I stupidly fell over on Glyder Fawr a while ago and tore the knee in my expensive (but much loved) softshell trousers!! This of course had to rip open the knee and I am worried the tear will run so obvioulsy want to 'have a stitch in time' as it were.

Snow and Rock quoted over £50 to repair it!! (Its only a small tear for feck's sake!) and Lancashire Sports Repairs didn't know what it was I was talking about (I had to explain it was gortex several times).

I'm temptd to attack them with a needle and thread myself but am orried that as the material is stretchy this might make matters worse by putting in a non-strech thread as it might rip through. Or I could patch it with something- but I don't know what

Or is it OK to leave them (assuming the rip won't run)


HELP!!!!!! Does anyone know or have some suggestions as they are my fav piece of kit and I love them (probably too much!)

That should read "had to explain it WASN'T goretex several times".

My excuse is that I've been ill and I'm sticking to it! Must learn to proof-read my threads!

i have a pair of polartech power strecth which while not gortex is hard to repair. I got some elastic cotton from woolworths which has worked fine, it repaired the hole but streched so no tearing.

would still put tiny holes in the Gortex membrane but would strech to stop any damage.

and it cost about 45p :)

Duh I have just realised the the trousers are powershield not powerstrech (like I said I've been ill! Obviously my IQ has been hit hard!)

Guy, thanks for the idea- didn't know if one could sew with elastic thread- in fact I don't know if I can sew myself (but I'll have a stab at it!). I guess the same principle applies to both fabrics.

Jon (Doran), if you happen to read this, can I get your opinion as you have expressed a liking for powershield before and I asume you know a fair bit about it

Powershield is the Polartech version of Gore Windstopper(c) but only 98% windproof so it's slightly more breatheable IIRC.

It's pretty much water resistant as well, isn't it?

You could try somewhere like Pennine Outdoor
http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/
- they sell pieces of fabric for outdoor gear and I'm sure they'll have an equivalent of Powershield that you could patch it with.

Alternatively, stick on some gaffer tape and look 'hard'.
;o)

Just sew it by hand, any fancy repair will impair the technical function of the area of fabric just the same, so do it yourself and as JJ says, look hard.

The trouble with trying to repair fabrics like this (i.e. fleecy or thin fabrics) is that, in order to pull the two sides of the tear together sufficiently firmly to make a good repair, the fabric ends up puckering. Powershield might resist this a bit, due to the woven face fabric. I'd probably start by bar-tacking the ends of the tear to stop it going further, and then try hand-sewn zig-zag. I'm not sure how successful you'll be.

And, of course, the knee is the worst possible place to tear it, as that's the bit that will stretch most, and rub the most. Couldn't you have torn them somewhere else? ;-)

Sadly, neither Point North nor Pennine sell Powershield, and aren't likely to.

Sorry, not been too helpful.

How big is the tear, BTW? If it's only small (say 1"), I'd just stitch it up fairly tightly, as the puckering won't be too bad on something this small.

Yes I tried to put the tear in someone else's gear but there was no one handy as I fell over!!!

The suggested repair by the manufacturers repariers was sewing on a patch of strtchy material right across the knees- but I may even go the gaffer tape route as it should top the running by holding the frayd edges together. I'm forever going through the knees of my climbing trousers so I don't need a permanent cure but a practical one if you catch my drift

Oh tear is probably less than 1" and L-shaped.

For a tear that small, I'd probably try sewing. I don't think the lack of stretch will be a problem.