Other Gear
Many other tools can follow this model, but for a lot of things the better approach is to use circumstantial Boosts. If you have Athlete with Climbing then getting out pitons probably counts as a Persistent Boost that then applies to the whole climb. They aren't a flat bonus; they help as much as your skill is able to take advantage of them.
Not every item should trigger a dice rolling frenzy. If a character has spent time and effort and money of buying better straps and securing their equipment to the mule more carefully before crossing the river, then you can probably just let them cross unless it's already dangerous, and at that point it's probably going to mean an Extreme fail on a Naturalist roll to lose the entire mule.
Be wary of letting players use this rule on an item that has Maneuver ranks of its own; ranks in Swords represent real training and actual skill, not just a situational Boost. If they want to do that sort of stacking they need to explain why this particular use of the weapon warrants the additional roll when most attacks do not.