Outdoor gear can be delicate. Sometimes all it takes is a broken buckle or jammed zipper to render a $500 sleeping bag or jacket unusable. But it doesn’t have to end up in the trash.
Many outdoor brands now tend to their gear long after it’s sold with repair programs, replacement parts, DIY repair kits, and thoughtful designs that help keep it in the wild longer – and out of the landfills. You can mail in your damaged product, or just buy the buckle, tent pole, or strap to fix it yourself at home. Mainstream retailers such as REI have also expanded repair services, making gear repair more accessible to people who don’t have the skills or tools to do it themselves.
We asked real outdoor enthusiasts for their repair experiences, and found 11 companies that truly go the distance, along with some examples of hard-wearing gear worth buying from them. These products aren’t indestructible, but the companies behind them are making meaningful efforts to keep them on the trail long after that first hole or tear.
Patagonia Down Sweater
Patagonia
Down Sweater
from $138.59
Patagonia is the industry’s gold standard for repair, thanks in large part to its long-running Worn Wear program and extensive in-house repair services. In fact, when we put a call out for repair stories, the first dozen responses tied back to Patagonia products – that’s not an exaggeration. We heard tales of everything from patched jackets to fixed duffels. In one, California-based Elise Moore shared a story of when she shipped in a Down Sweater – Patagonia’s popular lightweight insulated jacket known for its durability and versatility – with melted materials and zipper. “I was so impressed with their service and workmanship,” she says. “It was free and looked brand new!” Customers typically pay $15 for roundtrip shipping on repairs.
Patagonia
Down Sweater
from $138.59
Chaco Z/1 Adjustable Strap Classic Sandal
Chaco
Z/1 Adjustable Strap Classic Sandal
from $66.99
Unlike most other sandals that hit the dump once the straps fray, Chacos are built to be rebuilt. Through the ReChaco program, owners can resole sandals, replace straps and buckles, repair webbing, and even customize older pairs by swapping in new webbing colors. The affordable repair menu ranges from $10 for buckle replacement to $50 for an entire resole. Chaco’s Z/1 Classic is arguably the brand’s most iconic model with the original single-strap design, grippy outsole, and podiatrist-certified footbed. It’s especially popular among hikers, raft guides, and travelers thanks to its delightfully absurd durability. Add in the repairs, and you’ll have these for life.
Chaco
Z/1 Adjustable Strap Classic Sandal
from $66.99
Nemo Riff Endless Promise Down Sleeping Bag
Nemo
Riff Endless Promise Down Sleeping Bag
from $399.95
Nemo pushes repairability further than almost any company in the industry. Through its repair program, Nemo fixes damaged gear, sells replacement parts and offers at-home repair options for productssuch as sleeping bags and tents. And, it doesn’t end when your gear is beyond repair. The Endless Promise collection of backpacks and sleeping bags are 100% recyclable at the end of life. All you have to do is ship your bag back to Nemo and they’ll recycle every bit of it into a new product (and send you a small gift card as thanks). The Riff is one of Nemo’s most popular backpacking sleeping bags. For me as a side sleeper, the extra room at the knees makes it feel almost luxurious and cozy – which says a lot when you’re sleeping on the ground.
Nemo
Riff Endless Promise Down Sleeping Bag
from $399.95
Osprey Tempest Pro 30
Osprey
Tempest Pro 30
from $250
Turns out, Osprey’s Almighty Guarantee is just that: a legitimate guarantee, no matter how many years or miles you’ve put on your backpack. Osprey repairs everything from torn mesh pockets and damaged zippers to worn straps and broken buckles, helping keep heavily used packs on the trail for years longer than they might otherwise last. This brand policy has helped build a loyal following around packs such as the Tempest Pro 30, a womens-specific technical pack that balances low weight with bombproof durability for big day hikes with a lot of gear. After all, backpacks are an investment that can cost hundreds of dollars. It’s much easier to buy once and cry once when you know the brand will stop your tears with a free repair whenever you need.
Osprey
Tempest Pro 30
from $250
Kifaru Hellbender Backpack
Kifaru
Hellbender Backpack
$875
Kifaru packs are designed for the kind of hard hunting use that eventually leaves scars – blown zippers, worn fabric, busted buckles and frame rub. Rather than steering customers toward replacement, the company repairs damaged gear and even sells a small field repair kit for quick backcountry fixes. Denver-based Erin Anderson said Kifaru repaired a broken zipper on her Hellbender, a made-in-the-USA hunting pack with plenty of pockets and webbing straps for hunters needing to cart a load of meat out of the backcountry. Kifaru charged about $90 an hour in labor to repair wear on the bottom fabric where the frame had rubbed through. The repairs weren’t cheap, but Anderson said keeping a heavily used pack in service still felt worthwhile compared with completely replacing it.
