommend you email the password. If you cannot give the password face to face, then a txt message is a good way to send it separately from the email they get with their username

If you would like to share read only access without the need to create user accounts you can generate a share link from the 'Share Link' page on the 'Settings' menu. Anyone with that link can see your log read only - so only give it to people you trust and tell them to keep it safe! You can remove this share link or revoke it and create a new one at any time on this same page.

This feature of GearLog is perfect for clubs where members borrow gear or organisations/teams where staff can check out gear for client use. Here's how:

1. Firstly find the piece of gear in question on the 'Equipment' page on the main menu . Note you can filter equipment or even search by serial number to find the exact piece of gear by clicking the blue filter box at the top of the equipment list. See the FAQ entry on searching and filtering for more info on this.
2. Click the 'clipboard' icon on the piece of gear to open the Loan screen
3. Record the loan details either by choosing a user account or manually entering them
4. Note, if the gear is already on loan then clicking the 'clipboard' icon will open the Return screen so you can check the gear back in

The are a couple of great reasons to do this! Firstly it lets you scan your gear and go straight to it in GearLog - which is perfect for inspecting lots of gear. Secondly it lets you include contact information within the code in case your gear is lost and then found. To generate a QR code...

1. Firstly find the piece of gear in question on the 'Equipment' page on the main menu . Note you can filter equipment or even search by serial number to find the exact piece of gear by clicking the blue filter box at the top of the equipment list. See the FAQ entry on searching and filtering for more info on this.
2. Click the gear item to open its record and click the 'QR' icon to generate a QR Code.
3. Choose what you would like to include in the QR code.
4. Finally, download the QR code
5. Now all you need is a printer (ideally a sticky label printer) and you are good to go

Check out the GearLog app (App Store or Google play) which has a built in QR scanner that can scan the QR labels and take you straight to the gear in the app!

No problem at all! In the App (not the web browser) open up a piece of gear for which you want to read in the QR code/barcode already stuck on it and:

1. Click the QR icon
2. Choose 'Scan Third Party QR Code or Barcode
3. Scan the QR code or barcode'
4. When it is detected click 'Associate This Code'
5. Now, whenever you scan that third party code, just like you would scan a GearLog code (Scanner on the Tools menu) the App will jump you straight to it.
6. Read this guide for more information.

GearLog has a really powerful filter tool because it is designed for organisations with a lot of gear! The filter a user sets is stored and will be applied again whenever they login. User Accounts each have their own filter too. This is very important because many clubs and teams have different staff assigned to look after different gear categories. So they can filter GearLog how best works for them and the system will remember for next time for each user. Here's how to:

1. Just click the blue filter box at the top of the 'Equipment' page on the main menu.
2. Now pick how you would like to filter the list. The options are:
3. By activity (e.g. only see climbing gear)
4. By category (e.g. only see ropes)
5. Exclude any gear that has been quarantined or retired. This is VERY useful and most people leave that one on since you keep the gear record for a long time (at least until you no longer might need to report on it) and you don't want to see all the dead gear all the time!
6. Only show gear with an alert (e.g. inspection due, end of life etc.). This is VERY useful for quickly getting a list of what you need to check in the kit room
7. By status (e.g. only see On Loan gear)
8. Finally, if you are looking for a specific item then enter any text (e.g. gear name, serial number, batch number etc.) in the Search box
9. The filter is applied dynamically when you make a change and the filter box is closed. You can use the 'Keep this filter form open' option at the end to prevent this so that you set up lots of options without the form keeping on closing!

