Go Camping Australia
  • HOME
  • Blog
  • Campsite Reviews
    • Kangaroo Island >
      • Kangaroo Island Tips for new travellers
      • American River camping
      • Western KI Caravan Park camping
      • Antechamber Bay camping
      • Flinders Chase camping
      • Wreckers Beach camping
      • Activities on Kangaroo Island
    • Queensland >
      • Amity Point Campground
      • Brooloo Park Campground
    • Northern Territory >
      • 13 Tips for new travellers in the Outback
      • Ellery Creek Big Hole
      • Kings Canyon
      • Yulara (at Uluru)
      • Ormiston Gorge
      • Serpentine Gorge
      • Standley Chasm
    • Tasmania >
      • Cradle Mountain
      • Mt Field
      • Fortescue Bay, Tasman Ntl Park
      • Freycinet National Park
      • Bay of Fires, Tasmania
      • Mt William National Park
    • Overland Track, Tasmania >
      • Cradle Valley to Waterfall Valley Hut
      • Waterfall Valley to Windermere
      • Windermere to Pelion Hut
      • Pelion Hut to Kia Ora
      • Kia Ora to Windy Ridge
      • Windy Ridge to Pine Valley
      • Pine Valley to Narcissus
      • Narcissus to Echo Point
      • Echo Point to Cynthia Bay
    • National Parks (Victoria) >
      • Princess Margaret Rose Caves
      • Grampians - Plantation Campground
      • Grampians - Lakeside Tourist Park
      • Grampians - Mt Stapylton
      • Grampians - Borough Huts
      • Grampians - Smiths Mill Campground
      • Lower Glenelg NP - Hutchenssons
    • Flinders Ranges >
      • Acraman Camping, Flinders Ranges
      • Horseshoe Top End
      • Spear Creek
      • Stony Creek Bush Camp
      • Merna Mora
      • Bendleby Ranges
      • Flinders Ranges - Argadells
      • Flinders Ranges - Wilpena Pound
      • Flinders Ranges - Aroona
      • Telowie Gorge
      • Mambray Creek >
        • Kingfisher Flat
      • Melrose
    • Lincoln National Park >
      • Surfleet Cove
      • September Beach
      • Fishermans Point
      • Spalding Cove
      • Engine Point
      • Taylors Landing
      • Donington Beach
    • National Parks (South Australia) >
      • Beachport Conservation Park
      • Bool Lagoon Conservation Park
      • Canunda National Park
      • Deep Creek Conservation Park camping >
        • Eagle Waterhole Camping
      • Innes National Park
      • Little Dip Conservation Park
      • Maize Island Conservation Park
      • Newland Head Conservation Park
      • Redbanks Conservation Park
    • Yorke Peninsula Free Camping >
      • Hillocks Drive Butlers Beach
    • NSW >
      • Bendalong Point Tourist Park
      • Hosanna Farmstay (NE NSW)
      • Wollemi National Park (NSW)
    • Other Places (SA) >
      • Burra (Worlds End)
      • Chookarloo at Kuitpo Forest
      • Clayton Bay
      • Lake Bonney
      • Naracoorte
      • Mt Crawford Forest
      • Piccaninnie Ponds
      • Rapid Bay
      • Saunders Gorge
      • Wirrabara Forest
  • Equipment Reviews/Advice
    • CAMPING GEAR ADVICE >
      • Best Camping Pillows
      • Best Camping Chairs - Our top 5
      • Groundsheet/Footprint for Tents - Must Read Guide
      • Water Filters for Hiking and Camping
      • Camping Showers (and how to choose one)
      • Choosing a Headlamp
      • Canvas or Nylon Tents - what to choose
      • Kids Camping Gear
      • How to choose a camping BBQ
      • Camping Coffee Makers
      • Camping and hiking stoves
      • 10 Pieces of Beginner Camping Equipment you need
      • Self Inflating Mat - How to choose
      • Inflatable Tents -- what is available?
      • Air Mattresses
    • TENT REVIEWS >
      • Cinch Pop Up Tent Review
      • Southern Cross Ultimate Tent
      • Hammock Review - Sky Bed
