Hello,

I have a Black Diamond Winter Bivy that I like very much.
During my last trip it got stuck in the zipper of my sleeping bag and developed a hole about 15mm across.
I would like to repair this hole but don't knwo how.
I made my emergency repair with a piece of Ductape but that didn't stick to it.
Could it be that I can use Silnet like a glue to glue on a patch of nylon, or do I need to use some other stuff to repair it?

Kind regards,

Martijn Landzaat

Edited by mlandzaat on 09/11/2006 06:05:35 MDT.

Not much insight to add I'm afraid, but I do have some encouragement.

I've had to fix a small hole in my BD winter bivy too. I did something very similar to what you're suggesting.

I called up Black Diamond, chatted with them for a bit and had them send a piece of the Nextec Epic fabric that they use in the bivys. I rounded the edges and then glued it on using Silnet. So far it's held up fine and shows no intention of falling off.

Best of luck.

I effectively closed small holes with Silnet seem sealer. As Nicholas suggests, calling Black Diamond actually gets you a live person who can suggest mailing it back to them or help you with a better suggestion than you can get anywhere else. They are great!

I emailed BD asking how I can fix my problem and the replied with this answer:

Hi Martijn,

Bad luck what happened to your bivy. Of course there is no warranty on that. And unfortunately we don't have repair kits. But I see several possibilites to fix the hole:
- try a gore tex repair set used for jackets
- or maybe better repair it with a vulcanization-sticker (used for cycle-tubes or air-matresses like therm-a-rest)
Both should be available in any sportshop.

Hopefully this helps you!

Best regards

Since i'm always curious I tried repairing it by sticking a piece of silnylon to my bivy using Silnet.
Looks like it's sticking OK but when it falls of I'll trie the solution BD answered with.
Biggest problem is the fact that most things don't stick to Epic because of the total Polymer encapsulation of the fabric-structure.

Thanks for your replies,

Martijn

Another approach is to turn the round hole into an elongated football shape about 3 to 4 times its length, pinch it shut to the inside and sew it closed...works well...easy...long lasting....does leave a wrinkle that is mostly cosmetic vs any functional impact....then use seal seal if desired.

Pan

Edited by Peter_pan on 09/10/2006 12:33:36 MDT.

I don't know the shape of the hole or if you are worried about the hole propagating into a bigger hole...but you might want to round off any sharp parts of the hole with scissors to reduce the stress concentration at that point. That could help prevent it from growing. Of course, be careful.

Sewing it shut or better yet, sewing a waterproof patch over the hole and then applying Silicone to the threads would close the hole and provide waterproofness.

EPIC fabric consists of fibres encapsulated in silicone polymer. This works out very similar to silnylon.

So a patch of either EPIC fabric or silnylon can be stuck to it with SilNet or ordinary silastic. Leave it for several days to really cure. It should last.

http://owareusa.com/TipsandGear%20Lists.html

This page has some photos of repairing silnylon.
It should work for epic too, especially if you
sew down the edges and reseal the needle holes
after gluing a patch on.

I still wonder if a person to person call would get a different answer from BD. I believe the guy I spoke to indicated that if I shipped it to him, he would decided if it was big enough...he would simply sew a patch on to the hole. Then you would seem seal it and be back in business. I am sure they would do it, even if it cost you a few $....and you retain the consistency of the original materials used.

If you send me a self addressed stamped
envelope, I can send you a piece of Epic
Malibu. Let me know the color. I have
dark green, cadnium (burnt orange), maize (yellow)
pieces.

Dave
PO Box 548
Truckee, CA 96160

Problem is I live in The Netherlands, so sending it back to the USA to get a patch sewed on is a bit pricy.
I've never seen the Black Diamond Winter Bivy in Holland so I ordered it in the USA a few months ago.
Maybe I'll try to get it fixed in Holland, tentmakers should be able to fix this I think!

Best regards,

Martijn Landzaat

David,
I've seen you make similar offers of help or suggestions...it's great to have that sort of contribution from a cottage industry supplier like you. BTW, I'm still enjoying my Oware 8x10 tarp. Here's a photo of it in storm pitch in Yosemite.