Tenacious Tape Tips:
Hiking Gear Repairs Made Simple

By Diane Spicer

Tenacious Tape tips, coming right up.

But first, a question for you:

Would you mind if someone called you tenacious?

Isn’t that just a polite way to say “stubborn”?

You bet!

And it’s a great attribute for hiking gear repair tape to have, especially in a gritty, moisture prone environment like a hiking trail or backcountry camp site.

If you’ve never heard of this particular gear hack, you’re about to meet a very unique and useful tape for hiking gear repairs.

Three good reasons
to carry this tape

Here’s a quick product description of peel ‘n stick Tenacious Tapefrom the manufacturer:

“Using a combination of real tent fabric and high-strength adhesive, Tenacious Tape makes fast, permanent repairs
to nylon, polyester, vinyl, rubber, neoprene, polyurethane, leather, canvas, and plastic surfaces.”

“Quickly repair rips and holes in outerwear, waders,
sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents, tarps, backpacks,
and more.”

Sounds like something a hiker and backpacker might like to have, right?

• The price, and the weight, is minuscule compared to the amount of goodness you’ll get from this tape.

So I offer you three good reasons to include a batch of indispensable “stubborn” tape on your list of favorite gear hacks.

Tenacious Tape Tip #1

Choose the right version of this hack for your particular hiking gear needs: roll -vs- pre-cut circles.

There are merits to both of them.

Let's take a closer look.

Roll with it

A roll of this tape is useful for a large and/or irregular size gear repair.

I've used it to seal a big rip in a waterproof combination dry bag/backpack during a boat-supported hiking trip in Greenland.

• The bag was being thrown in and out of leaky boats.
  
• As luck would have it, a sharp edge on one of the boats sliced through the bag.
  
• More luck: I spotted it in time for a hasty field repair, thus saving my rugged (i.e. expensive) gear.

Now you know how much I trust Tenacious Tape to bond quickly in less than ideal conditions!

Circling around the problem

The pre-cut peel and stick circles (stickers, actually) are great for little holes in a jacket or tent fly.

Round edges prevent accidental snags or peel-off events.

You can seal just one side of a gap.

Need more strength?

Use a circle on both sides of the gap or gash (only one has to match the "right" side).

Flexibility is retained, which is nice for clothing.

---

Wait a minute!

You're probably way ahead of me here, but why couldn't you just cut circles out of your roll when you need them?

You can! But it's just one more fiddly little thing to do in a less-than-clean-and-dry outdoor environment.

• And you'll need scissors, which may or may not be in your first aid or emergency kit.

My solution: At home, cut some circles of various sizes. Then tuck them into the roll.

The best of both worlds!

Tenacious Tape Tip #2

When you get your wet, dirty gear home and decide you want a permanent fix for a rip, burn, or seam failure, you can re-do your hasty Tenacious Tape field repair under better conditions.

This tape won't leave a sticky residue, like duct tape so often does. It removes easily (see caveat below).

• If you've ever spent precious time picking that sticky gunk off your gear, you know why that's a good piece of news.

Important heads up

You need to remove the T.T. patch within a few days, or the hasty and perhaps less than meticulous field repair becomes permanent.

So for an expensive pair of waterproof hiking pants, or a critical tent repair, take your time at home to customize the size of the Tenacious Tape patch you apply.

• It will be with you for a long, long time.

Tenacious Tape Tip #3

If you're repairing hiking clothing and are concerned about how the patch job will look (the scarecrow effect), note that this wonder tape comes in a variety of colors.

• And a clear option to cover up your tracks. Woohoo!

In my opinion, the company is fairly well dialed in to the predominant colors using in hiking and camping gear.

So you should be able to select a reasonably close color match.

While the patch won't be truly invisible, it shouldn't catch the eye (or ragged fingernails) if you take your time and make it just the right size to do the patch job.

Your patched items can be safely machine washed and dried:

• Mild detergent
• Gentle wash cycle
• Low heat cycle for drying, or line drying
  

Another tip

In an abundance of caution, allow several days between the patch application and the laundering.

• It wouldn't take too long to replicate your repairs if you forget, given the generous size of the roll and the number of circles in each lightweight plastic package.
• But if you have the time, why not let the chemical bonding process work in your favor?
  

Time to give these Tenacious Tape Tips
a try!

These three Tenacious Tape tips have given you a few scenarios for when deploying your roll or stash of patches makes sense.

Carrying this stuff with you is a small but mighty investment in your peace of mind!

• Just one more of your hallmarks of a smart, seasoned hiker ;)

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Best Tenacious Tape Tips For Gear Hacks

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