Ultralight Repair Kit

[John Gelack]

I am trying to put together a ultralight repair kit. Some of the items that I am cosidering are a few sewing needles (not sure what sizes to get), waxed dental floss, duct tape(Flat pack or Gorilla), Tenacious tape, super glue, maybe a couple of safety pins and zip ties. Any suggestions? Thanks John

[Steven McAllister]

Lotsa Safety Pins:-)

Unless you are really good at sewing.

[Bob Gross]

That's pretty close. I carry a few items: 0.35 oz of Duct tape, less of first aid tape, some safety pins, 0.1 oz of sewing kit, and one zip tie. When I go heavy, I add in a foot or two of steel wire and a few other things.

–B.G.–

[Dale Wambaugh]

I carry a "hotel freebie" sewing kit, a one-shot tube of super glue, and a couple small flat packs (18") of duct tape. The duct tape comes with a peel-off backing, which I find easier to pack and manage than improvised methods like wrapping some around another item in my pack, trekking pole, etc.

I also carry a small roll of braided nylon seine line and a small roll of 26ga wire. A couple small zip ties are handy and light.

[Mary D]

Dental floss (part of my dental hygiene kit)
Needle with large enough opening for dental floss (also for first aid for splinters)
Needle threader (I can't thread a needle without it)
A self-adhesive silnylon patch (was part of a McNett repair kit)
Duct tape (wound around my trekking poles)
3 safety pins

[Mike M]

mine is similar to what's been posted

duct tape
safety pins
single use super glue
heavier needle secreted in coffee stirrer w/ ~ 30' of 30# spectra fishing line wrapped around
extra batteries for elite lamp
patch for neoair

0.4 oz

as others have mentioned most items serve possible dual use for first aid

[James holden]

duct tape, superglue, paracord which youll already use anyways for lines … and a small leatherman

you can fix anything with that … and itll all work as part of a first aid kit anyways

[Bob Gross]

I know that a lot of people do it, but I don't recommend winding the duct tape around your trekking poles for storage. I understand that it won't get lost that way. However, that tends to leave it exposed to the maximum of sun and air, and most duct tape will age and harden a bit from exposure. Duct tape that is no longer sticky is a problem. Also, during ski season, if the duct tape is wound around your ski poles, it is exposed to cold air, so it is not warm and pliable.

I wind my duct tape onto a little weigh-nothing strip (the stick of a cotton swab), and I wind it for about one-third of an ounce. In summer, I carry one. In winter, I carry about three, stuck into my pants pockets for warmth (stickiness).

–B.G.–

[John Gelack]

I may add a small roll of light gauge wire,that sounds like a good idea. I was wondering how I would store a needle and thread, I really like the idea of storing it in a coffee stirrer. Thank you all for your suggestions.

[Steven McAllister]

Re: "duct tape around your trekking poles"

Another reason I don't carry duct tape on my poles is that trekking poles get a lot of motion and duct tape adds weight. Better to have your tape somewhere that your don't have to lift up and down so much.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Exposure and shelf life are the issues for me with duct tape. I have wound it around other packaging, but there is always a little sticky edge. The small rolls and flat packs are a little big and heavy for items I don't use often.

I found a small flat pack marketed by http://www.bydezignproducts.com/pocketduct.html. It has a 2"x18" length of duct tape in a sealed bag. The tape has a peel-off backing, so the glue is fresh and it is easy to work with. 0.29oz/8.3g

[Aaron Reichow]

In the interest of multi-use, I bring medical grade Super Glue composed of 100% 2-octyl cyanoacrylate. Standard Super Glue can be used for cuts in a pinch, but there are good reasons not to use it. The 2-octyl cyanoacrylate is thinner, but just about as useful as the Super Glue for repairs in the field.

I've used Liquivet and Vetbond as well as something meant for human use that I got at a drug store. The human use stuff came in a tiny 0.25 bottle, but you could get more than a single use out of it in most situations.

[Brian Lewis]

I think an interesting alternate question might be "what repair kit items tend to get used?"

Over some significant miles and time spent backpacking in recent years, I can only recall using just a little duct tape, very infrequent use of a safety pin or two, and never any superglue. I had some shoes blow out and found that duct tape was useless there; a friend had a type of blowout where he was able to wrap cord around the shoe (between the tread) and that lasted pretty well for some miles.

The one thing I've actually used much has been clothing repairs and once a pack repair, using a needle and dental floss as thread. I've carried a stripped down thermarest repair kit, but have fortunately never had a leak in an inflatable.

So at this point, the repair kit items I'm most keen on carrying are a needle that weighs almost nothing (I would carry dental floss anyway), some light cord — that I similarly carry anyway, a little duct tape, and a couple of safety pins, which are also on occasion useful when drying clothes on the outside of the pack.

[Bob Gross]

1. White cloth first aid tape
2. Duct tape
3. Steel wire

–B.G.–

[Mary D]

I like Brian's idea of asking what is actually used! For repairs, so far I've used duct tape and two safety pins. I of course have used the needle quite a bit for splinters and the dental floss daily for my teeth. I haven't yet sewn anything, though. The one time I needed to sew (big rip in pants in embarrassing location) I was on a dayhike without the sewing stuff (I had the needle, which resides with my first aid stuff, but no floss because I wasn't expecting to wash my teeth). I tried the duct tape, which preferred to stick to my skin instead of the pants (ouch!). I finally just tied my rain jacket around my waist, which hung down far enough to hide the rip.

The silnylon patch (self-sticking) goes with me because I have had my trekking pole tip slip out of its grommet and puncture the tent twice now. Both times were at home, but it would be rather scary if this happened during a trip! Duct tape doesn't stick too well to silnylon, I've found.

I once took along a McNett silnylon repair kit (from whence I got the self-sticking patch). It came in handy because I discovered a couple of spots on the tent that didn't get enough seam sealer. However, I should have tested the tent with a hose before leaving home! I now check tent (with garden hose), rain gear (in shower) and dry bags (in bathtub) every year. Trip preparation includes checking for weaknesses that might need mending (such as crotch seams in pants, lol).

Re duct tape on the trekking poles: I replace it every year, so no big deal. I recently threw away a 15-year-old roll, from which I'd used only about 10-12 feet–it had lost a lot of its stick!

For those who use the medical grade superglue–how well does it stick to silnylon?

[Anonymous]

"However, that tends to leave it exposed to the maximum of sun and air, and most duct tape will age and harden a bit from exposure."

Been doing it for years, never had a problem. The worst I would expect is the outer layer(~1.5") would deteriorate, but not a problem for me so far. I don't carry enough of it to cause a problem with balance/weight of my GG LT$'s, especially since I wind it around the shaft just below the handles.

I would agree about this not being a good idea in the winter, but I use apair of BD carbon fiber poles then for their bomb proof flint lock locking mechanisms, without duct tape.

[Mike M]

the medical stuff looks pretty pricey $14 for .5ml, the single use non-medical stuff is 6 tubes for $3

[James holden]

duct tape … uses are endless … splints, to tape gauze, fix rips in shells, etc …

superglue … soles, as a "liquid' bandage, use with duct tape to fix holes in platies/air matresses

paracord … i dont think i need to elaborate on the uses of this …

[Author]

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