ultralight puffy repair

I have a 3-yr-old Marmot Quasar ultra-light puffy jacket (red) that I snagged on a fence and tore a 1" hole in. It's a straight tear.

I'd like to repair it so that the damage is inconspicuous...i.e. no duct tape.

Marmot will repair it, but it's a 6-8 week turnaround and I'm not sure what they'd charge.

Any recommendations for repair kits or alternatives to sending it back to Marmot? As I mentioned I'd like the repair to match the jacket as closely as possible.

1) If you can find a similar fabric, cut out a patch (rounded corners) wet it out with seam sealer (less is more), and apply it over the hole.

Works without a similar fabric too, FWIW. That part was mostly a reaction to matching the jacket as close as possible.

2) You could also hand sew it closed, and maybe apply some seam sealer to keep leakage at bay if you're worried about it. Look up the ladder stitch (invisible stitch)

I used Fritz Fray Check Adhesive to repair some tears in my lightweight puffy. It has held up pretty well, dries clear, and is not that noticeable.

I used seam sealer on a 0.5" hole in my puffy a bit over a year ago and it's still holding strong. There is a slight bit of discoloration where I was sloppy (it doesn't dry quite clear), but I'm sure a more inconspicuous job is possible. Definitely not perfect but super easy. If you took the time to push the fluff down in the hole and just dabbed the seam sealer along the ripped edges I'm sure it would look alright. New tube of seam sealer is $7.50 at REI and can seal up your tent too.

ebmudder wrote:I have a 3-yr-old Marmot Quasar ultra-light puffy jacket (red) that I snagged on a fence and tore a 1" hole in. It's a straight tear. I'd like to repair it so that the damage is inconspicuous...i.e. no duct tape. Marmot will repair it, but it's a 6-8 week turnaround and I'm not sure what they'd charge. Any recommendations for repair kits or alternatives to sending it back to Marmot? As I mentioned I'd like the repair to match the jacket as closely as possible.

I had a straight tear in a puffy a bit longer than an inch - had it sewed by a seamstress with same color thread. Been a couple years, no problems and only this thread made me remember I had torn it!

You can use tenacious tape to repair the tear. It comes in clear and various colors. Tenacious tape

Puffy patch

nosopatches.com/

I've had good luck with "Tear Aid Type A" tape.

i have used tenacious tape for many repairs as well. one thing ive found that works well is to place the tenacious tape holding the tear shut then seam seal around the edges of the tape. its probably not necessary but i wanted to make sure i wasnt catching the edge of my "patch" on something and ripping it off.

Jake wander wrote:i have used tenacious tape for many repairs as well. one thing ive found that works well is to place the tenacious tape holding the tear shut then seam seal around the edges of the tape. its probably not necessary but i wanted to make sure i wasnt catching the edge of my "patch" on something and ripping it off.

The best way I have found to do the repair and make it hold up is to put the patch on the inside of the hole. Cut a round patch that is just slightly larger in diameter than the tear. Take the backing off, slide it through the tear, position, and then tack together. There are some tricks to get the patch inside and positioning it. Like put half of it through, position and tack it in place, then flip the other half inside and tack it. Just depends on the location of the tear and how nimble your fingers are.

+1 for Tear Aid patches. I have several that are ~5 years in on a puffy, and one that has survived 2 years on a pair of softshell pants, including a couple trips through the washing machine.

I've also had good luck with clear tenacious tape.