Threm-a-rest Repair...is the Threm-a-Rest Repair Kit the only and best option?

[JustADude]

Just curious if folks have found good long term alternatives...specifically the hole is the size of a pin head (tiny like a pinch flat)...just curious is something like a bike patch would work at all and long term...the reviews of the "offical" Therm-a-rest repair kit are pretty bad, so definitely considering alternative.

Thanks for any feedback and insights.

P.S. Not currently on the trail so got a bit of time to get the repair worked out.

[Tipi Walter]

Most people like to use a dab of McNetts seam grip or silnylon sealer. It must be remembered that Thermarest has used several different repair kits over the years. I have the old style hot pot of water kit and the new Fast and Light repair kit. I pack both on my trips with the instructions, and I also carry a small tube of McNetts seam grip. Currently I'm using an Exped downmat which has its own repair kit.

The main point is to keep your pad from getting punctured. Do whatever it takes to keep it hole-free. Use an extra ground cloth inside your tent to keep thorns from poking thru the tent floor and into the pad. Never strap a pad on the outside of the pack unless it is wrapped in that ground cloth several times and placed in a stuff sac. Never throw it on the ground and sit on it. Always keep a new spare either in your car at the trailhead or cached in the woods if you're looping a big wilderness. If you get a puncture on Day 5 of a 20 day trip, well, work over to your cache and grab the other pad.

If you're doing a large area, like Mt Rogers backcountry, drive in and stash a wrapped Thermy at one end and leave another in your car, then you have some backups. OR just get two beefy foam pads and stop worrying about it.

[JustADude]

Thanks much for the feedback...no worries here...just looking for hassle free repair...like bike tubes now days...especially the slime patches...

Hole got in the 12 yr old pad probably due to the kiddos playing with it around the house...not for certain...small price to pay...

I will definitely take a look at the McNetts stuff...and the Fast/Light Therm-a-Rest repair kit...hopefully those will be a little less hassle and equally durable as the boiling repair kit...

[canoehead]

I did the boiling repair out on the Allagash River after using the pad to sit outdoors and enjoy the view. It worked but was awkward to do on the trail. I've moved to bring Aqua seal in a tube. fixes a bunch of stuff very easy. PS duct tape does not work for long term comfort.

[Ktaadn]

I tried the at home patch and it didn't work very well. I wound up mailing it back to thermarest and they patched it for me. They also found a second hole that I hadn't. I think there is a $20 fee but I felt it was well worth it. There are a couple forms on their website to fill out and mail with your pad. Good luck with your holes.

[Hobbler]

I agree with Tipi Walter....Be smart about prevention in handling and use is the abo****ely the best way to avoid a puncture.

However I have found the best adhesion and longest seal of a hole, once you have identified the leak spot, is to use the smallest fingertip dab possible of "Shoo Goo" on the culprit. If you are zeroing in town, it will harden overnight if you leave the pad open and unrolled....Don't forget to test in the AM if it will hold all the air that you need to top it up with. If you got all the area around the holes cleaned and dry before application, it will! It can be found at all Wally World shoe departments but unfortunately, it comes in too large a tube to be effecient to carry for a thru. But, at $5.00 or so, it is a worthy investment vs. a new pad or chancing a patch repair...Leave the rest of the tube in a hiker box or shelter to share the tip. The repair will last a long time! Hope that this helps!

[Tipi Walter]

I agree with Tipi Walter....Be smart about prevention in handling and use is the abo****ely the best way to avoid a puncture.

Back in the 1980's and 1990's I used to get Thermy punctures all the time because I was an idiot and didn't give a crap. Hiking thru a hawthorn tree thicket with a pad strapped exposed on the outside of the pack? Check. Let a burning incense stick touch my pad? Check. Hike thru briar fields with the pad exposed? Check. Bedroll camp with the thing directly on the ground? Check. I went thru dozens of Thermys in those glory years. Then I wised up. In the last ten years and after 128 backpacking trips I haven't had a single Thermy leak---except one time a brand new pad had a slow leak with a factory-failed valve.

If I was smart I'd pull my winter trips with two pads---my usual Exped downmat and an extra ridgerest or blue foam pad---just in case. OR a NeoAir All Season could be humped on long trips w/o resupply as a back-up pad when things turn south. Field repair is always a tricky proposition.

[JustADude]

Wow...too many AquaSeal choices...

Is this the one that works for Therm-a-rest and other mats?
McNett Aquaseal Urethane Repair Adhesive and Sealant Tube with Cotol (3/4-Ounce, 240 1/2 fl Ounce)
http://www.amazon.com/McNett-Aquaseal-Urethane-Adhesive-Sealant/dp/B001BZMGUA/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1325428603&sr=1-4


Thanks again.

[TOMP]

buy a foam pad, its a very permanent solution.

[BJStuart]

Wow...too many AquaSeal choices...

Is this the one that works for Therm-a-rest and other mats?


In my experience, any old seam sealer will work on regular (not Neo-Air) type Thermarests. If you have the time, I have had good luck by putting on several (4-5) thin layers - start with a dab over the hole, then each subsequent one make it a little bigger. I've had better luck with this than the official patch kits in keeping a 20 year old pad going strong. As long as the hole is small it should be strong, but it does take a day or two since you have to let each layer dry.

[JustADude]

Even though I am doing the repair at home ended up getting McNett Field Repair Kit. $7 free shipping. Seems to be working. Ended up repairing two tiny holes. I'll try to provide a trail report of how the repairs held up soon. There are probably other sealants I could have used, but with so many options I wasn't sure which ones would have really worked.

Thanks again for all the feedback to get the old Therm-a-rest back on the trail...

[The Cleaner]

I had a very small leak on almost right on the rounded edge of my Prolite 4.Just put a small dab of silicone adhesive glue and spread it out little with a toothpick so might have a lower profile to prevent snagging it on something.Been there almost a year now&with no leaking....

[Tinker]

buy a foam pad, its a very permanent solution.

:rolleyes:

[Kerosene]

buy a foam pad, its a very permanent solution.By permanent you mean that side-sleepers will end up with a dislocated shoulder from the lack of padding? :rolleyes: It might be a viable back-up option but it's no replacement, at least once you get old, stiff and crotchety.

[tuswm]

The main point is to keep your pad from getting punctured. Do whatever it takes to keep it hole-free. Use an extra ground cloth inside your tent to keep thorns from poking thru the tent floor and into the pad. Never strap a pad on the outside of the pack unless it is wrapped in that ground cloth several times and placed in a stuff sac. Never throw it on the ground and sit on it. Always keep a new spare either in your car at the trailhead or cached in the woods if you're looping a big wilderness. If you get a puncture on Day 5 of a 20 day trip, well, work over to your cache and grab the other pad.

I met a guy in guy on the AT complaining about how he had to send his neo air back for repairs and they charged him 20 bucks. He was carrying the neoair on the bottom of the out side of his pack and resting him pack on the ground on top of the neoair.:confused:

[bamboo bob]

I have never got through many miles before my therma rest croaks. Patching has never worked for me. I always end up back on a ridge rest. I'll start the AT this year with my therm rest but low expectations.