Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Review

Gear Aid Tenacious Tape is a ripstop nylon patch with a very sticky backing. It claims to provide permanent, washable, and hardly noticeable repairs on puffy jackets, sleeping bags, tents, ski pants, and more. Seeing that I ride a lot and crash occasionally, I’ve had ample opportunity to mend ripped gear and evaluate these claims.

I often buy my mountain bike shorts in batches. When I find a pair of shorts that I like, I’ll buy three pairs of them. Ill-fitting shorts can ruin a ride, and it’s not worth trying to hunt for acceptable off-brands. So when I bought three pairs of full price Troy Lee Designs Skyline shorts, you can imagine my dismay when I crashed and ripped the inner thigh on my first trip out. I don’t blame the shorts, it was a hard crash, and I caught a corner of my saddle with my leg.

Not wanting to throw away my $75 shorts, I ordered some Gear Aid Tenacious Tape to get a little more life out of them, hopefully. I also had a small saw briar tear in my down jacket and a torn edge on my Honda Element driver’s seat. I was able to use the tape in a few different circumstances.

Mostly yes, yes it does. I find it hard to tell where the patch starts and the original material ends on my jacket. On the other hand, it looked tidy on my car’s seat, and the edges stayed down over 18 months of daily driving. On my shorts, however, the edge of the patch is peeling up where it rubs against the saddle; but I’ll count it as a win. Gear Aid Tenacious Tape extends the life of these shorts a year and gets washed weekly. Of course, it works best on fabrics that aren’t elastic and in places that don’t experience constant rubbing. Even in worst-case scenarios like mountain bike shorts, its performance is undoubtedly laudable.

Tenacious tape is available in a wide variety of colors, and it’s highly affordable. At $5, it’s worth buying preemptively. You’ll be surprised how many things you’ll notice need patching once you get a few rolls of it in your toolbox.