Did you cut your waterproof winter pants with your crampons while mountaineering? I did...
The funny thing about Gore Tex jackets and pants is that they cost a ton of money and you're supposed to wear them in the harshest places and conditions.
So you pay big bucks for your North Face or Mammut jacket and then you have to crawl through a chimney while climbing a gully - your jacket scratched and ripped from all that pushing against the rock face. Yeah, bring it on! It doesn't matter - you'll pay another $300 for a new jacket, right?
Or NOT!
Repair your waterproof jackets, pants, tent or other gear with Tenacious Sealing & Repair tape
It really makes no sense in buying new gear with every small puncture. In the end, each piece of outdoor clothing / shell (and even your tent's flysheet) is susceptible to cuts and tears so you might as well accept it and be prepared to fix it.
I used to invest emotionally in my brand name clothing but I realized it's plain silly and now I don't give a crap if what I'm wearing has a logo or not. As long as it's functional, keeps me warm and dry, that's all that matters. And I advise you to do the same. Repair what can be repaired and go on with your climbing, trekking or whatever.
The McNett Tenacious tape seems to be the best of it's kind. I've read a few reviews and people seem to love it.
The salesperson in the mountain shop told me he used it to seal his inflatable sleeping mat and it still holds. It seems the bond is pretty strong.
The tape is transparent and comes in a 50 cm long roll. That's enough for you to patch a dozen jackets.
How to use it
- Cut a patch and make its corners round
- Make sure the area you're placing the patch on is clean and dry (trim loose threads in the cut)
- Peel off the paper
- Apply the tape on the cut and press hard
- Leave it 24 hours as for the bond to reach its full strength
Where to buy it
The Tenacious repair tape (also called ripstop repair tape or seam sealing tape - you can seal the sewings in your waterproof shells) can be found in most of the specialized mountain stores.
If there's no such shop in your area, here's a list of direct links where you can buy online your waterproof repair tape:
- Rei.com
- Amazon.com
- Amazon.co.uk
- Backcountryedge.com
- Backcounty.com
- Mountaingear.com
- Cascadeclimbers.com
And here are some pictures showing you what the product looks like:
Instructions
Hole in tent's flysheet
Flysheet repaired
Stay dry and be safe!
| Disclaimer: This is no sponsored post. I bought the tape myself and I'm happy with what it does. If your jacket is leaking it's worth trying to patch it with Tenacious tape. It's not expensive and you can fix all sorts of gear or other items (backpacks, synthetic upholstery, gaiters, etc.) |
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Useful article. I've used some kind of sealing tape (i don't remember the name) for my pants & tent. It's so good. They look almost as new.
ReplyDeleteCool!
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna be friends with this tape for a long time. :-)
I think that Tenacious Repair Tape solves a big problem with mending cuts in waterproof tents, jackets, and pants. This is a very useful tip.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Andrea!
ReplyDeleteThat's good idea...
ReplyDeleteMaybe this will be one way to fix my branded clothes and pants. I will not discard them. Well, I can not possibly buy a new jacket with just one small snag. Moreover, only to climb the mountain... I use the expensive jacket and torn and I could not possibly replace it with a new jacket.
I agree with you that the most important of the mountain climbing is not an expensive jacket, but how I'm not cold.
can't order from australia...
ReplyDelete