If you can't find a manufacturer you want, then temporarily choose 'Other Manufacturer' and then drop us an email. We normally get them onto the system within 24hrs and you can then edit the gear and select that new manufacturer,


Also if you look carefully at the manufacturer list you can see something interesting…. The top of it changes as you work! Basically, GearLog learns the ones you use a lot and puts them first in the section 'Your Frequent Manufacturers'. Then, it puts the manufacturers the whole global community of GearLog users use most - which we think is REALLY neat (and kind of interesting too....). Finally, the full list follows for the newer or less common manufacturers

This is a great feature of GearLog. Packing for an expedition? Creating a kit list for each member of the club? Want lists for your regular activities? Want to download them as a spreadsheet and print them? Here's how:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the 'Add a list' button to create a new list, give it a name and click Save
3. Now click the list to open it and click the 'Plus' icon to add gear to it
4. All the gear you have (that is not already added to that list appears (along with colour codes for status and other data to help you to avoid adding suspect gear to the list))
5. Click the Plus icon by it to add it (it will change colour to show it was added)
6. To take it off again just click the 'Trash' icon
7. The list saves as you work so you can just click the 'X' in the top right when you are done
8. You can always come back later and add more or take items off
9. To download the list click the 'Cloud' icon
10. To rename the list click the 'Pencil' icon
11. To delete the list (this does NOT delete the gear!) click the 'Trash' icon

If you have a set of gear on a list (e.g a list for a pre-packaged bag of rescue gear) and you've inspected it and want to update the status of ALL the items to same thing then you can:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the list to open in
3. Now click the 'Eye' icon to record an inspection for the whole list
4. Enter the inspection information. Please note this will apply the same inspection information to everything on the list
5. Click 'Apply this inspection to the whole list' to save the inspection results

If you have a set of gear on a list (e.g a scuba kit list for a club member) and you want to quickly record all the items as on loan to someone you can:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the list to open in
3. Now click the 'Person' icon to record a loan for all the items on the list
4. Enter the loan information. Please note this will apply the same loan information to everything on the list
5. Click 'Apply this change to the whole list' to save the loan information
6. To check the gear back in again just repeat this process and set the status to something other than 'On Loan'. But, if the gear has come back from loan in various states then you should edit each piece of gear via the 'Equipment' page instead

If you have a set of gear on a list (e.g a zipline activity day) and you want to quickly record all the items as having been used:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the list to open in
3. Now click the 'Calendar' icon to record the use of all the items on the list
4. Enter the usage information. Please note this will apply the same usage information to everything on the list
5. Click 'Apply this usage to the whole list' to save the usage information

If you want to 'go to' a list on the equipment page:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the list to open in
3. Now click the 'Arrow' icon to jump to the equipment page filtered to just that list
4. You can also just use the filter function (if you are already on the equipment page) to set the filter to that list

GearLog allows you to add a bunch of 'free text' items at the bottom of the list:

1. Head to the 'Gear Lists' page on the 'Tools' menu.
2. Click the list to open in
3. Now click the 'Plus' icon to add gear
4. Scroll down and find the section 'Other items on this list'
5. Now just type them in there using new lines to separate them
6. Whenever you pause typing the list is saved
7. Click the 'X' in the top right to close when done

Quite probably! GearLog has a builder than allows you to define the format of your serial numbers by building them from blocks that you choose.

1. Head to the 'Serial Number Format' page on the 'Settings' menu.
2. You can have up to 12 elements in your serial number
3. So, pick what you want in each place. If you don't need all 12 then just select the 'Nothing' option in those last places
4. There is a help section at the top of the page which explains your choices.
5. As you work some examples are created dynamically on screen so you can see what your serial numbers will look like
6. To guarantee your numbers are unique you are forced to pick the 'Sequential Number' option in at least one of the 12 places
7. The format saves as you work so you can just click the 'X' in the top right when you are done
8. Now, when you are adding gear, you can click the 'Generate' button by the serial number field to get the next number in your format

If your serial number format cannot be created using the above approach it is still worth dropping us an email as we might be able to change the way the builder works to help you out!

