How to repair small hole in down vest?

October 11, 2023 8:57 AM

I'd like to mend this hole in my vest, so that down doesn't come out and it looks nicer. I think the shell is nylon but there's no tag. I guess it could also be polyester? It's probably 25+ years old. In theory I could darn it but that seems fiddly and I don't know if that's even the right thing. I'm wondering if there's an easier way, perhaps a drop of some sort of flexible adhesive? Thanks!
posted by SaltySalticid to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Do not darn, the fabric is not strong enough. Gear tape or a sticky patch is a good immediate solution (avoid duct tape except in an emergency, it's a bitch to clean up). Longterm solution is a patch in a similar weight fabric and there are lots of places that will do this for you, either local to you or via mail order. I follow a ton of gear repair places on Instagram, e.g. Murph's Repairs, Rainy Pass Repair, Zoe Can Patch It. Here's a list of the Best Outdoor Gear Repair Shops. Or if you have the skills, you can take a look at what they do and figure out how to replicate it.
posted by mskyle at 9:25 AM on October 11, 2023 [4 favorites]

I've used reppair tape on down with fine results, or a fabric patch on the duvet, where I wanted it to be be soft.
posted by theora55 at 10:45 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I will use Tenacious Tape to cover the hole and then cut a piece of retroreflective tape and place it on top for added protection. My wife hates it because it sticks out but I like the extra bit of visibility it gives. The Tenacious Tape people also make adhesive patches you can stick on.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 11:30 AM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have fixed a down jacket with a small hole like that before with a few stitches of correctly colored thread. It was pretty unnoticeable after I carefully tweezered out the fluffy down still sticking out of the hole. And if you decide it looks bad, just pull the stitches and try something else.
posted by gregr at 11:35 AM on October 11, 2023

Came here to recommend the Noso patches that mskyle linked to. I think they are cute, but not everyone might like that kind of visible mending. I've tried clear repair tape in the past but it was still visible so I decided to lean in to it.
posted by misskaz at 1:14 PM on October 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

There are precut patches designed specifically for down jackets, which I have used before. They are very durable and fairly invisible (at least on black, color matching is going to be a bit more of a pain for you).
posted by neatsocks at 3:51 PM on October 11, 2023