Fixing Gear

Do you have a piece of used gear that is broken or just doesn't work quite right? Many people tend to throw things like this away or just stop using them. While getting rid of gear like this is an option, it's a much better choice to repair it. Not only does this save you money, but it also reduces your carbon footprint by keeping junk out of the landfill. 

"How should I fix my ____?" I hear you ask. Let’s take a look at a few options:

Tears in packs or bags – this is probably the simplest fix, as all you need is to stitch the rip back together with a basic running stitch or backstitch (there are thousands of how-to videos on these stitches). There is no need for it to look pretty it just needs to hold up. With packs, I would strongly recommend doing way more stitches than you think is necessary and then do a few more. As packs and bags tend to see heavier use, you want your repair to be as strong as possible.

Big tears/holes in bags – to fix bigger tears/holes you can often get away with just putting a patch over the hole. But really make sure to add more stitches than you normally would because packs and bags tend to see more wear, and you want your repair to last a long time. I have found a great patch material is old webbing.

Tears in clothing – you can follow the same steps as fixing packs and bags, just make sure to make it look clean, because you’ll be wearing it, so the repair will rub on your skin.

You can also get fancy and sew or embroider a design into the patch, which can end up looking pretty cool. After doing some research, I found that this is a Japanese technique called Sashiko.

Boots/Shoes – Oftentimes the sole of the boot or shoe will start to peel off the shoe. You can stretch the life of your used boots or shoes a little further if you use some shoe glue like E6000 or some epoxy. This isn’t a great fix for them, but it will give you time to find some new ones on our website. Here is an example of some snowboard boots that have been fixed in a similar way:

Here is a really good example: when we buy used gear at Gearonimo Sports, there will be some items that we can't buy because of excess use. A backpack came through the shop that we couldn't buy because it was in bad condition, and the connection to the shoulder strap was ripping. The gentleman who was trying to sell it just wanted to get rid of it. I ended up taking it home and sewing on a piece of webbing to reinforce the tear. 

(this webbing Just adds some reenforment to the stiching)

After that the pack was still going strong. In fact, I have used it so much I've broken other parts of the pack, like the grab handle. These started to tear from how much I was pulling on them. But I did the same thing that worked last time and sewed a piece of webbing over the tear. Lo and behold, my backpack was back up and running, better than ever. 

(It doesnt look that prity but it holds up very well)

YEARS later it is still my go-to backpack for trad climbing adventures and backcountry missions. So next time you're thinking about throwing out something that is broken, try to fix it first. If you end up fixing some gear, post it on social media and make sure to tag us @gearonimosports1401.

here is the pack still running strong, you cant even tell that there have been repairs made to it.