      • Mountain Hardwear Drifter 3 Tent
      • Napier 84000 Sportz SUV Tent Review
      • Black Wolf Turbo Tent
      • MacPac Apollo Tent
    • SLEEPING GEAR >
      • Jack Wolfskin Sleeping Bag Review
      • Western Mountaineering Alpinlite Sleeping Bag
      • Black Wolf Zambezie Sleeping Bag
      • Marmot Plasma 15 Sleeping Bag review
      • Sky Bed Hammock
    • COOKING GEAR REVIEWS >
      • Wacaco Nanopresso Review
      • Wonderbag Review
      • Aeropress (coffee maker)
      • Jetboil Flash
      • MSR Mugmate
      • MSR MicroRocket Stove
      • Primus Omnifuel Cooker
    • OTHER GEAR REVIEWS >
      • LIGHTING >
        • Bosch Camping Gear
        • Luci Solar Light
        • Coleman Rechargeable Retro Lantern
        • Fenix CL20 Lantern
      • OtterBox Cooler/Esky
      • Chammock Review
      • Travall Cargo Guard
      • Honda EU20i Generator Review
      • IceMule Cooler
      • Ezygonow Go Anywhere Kit
      • Water Bottle Filters - Diercon and Sawyer
      • Griffin Survivor Case Review
      • Helinox Chair One Camping Chair
      • Sawyer Squeeze Filter
      • Wilderness Wear Thermal Top
      • 3 in 1 Camping Jacket (Aldi)
      • Thetford Porta Pottie
      • Thumper Battery
  • Camping Tips
    • GEAR TIPS >
      • Portable Camping Toilets Guide
      • Collapsible Camping Gear
      • Choosing a camp stretcher
      • Choosing a Family Tent
      • 10 tips to help choose a tent
      • How to choose a sleeping bag: 5 tips
      • Choosing a camper trailer
      • How to buy a used tent
      • Double Sleeping Bag Guide
    • BEGINNER TIPS >
      • Beginners Guide to Camping
      • Packing your car for camping
      • Top 10 Camping Etiquette Tips
      • How to choose a campsite
      • 10 Beginner Camping Mistakes
      • Summer Camping Tips - stay cool
    • CAMPSITE TIPS >
      • Camping in the Rain
      • 10 tips to camping in thunderstorms
      • How to sleep well in a tent
      • Cleaning up your campsite - 4 tips
      • Camping Security: How to keep safe
      • How to keep your campsite clean
      • Condensation in Your Tent (and how to prevent)
    • CHILDREN AND CAMPING >
      • 5 reasons to take your children camping
      • Camping with Teenagers: 5 survival tips for parents
      • Top 10 tips camping with children
    • CARE AND REPAIR TIPS >
      • How to care for camping gear
      • How to Store A Sleeping Bag
      • How to remove mould on tent
      • How to fix a tear in tent
      • How to fix leak in mat
      • How to care for your tent - 5 easy tips
      • Caring for your sleeping bag
      • How to Season A Tent
      • How to Wash Down Sleeping Bag
      • How to Waterproof Your Jacket
    • MISCELLANEOUS >
      • Keeping clean when camping
      • How to prevent mosquitos when camping
      • Sick when camping - tips to help
      • Camping with Cats and Dogs
      • Camping and makeup - what to pack
      • 7 Tents you don't see too often
      • Glamping Australia
  • HIKING
    • Hiking Checklist: What you need to bring
    • Beginner Trekking Poles
    • Smallest and Lightest Hiking Stoves
    • Overnight hiking: gear advice for beginners
    • First Overnight Hike - Gear
    • Lightweight and Ultralight - What it means
    • Layering Clothes for Outdoors
  • FOOD
    • Coffee Makers for Camping
    • Camping Meals for Beginners
    • 10 tips to keep food cold
    • Camping Food On a Stick
    • Camping Breakfast Ideas
    • Camping Food Preparation for Beginners
    • Foil Pack Cooking - How to Guide
    • French Toast when Camping
    • S'Mores Australia
  • Get in touch
    • About Us
    • Disclosure Policy/Disclaimer

