Well, i was darning a sock for the first time (i think I failed miserably) and was wondering if anyone keeps a sewing kit in their BOB's for if they have to do repairs on their clothes, or even sleeping bags or tents. If anyone does, please share what you have and why. i am thinking about getting the reproduction sewing kit Anyone have this, i would keep it in my backpaking bag for when I go just to have.

-JAce

I keep a good sewing kit in my bob. You can save a lot of money by going to the dollar store to get it though. Just as good as a really expensive repo kit (2-3 dollars vs 25).

I have a sewing kits, which is just a bunch of needles I bought and a few spools of thread. I also carry a few in my EDC, a few needles weigh nothing and take up no room. The thread is on a plastic sewing machine spool.

The needles could have a few uses besides sewing, but keeping the insulation from falling out of something for a while is a good enough reason to carry a needle and thread for me.

I also plan on adding soon a sailing palm and sailmakers needles, which can handle some fairly heavy sewing. For example,. it mght be useful should I want to repair a tarp or try to make one tarp out of two tarps, or whatever. See:

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/sto...;classNum=10900

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/sto...;classNum=10900

With a ten dollar spool of waxed twine, you could sew togehter some fairly heavy pieces.

I carry needles, threads, and a couple of buttons in my BoB and I keep a small US military issue sewing kit in a pocket that I sewed into the left arm (inside) of my BDU Blouse.

I 2nd the motion that the local Dollar store has good basic kits for very little $!

thanks, were did you get the gi kit?/ Or are you a soldier? Also what is the purpouse of having sailmakers needles? They just look like expensive needls, mabye im not informed?

Sew as much as you can, so you get used to it and improve your skill. Our dog chewed all but one of the buttons off of a brand new insulated flannel shirt...but I'm going to get some buttons and sew every one of them on...I need the practice.

Eagle Creek makes a durable and compact sewing kit for about $3...also TSA approved to take on airplanes...although that could change...

regular needles are a PITA trying to repair heavy material, or packs.

Imagine the heavy, thick canvas or tarp. I have in my BOB. How you you sew it, repair a tear or hole in it, etc.? A normal needle will simply not do that job.

Sailmakers needles are larger and stronger than most needles. They are meant to be sued to pull waxed twine or some other kind of string through a heavier fabric, like canvas or some other heavier material. If you are going to use one, in most cases, you probably should be thinking about also using a sailmakers palm, because you will need one push it through thick material. And sailmakers needles can take some force.

Also, if you are going to have any line or rope in your supplies, then you should have twine, a sailmakers needle and, probably, a palm. A former Navy Bosun I had for marlinspike classes was known to say "No sailor worth his salt would use a line without a whipping or a backsplice." If you are using a line without a whipping or backsplice on it, you are abusing your line. Soon it will be unravelling, and the end of it will be useless. And if you put a backsplice in any line, then you have also limited its usefulness, because you have increased its diameter without adding any strength. A whipping is preferable to a backsplice for most uses. If my reference to line is at all confusing, read it as saying rope.

How would you repair a seam that split in your pack? I'd use a sailmakers needle, twine and a palm.

thanks, i know how to splice (im a boyscout) and so that isn;t a problem, but I havn;t thought of any of this until you brought it up! thank you, i hav never sewn a pack so i wouldn;t know and you probly just saved my either a dead pack, or much frustration, and I thank you for that.

You're welcome.

If you want to put a whipping on a line, you could do a lot worse than follow this page: http://www.animatedknots.com/sailmakers/index.php

A sailmakers needle and palm would be a real help, almost required, to make a whipping like this one. The twine passes into the lines at the cants, but can come out of it in the middle of the strands. A whipping like this is going to stay put on the line, preserve the line for a long time and nothing as far as usefulness is going to be sacrificed.

One of the other things I have found to be sueful in sewing heavier material, pliers and/or a multitool.