Adventure Trailers' Ultimate Puncture Repair Kit

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I attended the excellent and informative Advanced Tire Repair class at Overland Expo 2012, which was taught by Martyn Davies of Adventure Trailers. During the class, Martyn used their “Ultimate Puncture Repair Kit” which he half-jokingly liked to remind us was available for sale on their website.

I left the class determined to upgrade my tire repair kit. As it was, I was equipped to repair a simple puncture, or even a small cut, but that was about it. Flat tires are perhaps the most common offroad – and on-road for that matter – damage I see, so I think it’s prudent to be prepared for when it happens. I’ve had quite a lot of rock battle-scars on my tires over the years, picked up a couple of nails/screws on the road, and after the 2006 GBES Rally I had a nail puncture that caused a pretty rapid loss of pressure. Fortunately it didn’t impact us during the rally itself.

My initial plan was to put build my own repair kit, since I already had some of the items that were in the pricey AT kit. After doing some shopping though, I came to the conclusion that it would not only be time-consuming to locate some of the items, but it would also be expensive. I’d have to buy the components from a variety of sources, each with their own shipping charges. So buying the AT kit wouldn’t cost more in the end, and it would save me a ton of time trying to replicate it myself. I bit the bullet and placed my order.

The kit arrived a few days later, and then I got a voicemail from AT on my answering machine at home. They’d seen that UPS had dropped off the package on my doorstep, and were calling just to make sure I had received it. I was impressed that they took the time to reach out just in case, and I appreciated that type of customer service.

I was also really impressed with the kit. Not only does it have a pile of patches, valve cores, stems, tools, etc., but most of the items are in good-quality ziplock plastic bags and which are labeled. This keeps everything clean and free of dust, and makes finding things a breeze. I did place a few of the items (like the disposable hand wipes and the plug lube) into sturdy ziplock sandwich bags to help guard against leaks getting all over everything.

Here is the list of the kit’s contents, as stolen directly from AT’s website:

QTY- 25 THICK STRING INSERTS
QTY- 25 THIN STRING INSERTS
QTY- 2 VALVE STEMS (STANDARD PRESSURE)
QTY- 1 VALVE STEMS (HIGH PRESSURE)
QTY- 2 LARGE SIZE TUBELESS PATCHES
QTY- 3 MEDIUM SIZE TUBELESS PATCHES
QTY- 4 SMALL SIZE TUBELESS PATCHES
QTY- 1 4″ X 6″ LARGE WOUND REPAIR PATCH “BAJA BOOT”
QTY- 2 LARGE TUBE REPAIR PATCH
QTY- 3 MEDIUM TUBE REPAIR PATCH
QTY- 3 TUBES OF RUBBER CEMENT
QTY- 6 HIGH TEMP VALVE CORES
QTY- 4 STEEL VALVE CAPS WITH O-RING & CORE REMOVER
QTY- 1 4 WAY TIRE TOOL-HARD ANODIZED BLACK
QTY- 1 10 PSI TO 75 PSI PRESSURE GAUGE
QTY- 1 UTILITY RAZOR KNIFE
QTY- 1 BUFFER & STITCHER TOOL
QTY- 1 TIRE PROBE-CHROME PLATED STEEL
QTY- 1 NEEDLE INSER TOOL-CHROME PLATED STEEL
QTY- 2 EXTRA SET OF SCREW & ALLEN WRENCHES
QTY- 1 CHALK FOR MARKING TIRE
QTY- 3 HAND CLEANER WIPES-INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED
QTY- 1 STORAGE BOX-DOUBLE STITCHED

Despite that lengthy list, there were several small items I added to the kit as well, which I felt were missing. It might be the “ultimate” tire repair kit that you can buy, but that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect.

First, I added two pairs of nitrile gloves. Hand cleaner is nice, but maybe let’s not get our hands filthy and covered in dirt, rubber and chemicals in the first place. With two pair of gloves, you can give a set to a helper as well.

For patching a tire from the interior, you’ll need something to remove the tire mold-release lube so that the patch will adhere properly. For this, I added a Simple Green wipe pouch that was given out as a freebie at Overland Expo 2012. I’ve often used Simple Green at home and know it’s an effective product, and using the pouch meant that I didn’t need to include a larger bottle that had more potential to leak.

For those nasty sidewall slices, I added very heavy, waxed cotton thread that was designed with leather working in mind, as well as a large, stout needle. I already had a couple of small spools of this thread at home so I selected the white-ish color (which would be easier to see and inspect) and added it to the kit.

Lastly, to prevent dirt, gravel, and other material from working their way into a repaired slice, I added a tube of Shoe Goo which Martyn had recommended. I actually had a large tube of Shoe Goo at home already, but it was too big for this application, and I was able to purchase an appropriate 1oz. size online.

My additions were all very small, so everything still fit neatly into the nice MOLLE bag that came with the kit, without overloading it. I added an inexpensive aluminum climbing carabiner to one of the exterior loops of the bag, so it could be carried hands-free if necessary.

With those additions, the kit now really felt properly complete. Outside of the kit, I also purchased a regular and a “deluxe” tire iron from AT.

I’m 100% with Martyn when he says that the best way to repair a tire is to bring it to a shop and hand over a few dollars to have them do it, but now I’m much better prepared to do it myself if I don’t have that option.

Note – Adventure Trailers has four videos on tire repair that are all worth checking out. You can find them all on their Tire Repair Clinic page or individually at:

Video 1: Valve stem repair
Video 2: Removing the tire from the rim
Video 3: Fitting the tire to the rim
Video 4: Major side wall repair