The warmth, light weight and compactability of down jackets make them a backpacker's ace in the hole but one down side has always been their susceptibility small rips or tears. Left unattended all that warm down escapes pretty quickly through fairly small rips or tears.
Repairing a hole in the past has typically involved unsightly repair patches/duct tape or and expensive trip to a gear repair shop. The folks over at McNett have a new solution: Tenacious Tape Gear Repair Patches. Application is easy: just peel off the backing and stick to the gear needing repair. The adhesive is advertised to stay put "rain, snow, or shine" on "outerwear, outdoor gear, water bottles, luggage and more".
The patches come in a variety of fun decorative shapes & sizes to cover just about any size tear. They are also available in black, color, and reflective tape.
After recently finding a sizable rip in the back of my down jacket I decided to give these gear patches a shot. I picked up a camping set in black at a local outdoor store for around $10.The precut tree shape seemed about the right size for the tear- it peeled off the backing easily & seemed to adhere to the jacket material pretty well. It helped to have a flat surface behind the jacket to get the patch on without any wrinkles or flaps. The matte black color of the patch made it not terribly noticeable against the black of my jacket.
After three months of regular wear, two weeks in the backcountry and one wash the patch is still in place and looks good. Having previously used duct tape, glossy gear repair tape, and a needle and thread to repair jackets while on service projects I really like the fun shapes and simplicity of these patches!
2 comments:
If Big Foot were running for public office, sure, I'd vote.
I've used rolls of Tenacious Tape for some time, with always good results. I found the patches last much longer if you cut them into ovals or circles, to minimize peeling. Great product!
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