I usually will patch my tubes once, maybe twice if the second puncture isn't near the first one. I use both the "glue" type repair kit for at home repairs and the "self stick" type patches I carry in my bike repair kit for on the road repairs ( if necessary ). I always carry an extra tube if I flat along the road, and wait to get home to repair the leaking tube. But you never know when you could have the second flat on the road before you get home, so that's the reason for the "self stick" patch kit. Nothing worse than needing to repair a tube anywhere, and the tube of glue is dried up or useless. You can't store a tube of glue in your bike repair kit for the road, like you can at home in the refrigerator. I've only used the "self stick" patch type on one occasion to repair a tube in a bike I was selling, just to see if these were reliable. I prepared the repair according to the instructions, and the tube didn't lose any air pressure in the three weeks before the bike was sold. I have confidence that in an emergency along the road, one of these self stick patches would get me home. I wish what the "glue" type kits had was a small one time use tube of glue for each rubber patch in the kit. Something like the small single use tubes of "super glue" you see in the stores, then you could carry the glue type kits on the road.