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Gluetread’s sidewall kit patches tire gashes that would otherwise leave you stranded. 

When overlanding, there are two common ways you can ruin a tire. The first is to puncture the tread with a screw, nail, or sharp rock. The resulting holes are usually small enough to fix with a tire plug, similar to what you’d use on a bike.

The second, more difficult type of damage is to tear a sidewall. Overlanders run the risk of sidewall tears because we often brush against rough rocks while climbing backcountry roads. Sidewall tears can sometimes be fixed by jamming several plugs into the hole, but some holes are so big that plugs won’t work. In the past, that could leave me stranded if I had multiple flats.

Recently, however, I learned about Gluetread, a company that makes large, durable rubber patches that cover multi-inch tears. Curious about whether the patches work, I called my friend and veteran overlander, Walt Wagner, who runs an Albuquerque-based build shop called Tactical Application Vehicles. Together, we ran a comprehensive test of the patching system, starting by intentionally cutting a two-inch slash in a tire sidewall.

The first step of the easy-to-follow instructions turned out to be the hardest. To ensure the thick rubber patch comes into full contact with the entire gash, you have to smooth or cut down any relief on the side of the tire—be that tread, lettering, texturing, or other designs. You want a completely flat surface or the patch won’t stick.

Gluetread provides sandpaper, but we found that if the gash goes over any place on the sidewall that’s raised more than a millimeter or two, you’ll also need a knife to trim away the excess rubber. We used a street tire for the test, which didn’t have the chunky lettering or sidewall lugs you might find on an all-terrain tire. Even so, Wagner had to cut away a ribbon of raised rubber that was too hard to sand down. This video clip demonstrates the kind of cutting necessary if the gash is next to a big, all-terrain lug.

Once we had a flat surface, Wagner applied the provided glue to the inside edges of the gash and held it together for a minute—similar to how a doctor might glue a wound shut. Next, we selected one of the provided patches big enough to cover the gash by at least a half-inch on each side. Each kit comes with multiple trimmable patches and multiple bottles of glue.

Wagner carefully applied glue to the patch in a dot-grid pattern, then applied pressure to hold it on the tire for three minutes before letting it cure for 10 more minutes.

To test the patch, we filled up the tire to 30 psi and sprayed it with soapy water to check for any bubbles, which would indicate a leak. We noticed a small leak at the top edge, so we dried it off and followed the directions to apply a small thread of glue around the outside edge. After letting it cure for another 10 minutes, we filled the tire a second time and found no leaks. Both Wagner and I pushed and prodded at the patch but felt it confidently sealed the hole.

Even though we didn’t find any leaks after the repair, I would still check my tire regularly if I applied a patch and continued down a long backcountry road. It’s easy to add air if there’s a tiny leak, or apply a bit more glue. Gluetread says some drivers leave their patches on for years without any problems. I don’t doubt them, but I wouldn’t want to go off-grid on a patched tire because it feels more vulnerable to me. I would, however, continue to use the patched tire as a trustworthy spare.

While the application process is fairly straightforward and doesn’t take any mechanical expertise, I’m glad Wager and I practiced; I would encourage anyone who overlands a lot to do the same. Running through the process ahead of time will give you a lot more confidence if you have to repair a tire when conditions are less than optimal.

The Gluetread kit isn’t intended to replace a spare tire, which is far quicker and easier to swap in if I get a sidewall tear. But out in the backcountry, I always run the risk of damaging more than one tire, so I think it is worthwhile to carry a Gluetread kit from now on. The kit costs just $50 and comes with enough supplies to repair multiple tires, which could come in handy if I’m traveling with friends—or have really bad luck and tear a tire more than once.