Self adhesive patches
 

Has anyone used these, and if so how have you found them?

IMO, They work pretty well for a quick fix, although I haven't had a blow out in quite sometime. :D

My experience has been not so good. I've used them maybe 5 times so my experience is limited but in at least a few cases the patch held for me at road side but then developed a slow leak over the next day or two. They don't seem to bond as permanently as a real, glued patch. The most common failure was a leak where the patch ran along a seam in the tube. The real pain was that I never managed to fix some of those slow leaks and had to toss some otherwise OK tubes. So I'm back to carrying a spare tube and making patches at home.

As a sidebar...I don't use the instant stick patches either. Had a pinch flat yesterday in fact on my 40 mile ride. Had to retire my Vittoria Rubino Tech rear tire which served me well for ~2300 miles. A question to those that patch conventionally...when you apply glue to the tube, how long do you let the glue set up before applying the patch? I have been waiting about 2-3 minutes or so with pretty good success.
George

I just wait till the glue is dry.
The glueless patches work well if you warm the patch up in your hand first so its soft and pliable. If its a sunny day, let it sit on a hot rock in the sun for about a minute to warm it up. Then press it in place and let it sit for 5 minutes. A better strategy would be to swap a tube and at the same time patch the broken tube and carry that home so you don't have to wait 5 minutes for the glueless to set in.

I was sceptical about using them, and after what has been mentioned here I think I'll stick with the normal ones. Just have to find somewhere I can buy a box of patches rather than having to get numerous repair kits.

Thanks

As I understand, they are meant just to get you home, as DIVA suggested. They are not a permanent fix. I have used them before and replaced them when I get home.