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View Full Version : Air pad repair advice



Bags4266
12-29-2013, 14:22
I bought a mummy 15* air pad from Kooka Bay, they (he) was a small cottage co. that made custom pads. My maiden 9 day section thru the whites I brought it to discover a leak at the valve. Kooka Bay is long gone now so i'm stuck with a leaky pad. Question now is what products have people used with success to repair leaks around the value? Is shoe Goo good? Because I will probably get only one shot at this repair and I want it to be right. Thanks

Dogwood
12-29-2013, 15:04
I think Kooka Bay was mainly a small mom and pop make it in the basement/garage operation catering to the light wt crowd. I'm not familiar with all the Kooka Pad models. But, I did remember seeing a couple and they looked like they may have been made mostly from nylon. I didn't look closely at the valves. I would try to learn more about the materials your pad is made from. It would be best to go directly to the manufacturer asking how to make DIY repairs if that's what you want to do but not sure if Kooka Bay is even publically in biz anymore. Leaks around valves on inflatable pads can be the trickiest to fix as that's typically a high stress area. You might try a small dab of the She Goo on the underside of the pad and see how well it adheres. I always use McNetts Seam Grip to fix small leaks on my Thermarest inflatable pads, including one pad that had a small leak(seam separation) at the valve, and that has worked rock solid. I think, but am not 1oo% positive, all Thermarest pad models may also all be made of nylon so if the Mcnetts Seam Grip worked for me it might work for your Kooka Bay pad.

Bags4266
12-29-2013, 15:43
Its made from the same material as big agnes pads. might be a lighter weight though. Im not sure if I want to try the shoe glue because it seems to be more flexible, Or a two part epoxy which dries stiff.

Dogwood
12-29-2013, 16:20
That's one of the reasons why I like McNetts seam Grip. It dries clear, soft, and flexible. When it sticks it really sticks too. I recently used a few toothpick sized dabs of it to fix a few tiny burn holes in a taffeta sleeping bag fabric. Looks like a few tiny droplets of water are now on the sleeping bag. Also like it to mend small tears in the stretchy mesh fabric of some of my backpacks. Have used it to mend small abrasion holes on the fingertips of my pricey gloves. I used to buy those more expensive Thermarest inflatable pad patch kits but no more. A small tube of Mcnetts Seam Grip goes further for the cost and is much more versatile mending a wider array of gear. It easily replaces at least 4 separate different mending products I once used to buy. It can also be thinned for rock solid seam sealing of tents, tarps, etc and you can add an accelerator to it that reduces dry times.

Tips: although Shoe Goo and McNetts Seam Grip are basically self leveling to a smooth finish try to apply smoothly to begin with not applying any sharp standing peaks or deep brush stokes, keep the caps and tubes of these products clean which you'll appreciate as you make more repairs using the same tube, sometimes you'll need to open up the sealed nozzle opening with a thin piece of wire, toothpick, awl, etc, (don't discard the tube just because the nozzle may have clogged/dried shut, there's good product still in the tube)

George
12-29-2013, 19:41
a leak near the valve is unlikely to be repaired successfully for long