Field Repair Tapes, Etc

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

I have read through some of the past threads of repair tapes and adhesives but sometimes I get information overload.

Though not much field repair is often needed, I’m hoping to get opinions here on field repairs for some of the materials I might be using, carrying as little as needed.

Thanks.

 

Packs: ULA, X Pac VX21

From what I’ve already gathered, this would require Seam Grip, A patch material and cure time.

 

Durston Katawa: Ultra Grid?

 

Tarps: Silpoly and Membrane Silpoly.

I’m thinking these would need the same as the X Pac

 

EXPED Syn Mat:

 

CNOC bag:

 

 

Dyneema: I have both PET tape used for seam sealing and what I think is Dyneema repair tape that I got in a grab bag.

I’ll include pics at the bottom. I’d like to be sure about what I have in these two tapes.

 

Rain Gear: Light Heart, silpoly.

Same as other silpoly I guess?

 

Various fabrics, clothing and quilts. I’m thinking they are mostly nylon, polyester and fleece.

 

I found the glue drops talked about in another thread,

and a couple types of Tenacious tapes.

Amazon.com: GEAR AID Tenacious Tape Repair Patches for Jackets, Tents, Outdoor Gear and Technical Fabrics, 3” Rounds, 2.5” and 1.5” Hex Shapes, Color and Size Options, Clear : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: GEAR AID Tenacious Tape Flex Patches for Vinyl and Fabric Repair, Clear, Two 3″ x 5″ patches (10800) : Sports & Outdoors

 

Dyneema repair tape?

 

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

I do recall a couple people talking about having better long-term success with the black Tenacious Tape as opposed to the clear.

 

 

[Bob Shuff]

Following…. I have tenacious tape (black) as well as dyneema (cuben) and lucotape in my kit. All seem to stick well until I get home (or frankly months) when used on tents, jackets and quilts.

I would not try any of these or anything else on a water bladder. Maybe for storage in an outside pocket, but I wouldn’t try to use it to squeeze with a filter. I have an extra, albeit small dirty water bag.

[Matthew / BPL]

Bob is my tape-brother. I carry the same three tapes.

[peter v]

I carried mcnett sealer for years, and enjoyed excellent results with it. of late, I’m getting a warm feeling towards those little tubes of E6000. it dried quickly and makes a pretty tough/flexible bond.

if a shoe delam’s on you though, it seems McNett’s the way to go. maybe that, and glue a strap around it too. the more stylish amongst us should glue matching straps around Both left and right.

the littleness of the tube is a selling point. along those lines, I see that Bag Balm is now also avail in leetle tubes (it’s a 4 pack), very cool.

[Jerry Adams]

I don’t think there’s any quick sealer for silicone.  A tube with silicone will cure overnight.  I think Roger mentioned some tape that would work but it’s expensive and hard to find.

McNett seam grip works good but it also has to cure over night.  I’ve sealed air matts which put a lot of pressure on it.  I would try sealing a water bladder but it’s hard to get stuff to stick to plastic.

I carry some tenacious tape.  I bet mine is now too old – I should get a new one.  I carry leuko tape but I don’t think that would be waterproof – if I walk through water and get the leuko tape wet, it comes off.

[Terran Terran]

Painters tape. It’s been on my quilt for nearly 10 years. Washed a few times.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

Thanks all.

Can you tell from the pictures above of the fronts and backs if that is indeed Dyneema repair tap?

[Bill Budney]

I understand Tenacious Tape and Dyneema tape — they are amazing.

Leukotape, for me, has been underwhelming given its nearly unanimous popularity in the UL community. I’d rate it “meh”. Common Micropore (paper surgical tape) works as well, and is thinner (and is available in small rolls). I don’t treat a ton of wounds (and don’t get many blisters), but Nexcare seems to have the best balance of staying stuck while also peeling off easily when I want to.

EDIT: Gorilla Tape is handy utility tape, although it can get sticky/gummy with time.

Also, silicone self-stick tape is handy for repairing or extending trekking pole grips and similar. I’ve used it to hold a failed boot together temporarily.

