Patch It Or Replace It

[Campfire Girl]

I have a tent that has a couple slits in the top. Not exactly sure how they got there. One is about 2 1/2 inches long. The other is 3 to 4 inches long. Is it worth trying to repair these types of tears or is it better to just replace the tent? The rest of the tent is still like new.

 

[Grandpa]

I do a lot of repairs on gear if it keeps the gear in service. A patched piece may be relegated to a loaner rather than for my own use though. With a herd of grandkids, it's nice to have some extra gear for impromptu outings when they come to visit.

 

[Hikenhunter]

Are the slits in the top of the tent or are they in the rain fly? Small slits should be able to be patched. As grandpa say's if you need a loaner for someone else give them the patched tents.If the tears are in a rain fly you might be able to buy a new fly for the tent. The best thing to come out of this is that you now have a good and valid reason to buy a new tent.:tinysmile_fatgrin_t

 

[ponderosa]

If it's from a better manufacturer, you can ship it in for a professional repair. I maintain the gear for our church's youth group. Some idiot 13 year old boys decided to play with their pocket knives on the rain fly of a couple of big expensive Kelty tents. There were several clean cuts, each several inches long. Kelty did a fantastic job patching the slashes, and did not even charge me for the repairs, way above and beyond the terms of the warranty.

 

[ppine]

Patch em and keep using them.

Over the years I have retreived a lot of equipment like lanterns and stoves that other people were throwing away and used them for years. Usually it is something simple like dirt in a fuel line. The best way to recycle things and keep them out of landfills is to fix them and keep using them.

Like a friend of mine likes to say- "if it is not used and showing some wear I am not interested." Old camping equipment becomes like old friends. I still have plenty of stuff from the 70s that is still in use, some from the 60s.

 

[Michael]

When my stuff breaks, I typically start by dropping an e-mail to the manufacturer to ask them what to do. Just a quick, "I really like this product you made, but this happened to it. How should I fix it?" I always try to be very polite when doing this, because the folks who answer customer service e-mails have to deal with a lot of crap, and I want to be sure that my e-mail isn't more of the same.

A lot of companies will just offer to replace or repair stuff. Often for free. It's good customer service, because they want to keep your business. Even if they don't, they might have suggestions for materials or techniques to use to best repair your stuff.

Failing that, I always try to fix my stuff. It doesn't really matter what it is. Computer, tent, window fan, whatever. At worst, I'll learn something about how it goes together in the process of wrecking it forever. At best, I'll have a funny looking but functional thing where a few moments ago I had a broken thing.

Then, if I can't make the thing work again, I can go out and buy a new one. Or a new part if it's a thing where I can replace parts.

 

[CozInCowtown]

One of my first Hi-wall tents looks like a patchwork quilt.
Sew it up and silicon the seam.
DC

 

[ppine]

This thread begs the question "how well do you know your gear?" On a longish trip or in the backcountry you need to be able to fix stuff on the spot.

 

[Cappy]

In my world it aint patch OR replace. It's patch TILL YA REPLACE it.

 

[carmen]

Trying to save things is always better than buying new, who wants to spend a ton of money replacing something when you can fix it. Now not everything can be fixed, sometimes you beat a dead horse but I would rather try and fail than shell out a ton of cash.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


There is something called 'sail' tape...generally made for patching sails. Perhaps this is something you could use to prolong the use of your tents. It may come in colors, to. It is self-adhering.