MrCjolsen

Are they as good as the kit that Thermarest sells?

Little tiny hole.

derath

I would think no. tube patches are designed to stick to a rubber tube. The outer shell of a thermarest is not rubber.

-D

Camel

I used one of those selfstick type tube patches on an orange "ultralite" model thermarest to patch a pinholl. Worked fine.

rollotheclown

I used to lead trips in Baja California- lots of sharp spiny plants- lots of holes in thermarests, and we used ripstop tape over the hole, the a little blob of aquaseal over the entire patch to keep the edges from rolling up and to really bombproof it. if its really tiny, pinhole, then you can usually go with just the aquaseal. (look for aquaseal as a general sealant in the repair section of outdoor stores)

vik 

+1 - I carry that exact combo with me on long trips [especially Baja]. You can fix tents, water bags, sleeping bags, clothing, panniers, etc..with it.

BTW - Aquaseal, Seam Seal, Shoe Goo, Goop, etc...are all the same thing.

gnz

Yep, mine is.

Rowan

I hearsay that a dab of superglue on small punctures is one quick-fix.

seeker333

Patches are probably overkill for most holes. All you really need is thin film of flexible, impermeable-to-air material. The original thermarest patch kit consisted of patch and adhesive; newer models use a hot melt type thermoplastic without any separate patch.

I know black automotive gasket cement (high temp silicon) works well.

I tried regular ole dow clear silicon caulk once - it peeled off. Gasket caulk has a more tenacious bond, won't peel away from the nylon.

I would not try krazyglue / CA glues - this stuff is brittle and would probably crumble off eventually. It may work on pinholes only, for a while.

I have heard of the popular aquaseal fix too, but haven't tried it. This may be a good all purpose repair material to carry on bicycle tours - along with krazy glue, duct tape and nylon zip ties.

I wonder if regular hot-melt glue sticks could be used to patch a thermarest?

gnz

Tube patches are cheap and you have to carry them on a cycling tour anyway. The cement may not create a really good bond but unlike with the inner tube, there is no high pressure involved here.

My tube patch repair on my thermarest has held on fine so far, I patched it like three months ago and have folded/unfolded the matress several times since them.

Muttsta

No, I tried and failed miserably

Muttsta

That's actually exactly where my Thermarest got a hole in it, arrrgg

Niles H.

Whatever you do, it's important to clean and dry the surface well.

Aquaseal is great. The company that makes it, McNett, told me that Seam Grip (a similar product to Aquaseal -- both made by McNett) works well for sealing small holes in Thermarest pads -- just a drop of Seam Grip alone, no patch necessary.

Someone who works at REI told me that after playing around with all the different sealants and adhesives, he found Seam Grip to be exceptionally and uniquely strong and lasting.

(McNett also makes a product that is designed for coating or recoating and resealing a leaking tent fly.)

****
To your original question about a tube patch: The products made for patching tubes are different. They are made to work with different materials. They might do the job, but the McNett products would be stronger and less likely to let you down.

IMHO, it's better to do it right so you don't have to redo it later, and so your sleep isn't a disappointment when an unreliable patch lets you down.

Niles H.

There is more information available by clicking on 'Seam Grip' (and some of the other products as well) at www.mcnett.com

gnz

Mmh, after reading this I took out my thermarest and checked the tube patch repair. The patch is holding on pretty strong so I guess there must be a difference in the type of rubber cement or probably in the location of the puncture. Here are some more details of my repair:

My matress is the thermarest prolite previous generation (rectangular one) red on top, dark green on bottom.
Puncture was on the underside (dark green) side of the matress pretty much centered
I cleaned then rubbed the surface with sandpaper and applied a lot of cement over it, then spread it to cover more of than the area of the patch
Allowed cement to dry then applied the patch and pressed it for some minutes.
After some 10 hours I inflated the matress and slept on it with full pressure all through the night

burkhrj

I've tried the glue stick route. Held temporarily, but eventually pulled away. Adhesion is poor, over time. I'd stick to Aquaseal or Seam Grip.

Cave

Can't comment on tyre patches but Seam grip/ Aquaseal are the same as urethane glue which is probably the best multipurpose glue/sealant you can get. It dosen't work on siliconized surfaces (you need silicone sealant for that) but will stick or seal pretty much anything else.

Muttsta

I have the newer style orange thermarest mattress, the prolite 4, I got a puncture on the underside also around the middle
I sandpapered the area around it slightly, not too much as I didn't want to destroy anything, then put cement on it and let it dry, then placed patch on it and applied pressure
The thing wouldn't stick at all and came off very shortly afterwards
It may have been the cement, but it totally failed for me
Next time I would be sure to carry a tube of the stuff others have mentioned in here

Frank_Tour

seamsealant with a patch works better I guess

JoeLonghair

I used puncture repair once whilst touring, did not work, in the end I got storm proof gel, whatever you use like a gel based glue works well. The trick is to deflate the pad, use your mouth to deflate more by sucking the air out, close off the valve then put your glue on the hole and the vacume created by sucking out the air will cause air to be sucked in by the puncture hole thus sucking in the glue giving you years of peace of mind as the hole will now be sealed

benajah

I have been using therm-a-rests since probably 1996 or so, and have finally gotten so frustrated with putting holes in them that I have resorted back to closed cell foam. I know, I know, the comfort is not there, and neither is the compactability, but weight is on my side there.
While I was in the army I put a bunch of holes in my therm a rest by dropping it on a thorn bush (yeah I know it was dumb) and spent about three months patching holes before I finally got it all plugged up. Don't get me wrong, I am still using one, but if I put a hole in this one, it is my last. I value durability and reliability above everything else.

Randochap

Shoe Goo ... for all your patching and soleful needs!

Seriously. I patched a therma rest with Goo about 28 years ago, on a climbing expedition. It's still fine.

rep

Tube patches worked for my wife. She tried the self-adhering type (nope, wouldn't stick) and succeeded with the normal rubber cement plus patch.