How To Repair A Nylon Down Jacket

How To Guides

How To Patch And Repair A Hole In A Down Jacket

There are a number of quick fixes for a ripped or burnt/melted downwards jacket. Here'due south all you lot demand to know to relieve your trusty puffer

Nil beats a down jacket for warmth to weight and packability. Whether you're climbing, hiking or backpacking, a down jacket is almost always a useful item to have stashed in your backpack. Modernistic jackets are tougher than they await, largely due to the use of ripstop fabrics. However, down garments are still susceptible to wear and tear. Later all, when it comes to kit the great outdoors has more than its fair share of hazards. That might be a hole caused by a flying spark from a bivouac, a ripped sleeve caught on a stray branch or a snag in the shoulder from the rogue pick of an ice axe. Fortunately, with the right know-how information technology's like shooting fish in a barrel to repair a down jacket.

If your downwards jacket has a rip or tear, you should endeavor to fix it as presently as possible to prevent that precious downwardly from escaping. The expert news is that you tin often make the necessary repairs yourself, with minimal skills and equipment – and it won't usually require sewing.

If there'southward down escaping from a hole in your down jacket, don't pull information technology out! The same applies to down leaking from stitched seams. Pulling it out tends to cause the downwards to form a chain as it'south forced through the narrow hole (like spinning raw wool or cotton into yarn). You can basically end upwardly elimination the whole baffle of the jacket as you continue to pull. Instead, reach behind the pigsty from the inside of the jacket, pinch the down through the lining fabric and draw it back inside.
Furthermore, this guide volition give y'all the know-how you demand to brand a neat and constructive repair to your downward jacket. And even if your jacket has suffered major trauma, there's still no need to throw information technology away – whorl to the bottom for advice on specialist repair services.

Should You Try And Run up Up A Torn Down Jacket?

It's generally not a skillful idea to try and stitch up a rip or a tear in a down jacket. Due to the very lightweight confront fabrics used in the construction of nearly downwards jackets, y'all'll need a very fine needle and thread to do the task, and fifty-fifty tiny needle holes tin crusade surprisingly dramatic downwardly leakage.

Down Jacket Repair: Quick Fixes

Duct Tape
For field repairs, where yous just demand to patch a hole chop-chop, the classic solution is simply to stick some record over the rip or tear. Duct record or gaffer record mostly works well, as information technology sticks to most fabrics, and is an item that well-nigh climbers and hikers carry in case of emergency.

If the down fill of your jacket is escaping, try to poke it back inside the jacket. Rip off a strip of tape large enough to encompass the tear and stick it advisedly over the damaged area. Smooth out the tape to ensure a proficient hold.

Your repair probably won't wait great, but it should at least be constructive. A down jacket patched with duct tape will also add to your 'gnarly climber' or 'rugged outdoorsman/adult female' credentials.
Note that duct tape is difficult to remove once applied. If you're considering having the jacket professionally repaired when you get dorsum to civilisation (see final department), use sparingly.

Repair Tape

A more elegant prepare than duct record is to use a specialist weatherproof repair record. Good examples are Gorilla Articulate Repair Tape, Stormsure Tuff Tape or McNett Gear Aid Tenacious Tape. All are relatively inexpensive and widely available. Repair tape comes in articulate PVC besides as black or coloured nylon and ripstop nylon variants. This makes it easier to lucifer to different fabrics.

Have a pair of scissors and cut a strip of record to size, leaving a margin of nearly 6mm/¼ inch effectually the tear. Don't forget to round off the corners of the tape. This volition ensure a strong agree and foreclose it from lifting.

Next, poke any stray down back into your jacket. Smoothen out the jacket around the damaged expanse, ensuring the face fabric is clean and dry. Utilise the record over the rip or tear and printing down firmly. Smoothen the tape from inside to outside edges.

Adhesive Patches

A third pick is to buy a pack of nylon repair patches. These are fabricated by a number of companies including McNett Gear Assist, Kleiber, Down Jacket Repair, Prym and Dritz. They are available in a multifariousness of colours. Well-nigh are self-adhesive, eliminating the demand to glue or heat-seal the patch.

"If you think the damage to your jacket is just too astringent to fix yourself, and then never fearfulness…"

The aforementioned approach to using repair record applies – poke whatever loose down dorsum in (use the end of a teaspoon if necessary). Then select the most advisable sized patch for your repair task and peel off the backing. Spread the torn area flat, place the patch over the tear and press down firmly.

My Repair Looks Rubbish – Assist!

If you've had a go and are unhappy with the results, or if you think the damage to your jacket is just too severe to fix yourself, and then never fright – at that place are nonetheless a couple of other options.

Contact The Manufacturer

Your beginning pick is to contact the jacket manufacturer to check whether they offer a repair service. Many will be able to assist – for example, UK companies Rab and Montane both offer a range of specialist repair services. Their in-business firm experts can deal with everything from patching holes to replacing and re-stitching entire fabric panels or baffles. Other brands that offer like services include Bergans of Norway, Patagonia (through their Worn Wear initiative) and Alpkit. In fact, Alpkit's helpful staff in their Hathersage, Ambleside and Keswick stores tin fifty-fifty repair your kit regardless of whether information technology's one of their ain products.

Though using an official repair service is sometimes plush, brands are normally able to match fabric colours and types. This ways repairs are unlikely to be very noticeable or result in a loss of garment performance.

Try A Specialist Repair Service

An alternative option is to contact a specialist independent company. Scottish Mountain Gear, Lancashire Sports Repairs or Mountaineering Designs are good examples. These three companies have a wealth of feel in repairing down products to an extremely high standard. Too every bit fixing holes, rips and tears, they can fifty-fifty supercede or peak upwards lost downward. This will ensure your jacket continues to keep you as warm every bit it should.

You May As well Similar:

How To Repair Taped Seams On A Waterproof Jacket

How To Repair Torn Waterproofs

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