Kifaru
Hellbender Backpack
$875
Ortlieb Velo-Sling Flex
Ortlieb
Velo-Sling Flex
from $90
Germany-based Ortlieb has built a lot of its reputation around the idea that busted gear doesn’t mean your biking adventure is … well, a bust. The company’s repair program includes professional repairs and replacement spare parts intended to help extend the lifespan of bags and panniers. It’s not free: labor costs $15 an hour and parts are billed as needed. If you’d prefer to try your own hand, Ortlieb offers a slew of YouTube videos that make it easier to install spare parts from their catalog. The waterproof Ortlieb Velo-Sling Flex is a versatile commuter bag that converts from a shoulder sling bag to a handlebar bag, making it equally useful on and off the bike.
Ortlieb
Velo-Sling Flex
from $90
Petzl Tikkina Headlamp
Petzl
Tikkina Headlamp
from $19.95
Even smaller brands are getting in on the repair action. Colorado-based Kellan Goldberg said her budget-friendly Petzl Tikkina stopped working just before the end of the three-year warranty period. After she contacted the company, Petzl asked her to send the headlamp in for repair instead of replacing it outright. “Took only two weeks and I was super happy!” Goldberg said. Petzl’s repair and warranty program covers products ranging from climbing gear to headlamps, and replacement parts such as headlamp battery doors, straps, mounting plates and other defective materials. This helps keep gear in use longer instead of turning otherwise functional equipment into throwaway items after a single failure.
Petzl
Tikkina Headlamp
from $19.95
Mountain Hardwear Boundary Ridge Gore-Tex Jacket
Mountain Hardwear
Boundary Ridge Gore-Tex Jacket
from $286.98
While some repair programs only cover newer products, Mountain Hardwear is out here fixing gear that’s legally old enough to drink. Ashley Mayer, a longtime hiker, took advantage of the brand’s repair policy and recently sent in her 2004 Confluence Parka, a jacket the brand no longer makes (the Boundary Ridge is its successor and arguably one of my favorite ski jackets with its rugged weatherproofing, bevy of pockets and slightly-longer length). All of the zippers had delaminated and the lining was torn. Still, Mountain Hardwear fixed everything and re-did the waterproof coating. “They took care of all of it for [the cost of] shipping,” she says.
Mountain Hardwear
Boundary Ridge Gore-Tex Jacket
from $286.98
Rab Neutrino Pro Down Jacket
Rab
Neutrino Pro Down Jacket
from $450
Did you know 54% of Americans would try to fix their own broken zipper? Rab, a British brand known for its technical down jackets, surveyed 500 Americans and found that most of them aren’t afraid of a little DIY, which is why it offers replacement parts through its service center, as well as in-house repairs and even professional cleaning. When the zipper on her Rab Neutrino puffer failed, Amanda Stone, a Denver resident, mailed it back to Rab for repair. One of the brand’s most popular jackets, the Neutrino is prized for its warmth, weather resistance and lightweight performance. “It was fairly easy, and the replacement was free,” she says. “Although they did charge me for a thorough cleaning.”
Rab
Neutrino Pro Down Jacket
from $450
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 3
Big Agnes
Copper Spur UL 3
from $440
With Big Agnes, a snapped pole doesn’t mean you should kiss your tent goodbye. The freestanding, ultralight Copper Spur UL3 has earned a reputation among backpackers for pairing trail-friendly weight with enough room to be comfortable. But Ann Driggers, from Aspen, Colorado, said her Big Agnes Copper Spur took a beating during “hellacious winds” on Utah’s White Rim Trail when a pole snapped and punched a hole through the tent fabric. “I contacted them and they said, ‘send it in,’” Driggers says. The company repaired the torn fabric, replaced the damaged pole and returned the tent at no charge. Along with repairs, Big Agnes also sells replacement tent poles, stakes, buckles, and other spare parts designed to help extend the lifespan of heavily used camping gear.
Big Agnes
Copper Spur UL 3
from $440
Arc’teryx Sabre Jacket
Arc’teryx
Sabre Jacket
from $440
Nobody would call Arc’teryx jackets cheap. But the company’s generous repair policy explains why skiers are willing to spend the premium. Purpose-built for skiing and snowboarding, the men’s Sabre combines Pfas-free Gore-Tex protection with a relaxed fit that allows for plenty of cozy layers and mobility – no matter where you end up on the mountain. James Ibbotson, of Aspen, Colorado, said he ripped the back panel of his Sabre Jacket while skiing between trees, so he mailed it back to Arc’teryx for repair. The company fixed the jacket and sent it back. The following season, Ibbotson tore the jacket again while skiing (Yes, he goes big!). This time, Arc’teryx determined the damage was beyond repair. But, there was a silver lining: instead of fixing it, they sent him a code for a brand-new replacement jacket.
Arc’teryx
Sabre Jacket
from $440
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