Those hard-won tricks leave when the old guys retire.

Absolutely, @terrymurray gets it - that's the real stuff right there!

Honestly, just do what @jessicahunt did and refresh for drops while picking a less popular backup trail.

Oh, absolutely. They turn a five minute job into a whole thing where you need scissors and a whole new cable. The plastic gets brittle and snaps, or worse, it cinches down so tight you can't even slide wire cutters in there. It's pure false economy, saving two seconds now for twenty minutes of swearing later. Velcro strips are the only sane choice.

Read that swollen batteries can happen from overcharging or just old age, kinda scary how common it is lol.