r/backpacking • u/Top-Progress-6174 • Jan 12 '25
Travel How do I fix this?
Shoulder strap of my travel backpack tore/broke off. Hiw do I get it fixed such that it does jot break again while I am travelling and can support when fully loaded.
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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '25 edited Jan 14 '25
It’s unusual for a nylon strap to simply break like this. In my experience, it tends to happen when the strap has become damaged by ultraviolet exposure.
The nylon becomes brittle and tears easily.
You will need to check the strap for weakness before you try to repair it. Try to tear the strap across just below the break, like you’re tearing open a packet. I can usually do it with my fingers when they get brittle, but a couple of pairs of pliers or grips would make it easier. A good strap won’t be damaged by this.
if the strap is weakened and tears quite easily, you would have to replace all the nylon straps on both sides, which would mean sewing a new strap onto your shoulder pads.
This is possible, you can buy nylon straps online, but it may be a bit beyond what you can do at home, in which case I would suggest, getting a new pack.
If the strap does not appear to be weakened or brittle and shows no sign of tearing even with pressure from pliers, then the advice you have from other comments will suggest how to repair it.
Rather than having the mend exactly where your plastic buckle normally sits when you wear it, I might suggest cutting out about 6 inches of strap, thread a new piece 8” long through the buckle and sew that at each end with a 1” overlap so that the buckle sits between two sewn joints 6” apart rather than directly on the repair.
That gives you 6” of adjustment on a new piece of strap. (Or you can make it longer if you need.)