You have two options here:

1. If you just want the inspection history for a single piece of gear then find it on the 'Equipment' page on the main menu (see the FAQ entry for searching and filtering).
2. Click the item of gear to open it
3. Scroll down to the 'Inspections info' section and click it to open it
4. You can now see the full history of inspections
5. Click the 'Download inspections history' button to get a spreadsheet report

Or,

1. If you want the inspection history for all (or a subset) of the gear then head to 'Inspections Report' on the 'Tools' menu
2. Click the Filter Options box to decide what gear (and what time periods) you want to end up in the inspections report
3. You can now see the full history of those inspections
4. Click the 'Download’ button to get a spreadsheet report

You have two options here:

1. If you just want the usage history for a single piece of gear then find it on the 'Equipment' page on the main menu (see the FAQ entry for searching and filtering).
2. Click the item of gear to open it
3. Scroll down to the 'Usage info' section and click it to open it
4. You can now see the full usage history
5. Click the 'Download usages history' button to get a spreadsheet report

Or,

1. If you want the usage history for all (or a subset) of the gear then head to 'Usage Report' on the 'Tools' menu
2. Click the Filter Options box to decide what gear (and what time periods) you want to end up in the usages report
3. You can now see the full history of those usages
4. Click the 'Download’ button to get a spreadsheet report

We have a report for exactly that:

1. Head to 'Loans Report' on the 'Tools' menu
2. Click the Filter Options box to decide what gear (and what time periods) you want to end up in the loans report
3. You can now see all the loans colour coded for if they are overdue
4. Click the 'Download’ button to get a spreadsheet report

We have a report for exactly that:

1. Head to 'Qualifications Report' on the 'Tools' menu
2. Click the Filter Options box to decide which Site's users you want to end up in the qualifications report
3. You can now see all the qualifications colour coded for if they are overdue renewal
4. Click the 'Download’ button to get a spreadsheet report

We have a report for exactly that:

1. Head to 'Reservations Report' on the 'Tools' menu
2. Click the Filter Options box to decide what gear (and what time periods) you want to end up in the reservations report
3. You can now see all the reservations that match the filter
4. Click the 'Download’ button to get a spreadsheet report

Absolutely (and for EU citizens that is also your right under the GDPR):


Head to the 'Export Your Data' page on the 'Account' menu and then click the 'Export all equipment information' button. If you want your inspections history as well, you can do that by going to the 'Inspections Report' on the 'Tools' menu (see the FAQ entry on that tool). If you want your usage history as well, you can do that by going to the 'Usage Report' on the 'Tools' menu (see the FAQ entry on that tool).

By the way, you DONT need to do this to keep a backup. GearLog is hosted in a commercial UK data center which meets the highest standards for security and resilience. The database for GearLog is very powerful and is also backed up every hour. We keep the last 30 days of backups (i.e. 720 backup images!) in secure cloud facility which is separate from the data center. It is safe to say that no backup strategy you can implement on your own via your exported data will give you the same level of protection as what we already offer. So, relax, this export feature only exists because we believe in openness and not locking our users in!

GearLog supports a number of safety critical activities/sports. Head to the 'Activities' page on the 'Settings' menu. There you can turn on and off the different activities - don't worry, turning off an activity won't delete the gear - it will still be there if you turn that activity back on at a later date. Then return to the 'Equipment' page on the main menu and maybe adjust your filter to see the categories for your new activities (see the FAQ on filtering and searching)

For each activity GearLog offers a large number of categories which you can turn on and off. Head to the 'Categories' page on the 'Settings' menu. There you can turn on and off the different categories - don't worry, turning off a category won't delete the gear - it will still be there if you turn that category back on at a later date. Then return to the 'Equipment' page on the main menu and maybe adjust your filter to add equipment in the categories you have enabled (see the FAQ on filtering and searching)

Well, this is one of the main purposes of GearLog so:

