Repairing rips and tears in nylon gear

Becca

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I have a running list of things that need to get done before our hunting season really kicks off next month, and today's task was making some minor gear repairs. We have been fairly pleased with the hardiness of our backpacking stuff, but after the abuse we put things through its no wonder that it has some normal wear and tear. One of our bivy sacks had two 4" long rips/burns in the top fabric from rubbing up against a hot stove, and Luke's puffy pants had a dime size tear just above the reinforced knee.

I used Kenyon ripstop repair tape on both these items, as I have had great success using it in the past. While the product claims to not be waterproof, I have previously made repairs to nylon shells on down jackets and the like, with no problems peeling up in damp or snowy conditions. I wouldnt trust it for something like rain gear or a dry bag, but for the nylon shell used on most other gear it works great! I rounded the corners of each piece with scissors before applying it (less potential for peel up later the directions claim) and then pressed it down hard. I applied the tape to both the inside and outside of the tears on the bivy, but just did the surface of the pants since the rip didn't go all the way through to the lining.

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Forgot to take "before" pics of the bivy, but here it is afterwards:
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Puffy pants with tear, just above the reinforced knee:
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Easily fixed, and ready for sheep hunting:
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NICE! I have a few things I could use that on around here, including one of the wife's puffy coats that got a little to close to the fire while making smores recently. One note though, Luke needs to go and adjust his gear weight spreadsheet. This no doubt increase the overall load by at least .072oz...
 
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Becca

Becca

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Becca, have you or Luke had a chance to try the Tyvek tape? I have heard good things about it. phil

Phil, we have used tyvek tape, but for more waterproof types of items. We ended up with holes in floor of an alpacka raft (the floor, not the the tubes) after going down a very boney creek without a good seat. It worked as advertised, and kept most of the water out, although it was a short term fix-- we sent the boat in for repairs as soon as we got home. I dont think it would stay in place on flexible surfaces very well, and so dont know if i would use it on clothing except for maybe rain gear, and then short term only.
 
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Becca

Becca

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Awesome tip Becca, thanks!

I will definitely be making use of the Kenyon tape!
Sure thing Matt, hope it works as well for you as it hs for us. For what it's worth, I have a similar product new in the package made by coughlin, but haven't tried it yet. If I remember right, I got the Kenyon tape at REI...
 

luke moffat

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No need, those items weren't waterproof to begin with. That bivy is meant to be used inside a shelter. The bottom side is waterproof but the top is meant to breath so there is no condensation build up.
 

Titaniumman

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It's interesting to read about repairing nylon. As I was reading this I was trying to remember a piece of gear I have that actually is made of the stuff. Other than a tent or a sleeping bag I just don't own any. Funny how things change...
 
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Becca

Becca

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It's interesting to read about repairing nylon. As I was reading this I was trying to remember a piece of gear I have that actually is made of the stuff. Other than a tent or a sleeping bag I just don't own any. Funny how things change...

We actually don't have that much either, except for shells on puffy stuff. The top of the bivy may very well be some other kind of synthetic blend. For what it's worth, I also mended holes in two merino wool t shirts yesterday, but I figured that was pretty self intuitive so I didn't want to bore anyone with photos :)
 
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We actually don't have that much either, except for shells on puffy stuff. The top of the bivy may very well be some other kind of synthetic blend. For what it's worth, I also mended holes in two merino wool t shirts yesterday, but I figured that was pretty self intuitive so I didn't want to bore anyone with photos :)

Sooo, I take it you used just regular thread for that and not some fancy $15 per yard merino yarn? ;)
 
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