You may have seen people fixing their gear with various types of tapes or adhesives, probably the most common of which is good 'ole silver duct tape. These quick, effective repair tools have their place and can be found in repair kits around the world. Used correctly, glues, goos, and tapes can fix many backcountry gear repair problems.

Here, we look at some of what is available on the market, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Seam Grip

Gear Aid (nee McNett) Seam Grip is a urethane adhesive often used for seam sealing nylon or polyester tent flys. It can also be used for patching inflatable sleeping pads, repairing shoes, glueing various parts together, and a number of other uses. It can be used to create a "window" patch on large holes. There are actually a bunch of different versions formulated for specific uses, including a super fast drying UV activated one that is great for wader repairs in the field. What have you used it for?

For a full cure, it's important to let it dry for 8-12 hours, though that time can be reduced greatly by using Cotol-240, which thins the goo and decreases curing time to about two hours. In general, using the thinist layer of seam seal possible provides the best results.

It won't work on Sil-Nylon (silicon impregnated nylon).

Many people like to apply Seam Grip around the edges of an adhesive patch to try to prevent the edges peeling up on the patch, but this is only marginally effective as the items material, the patch, and seam seal all flex and move at different rates, causing a number of issues. In addition, this technique makes a complete sewn repair more difficult once the item is out of the field and in my opinion looks terrible.

Sil-net

Also made by Gear Aid, Sil-net is the seam sealing solution for silicon impregnated nylon (sil-nylon). You can easily make a DIY Silicon seam sealant for use on tent seams at home (see below), but for a field repair kit a tube of Si-net is more convenient.

Barge Cement

Barge cement is basically a contact adhesive designed to stick to it's self, it's highest purpose may be the effective repair of shoes, particularly peeling toe rands. It maintains exceptional flexibility and has good strength once cured.

Barge cement is now only available in tubes in a new toluene free formulation which is nice, since Toluene is known to cause neurological harm if misused.

Coghlan's Seam Seal

Coghlan's is the venerable outdoor brand that distributes inexpensive outdoorsy products in familiar green packaging. The upside to Coglan's is that you can find it almost anywhere, including many grocery stores, it is inexpensive compared to many other products and products are often packaged in convenient forms. The downside is relatively low quality compared to some competitors. Looking through the last three years of "new" product lists on their website, it appears that R&D might stand for research and duplicate rather than research and design. Having said that, the sheer availability of their products may get you out of a jam and back into the mountains.

We recently used some of their seam seal product on a large area repair of a sleeping pad and found it easy to apply. Seam Seal is a polyurethane product similar to Gear Aid's Seam grip. It is more runny than the Gear Aid product and so has no need to be thinned. unfortunately that thinning is done with toluene which makes for a noxious application process that ideally happens outside or with a large exhaust fan nearby. Use caution as we mentioned before, as toluene is known to cause neurological problems.

Cyanoacrylate

Super Glue. You can find uses for super glue in various forms. It is fascinating stuff that has a ton of uses. Shelf life is short, but it can be used to stiffen or tack some fabrics in place. Also helpful for small lacerations and avulsions. Be careful of the fumes and don't stick yourself to yourself or anybody else.

Duct Tape

First, it's duct, as in heating and cooling ducts, not the cute waterfowl (though there is a brand called Duck Tape). For the sake of this post, we will include Gorrila Tape in this category too.

You know the old saying, "if you can't duck [sic] it, F#@K it." This readily available repair item sticks stuff together with tenacity. Perhaps the most recommended item in any outdoor repair kit, duct tape can be used for a million different things in the field.

Unfortunately, it's not great at any of them. Problems include poor cold weather adhesion, difficult removal once applied, transfer of adhesive to the item, which makes sewing difficult in the future. Drying of the tape or adhesive over time, and frankly really aesthetically bad appearance. For a quick fix it will work, and it would be interesting to try out some of the different variations on the Duck Brand website.

I might upset some outdoor people who swear by duct tape, but it really shouldn't be used on soft goods. There are so many fabric patch options out there that work better, last longer and look better too. Keep reading to see some better choices for patching tears in garments particularly.

