Gear Tactics: Quickly Fix a Tear in Clothes Without Sewing, in The Field

Gear Tactics is a series of posts about specific tips, hacks, modification guides and best practices of operative, nomadic and survival gear + apparel.

This is a semi-permanent method of patching up holes in clothing in minutes without sewing or ironing and out in the field. If properly applied and dependent on the fabric, location and extent of the damage, the fix may very well end up being permanent.

After about 5 years and a dozen machine washings but with moderate use, a merino wool shirt I fixed with this method is still going strong. This particular guide uses the Goruck Simple Windbreaker.

The convenience of this method isn’t just the ease of application – the materials and tools required are already a part of my vagabonding loadout.

THE PARTS ///

Tenacious Repair Tape // Gear Aid
$8+ | INTEL | BUY »

Charge TTi (or any scissor) // Leatherman
$150+ | INTEL | BUY »

Damaged Clothing // ***

Step 1 ///

Remove any dirt, grime, loose threads and excess fabric from the tear and surrounding section then turn it inside out and repeat.

Flatten out the damaged area onto a relatively hard and flat surface. The cleaner the “wound”, the better the adhesive of the Tenacious Tape will cure.

Putting the article of clothing through the wash before fixing it may increase the size of the tears. But if covered in blood, mud or fresh stains, you may first need to wash it anyways.

Step 2 ///

Cut the Tenacious Tape to the general shape of each tear but with at least a 1/4 inch additional tape that borders the entire damaged area section.

Round off any sharp corners by trimming it with the scissor, to reduce the chance of peeling.

Use large tape strips that cover several small holes that are near each other into groups. Instead of many individual tape strips for small holes as the reduced adhesive surface areas may not be as effective.

Step 3 ///

Apply the Tenacious Tape in a reverse peeling motion, pressing down bit by bit. Make sure there are no creases or overlapping of fabric as to maximize adhesive surface area and minimize weak spots.

If you remove the tape after sticking, throw that piece out and make a fresh one. The adhesive will lose much “stickiness” and so should be applied in one shot.

Step 4 ///

Turn the article of clothing back to inside in and repeat the previous step. Optionally, when possible, wedge the repair areas between two heavy books or other similarly flat objects and leave it in overnight.

Regardless, it should be good to wear right away.

[Featured gear: Goruck Simple Windbreaker, Giro Bravo LF Gloves, Gear Aid Tenacious Tape and Leatherman Charge TTi Multi-Tool.]