So you bought a down jacket. With regular care and washing, it’ll provide versatile, packable warmth for season after season, but eventually, its ultralight ripstop shell will tear. It’ll snag on a branch, scrape against a rock or get caught in a suitcase zipper. Roughhousing with your dog might do it, too — you never know! But what you should know is that patching a down jacket is easy.
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Take it from Josh Schill, the repair manager at Patagonia’s Reno repair facility. Patagonia has long been known for its Ironclad Guarantee, which backs up damaged gear with a promise to fix what can be, typically for free. Schill and a team of nearly 100 specialists brought roughly 50,000 items back to full functionality in 2020 alone (and a separate third-party facility handled an additional 25,000 to 30,000).
The majority of repairs that come through, says Schill, are for ripstop items, including down and synthetic insulation jackets. He doesn’t have many patches on his own Down Sweater, but needless to say, he certainly knows how to fix a tear.
Chase PellerinWhat You’ll Need
AmazonMedline GoodSense Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
A little rubbing alcohol goes a long way — use sparingly.
AmazonFiskars Softgrip Scissors
High-quality tools make your patch job that much easier.
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$28.99 (27% off)
AmazonGear Aid Tenacious Tape
Fix rips and holes fast — no heat or sewing required.
AmazonGear Aid Tenacious Tape Repair Patches
Make sure there are no sharp corners on your patches that can peel or tear.
Before You Start
Don’t use duct tape: “We hate duct tape,” Schill explains. “It leaves a super bad residue which really sucks to repair.”
Don’t try to sew it: Needle holes will create new places for tears to sprout and leave your down jacket susceptible to water logging even if they manage not to tear.