Honestly, I sigh in exasperation every time a repair comes into the shop with duct tape on it. I seldom carry it in my personal repair kit anymore, though it works well to make a lower grip on ski poles, so I'll sometimes wrap it about a hand and a half down from the grip, but I still never really use it in the field.

Comes in different thread counts, get the highest you can.

NoSo Patches

Cool shapes, and they support Alaskan breweries!

NoSo Patches come from a small company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. These patches are die cut into fun shapes so not only can you fix your gear, but you can add some unique style as well! NoSo may have the widest range of shapes and designs of any die cut patch out there.

With super simple application, and category leading adhesive performance these patches are a great way to fix your gear without looking like a polka-dotted goof ball. For those who don't let the cold and dark of winter slow down their outdoor adventures (Hello Alaskans!), NoSo even offers it's shapes in a reflective material.

Tyvek Tape

This tent came off Denali with some Tyvek® patches.

Originally designed for sealing Tyvek® house wrap in construction, Tyvek tape has become a versatile and effective repair tape for outdoor gear. I first learned about it in relation to repairing Alpacka packrafts in the field. Since then, I have seen it used on tents, jackets and of course packrafts. Tyvek tape has good adhesion to smooth surfaces, is totally waterproof and impermeable and also easily removable with little to no transfer of adhesive to the repaired item. It's biggest disadvantage is the branding it has on it from it's construction origins.

K-tape

The original self adhesive repair tape, available in both ripstop and taffeta nylon. K-tape by Kenyon is available at almost every outdoor store, many rural convenience stores and issued by some of the most prolific outdoor organizations in the world as part of their field repair kits. It is effective for temporary, or semi-permanent repairs of tears, abrasions and holes in light fabrics. To work really well, the material it is applied to must be clean and dry, and ideally smooth. The tapes adhesive is pressure and moderately heat sensitive, which means that pressing it down thoroughly is essential. Often the friction created by rubbing the tape down is enough to effectively activated the adhesive, but a better solution is to heat some water in your cook pot and then place that onto of the patch on a flat surface. The combined heat (cool enough that you can put your finger in it for 10 seconds) and the weight of the pot and water create an excellent combination for activating the glue. Used in this way, it is unnecessary to apply seam grip around the edges, as the K-tape will stick very well. Particularly if you want to try a sewn repair later. K-tape will seep some adhesive around the edges (and sometimes through the patch) if too much heat is used, so warm heat rather than hot is recommended.

Fiber Fix

This is a unique product for super strong repairs of rigid items like tent poles, maybe pack frames, paddles, or other hard items that need a strong rigid repair to be functional. With a hilarious ad campaign and the classic "as seen on TV" label, you may be tempted to write off this product, but it really does work well in the right circumstances.

Tenacious Tape

Another Gear Aid product. Lots of outdoor folks swear by tenacious tape as a more effective substitute for K-tape, while I've heard others claim it is over hyped. I've only used the clear, PVC version, which worked well, but was not as subtle as I hoped it would be. If you find that you like the performance of tenacious tape, it also comes in die cut patches in a variety of shapes.

From Gear Aid:

Machine washable
Available in 3" x 20" roll (60 square inches) or 1.5'' x 60'' roll
Strips available nylon (black, yellow, red) and ripstop nylon (sage green, platinum)
Clear tape utilizes PVC
Rolls available in clear
Ultra-strong repair tape with aggressive adhesive
Tape can be moved or repositioned within 24 hours without leaving behind a sticky residue
Makes quick, in-field repairs to rips, tears and holes in outdoor gear
Sticks to almost any surface without leaving a sticky residue
Provides nearly invisible repairs
Instantly seals leaking seams and stops rips from spreading
Acts as an abrasion-resistant shield on high-wear areas
Long lasting
Lightweight and compact
Can be used on silnylon for a temporary emergency field repair

There are lot's of options for both field and permanent repairs for your gear. Hopefully this article introduces you to ones you haven't seen before, and shares the pros and cons of those you are familiar with. It's always important to match your repair kit to the gear your using, and that may mean adapting it for each trip. Going through your repair kit, and particularly any adhesives occasionally is a good idea anyway, as adhesives do deteriorate, and any goo in a tube can cure over time even unopened. I can't tell you how many times I've opened a tube of Sil-net or Seam Seal only to met by a plugged tube.

Let us know in the comments what you use in the field.