1. Head to the 'Equipment' page on the main menu.
2. Find the piece of gear (see the FAQ on filtering and searching)
3. Click the gear to open it and click the 'Eye' to record an inspection
4. Complete the inspection details
5. Note that you can click the 'Me' button to auto add your name as the inspector
6. Also note that the next inspection date has been calculated automatically using the frequency you specified for that category of gear on the 'Categories' page on the 'Settings' menu. But you can use the quick picker to get a different next inspection date or even key it manually
7. Some gear (e.g. some scuba) gear also has a mandatory service schedule (which may have a different frequency from your inspection schedule - e.g. annual vs monthly). So also have a look at the FAQ entry below on recording maintenance)
8. Click 'Record results of inspection' when you are done
9. Note, to preserve the integrity of the audit trail you cannot edit an inspection. If you made a mistake simply inspect again to provide a new, correct entry

Absolutely! You can attach multiple JPEG photos and PDF documents to an inspection record:

1. Firstly find the piece of gear in question on the 'Equipment' page on the main menu . Note you can filter equipment or even search by serial number to find the exact piece of gear by clicking the blue filter box at the top of the equipment list. See the FAQ entry on searching and filtering for more info on this.
2. Click the gear item to open its record and click the 'Eye' icon to inspect it.
3. You will see boxes where you can choose photos and documents to attach
4. Click the browse button and pick the files you want to upload. The files must be JPEG and less than 10MB or PDF less than 20MB
5. Complete the inspection to upload the files and save the record
6. Your attachments appear as links in the inspection reports and also in the downloaded inspection data

1. Head to the 'Equipment' page on the main menu.
2. Find the piece of gear (see the FAQ on filtering and searching)
3. Click the gear to open it and click the 'Calendar' icon to record the use of that piece of gear
4. Complete the usage details
5. Click 'Record results of usage' when you are done
6. Note, to preserve the integrity of the audit trail you cannot edit or delete a usage record. If you made a mistake simply repeat the entry process to provide a new, correct entry (perhaps including a note in the 'how used' field to explain)

Make sure you read the FAQ on inspections first. Now, when you are recording an inspection you will see an option 'Was this a mandatory service inspection'. If you set that to 'Yes' a new box will open which allows you (along with some other information) to capture the maintenance performed. You can, more simply record the maintenance in the 'Inspection comments' field if you prefer, but we recommend you use the more structured service maintenance option described here.

Absolutely! You can attach a single JPEG photo of up to 10MB in size to each piece of gear:

1. When adding or updating a piece of gear you will see a box named 'Upload a photograph of this equipment:'
2. Click browse to pick the photo file
3. When you save the gear it will be uploaded
4. A 'thumbnail' image of your photo will appear on the gear item and, if you want to see (or download) the full size one, just click that thumbnail

Absolutely! You can attach a single JPEG photo (eg a scanned document) of up to 10MB in size or a PDF of up to 20MB in size to each piece of gear:

1. When adding or updating a piece of gear, click open the 'Manufacturer Info' section
2. You will see a box named 'Upload a photograph or PDF of the manufacturer documentation:'
3. Click browse to pick the file
4. When you save the gear it will be uploaded
5. A link to that photo/document will be shown in the Manufacturer info section so that you can access it again in the future

Absolutely! Just select the Import Gear option from the tools menu and then follow the step by step process to map your data file to GearLog's data structure.

Absolutely! Just select the Import Inspections option from the tools menu and then follow the step by step process to map your data file to GearLog's data structure.

Absolutely! Just select the Bulk Update Gear option from the tools menu and then follow the step by step process to map your data file to GearLog's data structure.

Use the Sites tool to setup your offices/centres/buildings/facilities/etc (you can even use Sites to capture a team rather than a physical place if you like). You can then record which Site your gear is at, use the Site as a filter in reports and also setup more specific gear alerts at the Site level.

Use the Gear Alerts tool to nominate a specific user account to receive the alerts for each category of gear at each site. You can also specify the default email address alerts should go to for when there is no rule

Absolutely! Just head to the App Store or Google play to download it