View Full Version : Repair kit contents
orthofingers
10-28-2018, 22:30
Recently, a friend of mine asked what I bring hiking/backpacking to repair my gear while I'm out on the trail. I tend to go light so I bring a couple safety pins, dental floss, a sewing needle, duct tape and a Leatherman Squirt. But, I realize the list could be much longer.
What do you all think is needed for a repair kit.
Feral Bill
10-28-2018, 22:43
Recently, a friend of mine asked what I bring hiking/backpacking to repair my gear while I'm out on the trail. I tend to go light so I bring a couple safety pins, dental floss, a sewing needle, duct tape and a Leatherman Squirt. But, I realize the list could be much longer.
What do you all think is needed for a repair kit. Looks about right to me.
Sarcasm the elf
10-28-2018, 23:11
I got in the habit of keeping a few thermarest patch kit parts in my first aid kit along with some tenacious tape, I’ve needed this several times over the years to fix my sleeping pad (duct tape does not work to patch silnylon pads). Last year I learned it was multi-use when my old camelbak sprung a leak on day one of a solo section hike and I used the kit to patch it. Worked perfectly for the whole trip.
43911
Slo-go'en
10-28-2018, 23:36
On a long hike I carry a small sew kit with a thimble and needle threading aid thingie. These make sewing a lot easier, the thimble especially useful if what you need to sew is heavy material. The tenacious tape is also handy. I don't bother with a multi-tool, just a small pair of scissors.
Thats pretty much the same I'm carrying:
A decent sewing kit, several threads of various colors (and I've searched long and wide until I found this special extremely strong back thread you need for fixing the heavy stuff), lots of tape (I'm carrying Leukotape Classic), a swiss knife, and sometimes a Multitool.
Then sometimes I'm carrying a spare buckle for the hpbelt, I know by experience that might break.
Sleep pad repair kit, repair tape for cubanfiber , alcohol wipes to clean before repair, book of matches,
thom
chiefiepoo
10-29-2018, 08:34
I have a 70L Osprey, an older model. At about 4 years after purchase, the hip belt snap broke off one of the plastic snap fingers leaving me with a hip belt that would not buckle. I used some small para cord to tie the two pieces together and adjusted for tightening using the side straps. I have been carrying a spare clip since then.
HooKooDooKu
10-29-2018, 09:02
Sleep pad repair kit, Tenacious Tape (gear repair tape), needle mounted to a small piece of cardstock wrapped in nylon thread, safety pins.
(Small sample pack of dental floss you get from the dentist office I keep with my tooth brush).
TexasBob
10-29-2018, 10:07
I carry a couple of zip ties also because they are so handy and versatile when it comes to fixing things.
I carry a couple of zip ties also because they are so handy and versatile when it comes to fixing things.
Ohh - good idea. Think I'll have to add a couple of those as well.
nsherry61
10-29-2018, 11:47
My kit varies depending on what I'm doing.
In winter, if I am using skis, snowshoes, and/or microspikes, I do bring a multi-tool with good pliers and a screwdriver to be able to bend and cut wire, turn binding screws and other light metal working to keep me moving over the snow. Thus, in winter, I also carry a piece of wire, a couple binding screws, a nail, some small snow-shoe parts as appropriate and a ski-pole splint.
Other things I carry most of the year that are not already belabored above:
A small tube of super-glue
A small tube of sil-net and/or aquaseal depending on the fabrics I might need to glue
My swiss arm commander
I carry a tent pole splint on the rare occasion I take a tent.
It's been mentioned above, but spare cordage is certainly critical for many repairs
Stove repair/service kit if I take a liquid fuel stove
I don't carry a thimble, because a rock (or other small hard object) can suffice in a pinch.
I do carry thread instead of just using dental floss because thread works well and doesn't weight enough to keep me up at night.
Odd Man Out
10-29-2018, 13:49
Yes to Tenacious Tape (no to duct tape). Needle/thread (I just wrap some heavy duty thread around a 1" square piece of corrugated cardboard and stick the needle through it). Swiss Army Knife Ambassador (blade and scissors, same as the Classic, just slightly larger), Inflatable pad patch kit (came with the pad). I have Leukotape, but that is more to repair me (not gear). Don't bring a whole roll. I use the trick of cutting off pieces and putting them on pieces of non-stick paper. I have safety pins (diaper pins, actually) which could be used for repair, but mostly they are for hanging things on the "clothesline", i.e. the back of the pack. I will cut a length of spectra cord off my bear bag line when I need it. As a result, my bear bag line is getting shorter and shorter. Someday I'll have to replace it. Until then it works on North Manitou Island where they only have microbears (chipmunks).
orthofingers
10-29-2018, 16:25
I carry a couple of zip ties also because they are so handy and versatile when it comes to fixing things.
Good idea. They're very versatile and weigh almost nothing.
atraildreamer
11-05-2018, 14:01
I bought two of these on eBay for a couple of bucks apiece. I have used it to repair a ring, a medical device and a cracked cell phone screen. It might be useful in a hiker's repair kit for small repairs like broken glasses, pinhole leaks, etc. Sets up in a few seconds and weighs about 1-2 ounces. (No...I don't sell them!) 44002
It's a little detail but one I've made the mistake. Make sure the eye of the needle you have in your kit is big enough for the thread or floss. :rolleyes: I can laugh about it now but had to carry a loaded pack with one shoulder strap because of it.
I had the habit to take the cheap sewing kit you find in a hotelroom by this enhancing my hiking sewing kit.
Hard to belive what crap can be called a needle. Some had the eye closed, some were not hardened and bent between the fingers, and the thread is worth nothing.
Now I pinched a set of decent needles from my wife's sewing box and all would be fine except the needles tend to corrodate when carried in the backpack for some time.
You can't push a rusty needle through tough fabric.
Couldn't solve the problem so far.
MuddyWaters
11-06-2018, 17:34
Recently, a friend of mine asked what I bring hiking/backpacking to repair my gear while I'm out on the trail. I tend to go light so I bring a couple safety pins, dental floss, a sewing needle, duct tape and a Leatherman Squirt. But, I realize the list could be much longer.
What do you all think is needed for a repair kit.
Everything but the leatherman.
Needle, floss, 6' duct tape.
Inflatable repair patch
Safety pins are for drying socks while hiking
I carry a couple of zip ties also because they are so handy and versatile when it comes to fixing things.
Same here, in several sizes, very handy and strong.