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I could do with using an old thermarest tomorrow (and for a few nights after that) but just found it's got a small tear in it (about 3mm).
As I'm not able to get a repair kit in time is there anything else I an use to effect a quick and dirty temporary repair?
Would Tenacious Tape work?
Puncture repair kit?
Puncture patch covered by tenacious tape
I'd use the Park Tools puncture repair patches. About an inch square, sticky and flexi.
Tenacious tape does work - I did it on a trip with some superglue on the actual hole too. Curve the corners and don't expect it to last forever.
Clean around the tear, build up blob of seamgrip over and around it. I bought a factory second, repaired that way and it's going strong ten years later
What can really help is to get loads of pressure on whatever you patch it with.
Do you have a vice or molegrips? clamp it up with some scrap wood, or even scrap wood and a pile of bricks, anything to get a level of pressure onto the bond that you can't do (and maintain) with your bare hands. All night.
clear gorilla tape also works ..... as above curve the corners. - get the tape cosy .
Thanks all.
I'm going with superglue and tenacious tape as that's what I have and can get before I head off tomorrow lunchtime! I'll squeeze it in the vice as well.
Edit: Actually I'm not going to squeeze it as there's no mention of it on the Gear-Aid site so I'm allowing time to do the curing.
Although obvs I'm an impatient sod so, after giving the TT a good pressing down all over and waiting about all of 30 seconds, I blew the mat up and it seems like we have 100% success!
Tenacious tape works really well. I've had a pinprick in mine covered with that for years.
Keep a piece of it in your gear - it's extremely useful.
I've used shoe goo before. sticks very well and very abrasion resistant. 100% success over 5 years.
Does superglue work on nylon? When I tried it on a silpoly tent it just melted an even bigger hole
People often patch thermarest's with tenacious tape, so that should be fine
Don't use super glue, it'll fail and be hard to get off.
Duck tape is good, a big patch should last for a while. As above, get some pressure on or a roller. Wallpaper roller is good
Best repair is aquasure seam grip stuff
Just in case anyone misread mine or assumed it was a typo, I was talking about this stuff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoe_Goo
"Shoe Goo is a specialized type of rubber cement that contains a cleaning/degreasing solvent and an abrasion-resistant synthetic rubber."
Yeah don't use superglue/Cyanoacrylate.
It dries hard/brittle.
Not good for a mattress.
Gorilla tape or Aquasure to be sure, to be sure.
Although obvs I’m an impatient sod so, after giving the TT a good pressing down all over and waiting about all of 30 seconds, I blew the mat up and it seems like we have 100% success!
Rats..... spoke a little too soon. It had gone down a bit and a dunk in the bath showed it to be leaking a little around the edge of the patch. It's currently drying and I will apply more TT around the existing patch and then squeeze it in the vice as I probably should have done in the first place!
Park patches. Repaired an airbed with one. Bloody brand new airbed.