How to fix a tear in your tent

Picture


If you look at your tent, and notice there is a rip in the fabric, chances are you aren't exactly  happy by this.    But rather than freak out further, you can rectify this problem and you and your tent can go on to have many happy camping moments together.

But how?      

​We take you through some steps to make tent fixing easier and not too tricky.    Because who wants to have to deal with tricky tents? 

The information below is for nylon tents. 


Small Tear Repair


Assess the damage.    

Assuming it's nothing too huge (and if so, you need to read on)   one item we use and recommend is Tenacious Tape.  If you don't have any, go buy it.

This Tape is waterproof, all purpose tape and can be used on all your outdoor gear (we recommended it in our story on how to fix a leaking sleeping mat).     


  1. So find your rip/tear, and cut some of this Tenacious Tape, rounding off the edges; and     
  2. Make sure the tape is larger than the the rip, by at least 2cm on all sides.     
  3. Peel off the backing on the Tape, and press it over the small rip/hole on the fabric that is inside the tent,  pressing down firmly and smoothing out any bumps or bubbles in the tape.     You want to make sure its firmly adhered to the material.
  4. Apply the Tape on the other side of the fabric (outside tent fabric), so you have double strength tape over the rip.    
  5. Optional step:     If you don't want the Tape on the outside of the tent as mentioned in step 4, you can apply Seam Grip to the tear on the outside of the tent.    You will smear the Seam Grip over the tear, and the surrounding area of the tear - you can do this with your finger, or a clean stick, or whatever you have handy!      Allow Seam Grip overnight to fully cure.
Seam Grip to fix your tent tear
tenacious tape to fix your tent tear

Large Tear Repair



A larger tear can mean more work.        You can always try Option 1 - using the Tenacious Tape and Seam Grip.     That's the easiest option.

But you may have to look at the sewing method, which isn't always ideal, and needs a bit more skill.

Firstly, you can't just use any old thread you have lying around the house to sew on buttons.  You will need to source a special polyester thread and appropriate needles.   One thread that is mentioned frequently is Gutermann extra strong polyester thread.    Try looking for it on eBay as your local fabric store might not have the right one.

To find out about sewing in more detail, and tips you need to be aware of when sewing with this sort of fabric, you should read the story which covers tips on sewing ripstop nylon fabric.

Need advice on threads and needles for the job?    Read these tips on sewing your own gear.      

After a successful sewing of the rip, you should apply Seam Grip over the sewing to help ensure no water leaks through.

Alternative Options on how to Repair Your Tent

If you aren't too keen to attempt any of the above options, you have a few  alternatives.

Firstly, you can let someone else do it.      Type into Google    "tent repair australia"  and you will come up with a few companies who can do the work for you.        It will cost you but if you have concerns over your ability to perform the above options, then it might be worth considering.

Secondly, you could use duct tape on the tear.   But we don't recommend this.   Duct tape is fine in an emergency, but for longer lasting repairs, duct tape will start to fray and come off the tent, leaving a big sticky mess on the tent.

Lastly, you could apply a Tent Repair Kit that the manufacturer of your tent, may supply with your tent, or be available for separate purchase.




Best of luck with your newly repaired tent.    And if you have a leak in your sleeping mat, we have answers on that as well!


More tips on how to care for your tent are here.

Caring for your camping gear - how to look after it when the trip is over.



Latest blog story

Disclosure Policy (affiliate program information included).


​​



Stay in touch with Go Camping Australia.  



Subscribe to our free newsletter here
Go Camping Australia - All rights reserved 2014      No re-use of any written content or photos without permission.   

BACK TO TOP

© Go Camping Australia | All Rights Reserved