Perhaps my favorite tape hack is a piece of tape (originally KT tape, but any medical tape should be fine) on nose and cheekbones instead of trying to cover my nose with a mask. No fog!

EDIT 2: Terran — what kind of painter’s tape do you have that lasts for years?!

Do any of you have suggestions where I can get two-inch wide Dyneema tape (or wider)? That would be handy for some things.

Taped face “mask”:

[Jerry Adams]

what is silicone self-stick tape

[Bill Budney]

what is silicone self-stick tape

I’ve been using this, which is also at Walmart and other hardware stores.

I also see clear silicone “rescue” tape on Amazon, which appears that it might be thinner. The black tape I see most often is thick, like you might see on a tennis racket grip, bicycle handlebars, or, you know, a tool handle. I first used it to extend the grips on my trekking poles, then found it handy for other jobs.

EDIT: It is very stretchy and mostly sticks to itself rather than to other things. I have not tried to stick it to silnylon. Even if it works, it would be too thick for repairing a tent, other than maybe as a temporary patch.

[Jerry Adams]

ahhh…  those are cheap.

[Scott S]

Any B-7000 fans here?  It’s an epoxy-based glue that is very flexible but very strong and it comes in mini tubes.  I have repaired countless clothing and gear rips with it and none have ever gone bad.  E-6000 is not epoxy-based so is not nearly as strong, but it dries a lot faster.  B-7000 you need to go easy on for a few days as it slowly gets stronger.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

Interesting on the tapes and adhesives. Hopefully, in time, we can hear reports on how well they work and for how long.

[CFDTuc]

Tim

You posted a photo of some repair patches and asked for confirmation if they were Dyneema. By the looks, they match the DCF tapes I’ve used for years from RipStop and other sources. Dyneema fabric on one side, 3M adhesive on the other. Work great for their intended uses.

As for the original question, I’m the same as a couple of the earlier answers. Couple small sections of the Dyneema repair tape for tent/pad, black tenacious for outerwear and misc, and Leuko for skin rubs or protection.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

CFDTuc, thanks for that confirmation.

[peter v]

very decent vid on the various types of X000 glues. and hey, look at the conductive one. ohhh yes.

[Scott S]

I posted above about B-7000 and meant to add my pictures of some repairs I have done but could not find them. I found them today so thought I would add them on.

Here is a repair I did for kicks, these old beater gloves I turned into winter yard gloves and as you can see they were shredded:

Here is the repair:

This was two years ago and they are still holding.

Here is a rip in some ski pants:

and here is the repair, which is still holding several years later.  To repair a rip the glue is run all along the edges of the rip, blow on it for a minute or so to get tacky, and then push together and mold into a good looking repair with your fingers.

I have more pictures but hopefully that gives the idea.  Oh here is a dry bag gash I patched which has stayed dry long after the fix:

It also works great for shoe delaminations, that is now my standard glue for such repairs.  I have never tried patching an inflatable but even on its own I think it would work well for small holes.  a dab of B-7000 plus tenacious tape could seal the deal.

[Tim (Slowhike) Garner]

Great information Scott!

I was excited to see that it would adhere to silicon, but it has a long cure time.

I’m wondering if tenacious tape on both sides would keep it from adhering to anything else but allow curing?

[Scott S]

If it’s something like my pants rip pictured above you could wear it an hour later, it will be cured enough that unless you have really bad luck you will be OK.  If you are going to stress it soon though you might want to reinforce it somehow right away, e.g. with tenacious tape on top.  For example if I was to patch an inflatable mat hole for use in a few hours I might dab a bit of B-7000, let dry until I needed to use the mat, and then put a piece of tenacious tape on top right before using.

I have also combined sewing and gluing to get a super strong long-term repair, here is a shoe cover which needs to put up with a lot of stretching to get it on.  You can see I stitched it and then applied B-7000 to spread out the load on the thread:

[MJ H]

In my repair kit, I keep about 10 feet of spectra cord. The only time I ever used it was coming back from the trail when my bumper started to come apart. I had been hit in a parking lot the week before and didn’t realize how bad the damage was until things snapped.

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