Quickly and easily fix a hole in an insulated down jacket with Gear Aid Tenacious Tape
When the snow arrives, or you’re heading out into the cold, it’s great to have a down or ‘belay’ jacket to keep you warm and toasty. In fact, I recommend this as a key bit of gear to have when ski touring or winter walking in Britain. But the lightweight shell material on these jackets is easy to catch during day-to-day use, or if you are wearing it near lots of sharp hardware (for example when mountaineering). But belay jackets are easy to repair if you know how.
Why bother repairing a hole in a down jacket?
A small hole in a synthetic-filled belay jacket (eg: Primaloft) isn’t the end of the world, because the ‘bats’ of insulation are sewn-in (it either looks tatty or authentic, depending on your point of view). But even a small hole in a down jacket will have you leaving a trail of fluffy white down feathers all over the place and losing all the insulation out of that ‘chamber’.
💡Down jackets are constructed with a series of sewn ‘chambers’, each one containing a small amount of down. Without these chambers, the down would all migrate or fall out and leave cold spots (that’s why it’s important to repair puffy jackets properly).
Here’s a quick guide on how to fix a hole in your favourite belay jacket. And it’s semi-permanent, invisible and washable too!
Review ✓
- NAME: Gear Aid Tenacious Tape
- WHAT IS IT? Outdoor repair tape
- WHO’S IT FOR? paddlers, skiers, hikers, climbers and mountaineers
- PRICE: £8.00
- PROS: easy to use, hard-wearing, weatherproof, well priced, transparent, semi-permanent
- CONS: Cracks with age
- BOTTOM LINE: Great addition to any outdoor repair kit, if used properly
- MY RATING:
Time needed: 20 minutes
How to repair a hole in a down (puffy) jacket
- Buy yourself some Tenacious Tape
Tenacious Tape might be one of the best small outdoor purchases you ever make. Manufactured by Gear Aid (previously McNett) and provided in a handy storage tube.
- Clean up the hole
To repair your down jacket, push any down back into the hole. Check the fabric is dry and relatively clean. Maybe cut back any loose threads.
- Cut a patch of tape a bit bigger than the hole
To ensure a strong repair to your down jacket, you will need a patch a fair bit bigger than the hole. Use sharp scissors and don’t cut your fingers off (obviously). The tape has a grid backer to help you cut accurately.
- Round off the corners
This bit’s really important. Sharp corners will catch and, with time, start to peel the patch off. Don’t drop the cuttings in your coffee.
- Stick the patch on
Hold the patch by the edges to preserve the glue. Try to centre it over the hole and gently press it down. You can peel it off and reposition it, but you might lose some stickiness.
- Press the patch down. Hard.
Use the handles of your scissors or something similar, but avoid damaging the patch. And press it from the middle out to the edges, to avoid lifting the patch.
That’s it. As I said, the repair is semi-permanent, meaning you can wear, wash and reproof your belay jacket as needed. This tape really is awesome and I’ve had patches last for years of daily use. Eventually, they tend to crack, but seem to stay on regardless.
Of course, if you dont want, or can’t find Tenacious Tape, you can go the old school route and use duct tape to fix a hole in your trusty belay jacket. It’s just as sticky and nearly as long lasting, just not quite as neat. Spinnaker tape from a yacht chandlers is a good compromise, and you can get different colours too.
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✅ No freebies or reimbursement were received in return for this review.