Sea to Summit Field Repair Buckles

Quick replacement of broken waist belt, sternum strap, or other buckles, including those that are sewn in on one or both sides. Available in a full range of sizes. Requires a small phillips head screwdriver.

Over the years I've broken any number of the tough plastic buckles and slide-tighteners that are ubiquitous on packs of all sizes. The sliding ones are easy enough to replace, but may require  undoing and maybe redoing the sewn-in fold at the end of the strap. That covers most of the repairs I've had to do over the years, in most cases using salvaged and saved parts, or supplied free and fast under warranty in the case of my various Osprey packs. But then I somehow managed to break the female part of the buckle on the Evoc waist pack that I use for running, which is sewn in to a little pocket on one end (photo below). 

So when I saw the array of S2S Field Repair Buckles on display at a local outfitter, I bought two: one with a slider on one side for the Evo and a bigger one that is fixed on both ends for my Osprey Exos waist belt, which has a rather fragile looking buckle that could potentially give out on this coming summer's long hike (any lightweight part can mean more weight if you feel you need to carry a spare...).

The removable, stainless steel pin makes it easy to position the replacement buckle and secure it in place. It requires a small phillips head screwdriver, which I fortunately have on the repair tool in my repair kit.

I can't think of a tool-less way to do this that wouldn't be awkward or weigh more, so I'm not taking any stars off for that.

On the Evoc, the male side slides while the female side is partly hidden in a little pocket and so hard to replace, but I managed it. (I had to use a hammer and chisel to break off what remained of the original—I'm not sure how to do that in the field, but I'm sure I'd figure something out.)

I didn't record the weight of the 1 inch / 25 mm buckle before putting it to work; the 1.5 inch / 38 mm one weighs 29.4 g (a bit over 1 oz). I suppose it could be a bit lighter but I've had the opposite problem of buckles being so pared down to save weight that they break easily. In the case of the Osprey waist belt, it certainly seems beefy enough to outlast the original.

Background

I've had to replace dozens of buckles over the years, but this is the first time replacement buckles with a removable pin, and I think they're great.

These are a quick fix repair buckle for backpacking, kayaking, and hiking gear. These come in different sizes from 15mm (5/8 inch) up to the larger sizes. Hard to find in the outdoor store, I snapped up a set of the Side Release in 15mm and a ladder lock also in 15mm. Was I impressed? Yup! My tent/backpack repair kit now contains these small wonders.

I have looked for these when I saw a video of them a while back. I have needed replacement buckles in the past with my equipment and have a few of the replacements for repairs once I get home from a trip. But, to have these on the trail could be handy. I finally found these (although only 15mm) in a local outdoor store and purchased them for my carry tent/backpack repair kit.

Easy to use. Although a very small Phillips is needed. Place the stainless steel pin through the canvas strap loop of old buckle and repair is complete!

I created a new repair kit within minutes with these new buckles.

The cost is normal Sea to Summit (high), at 4.99 Euro for the Side Release Buckle and 3.99 Euro for the Ladder Buckle. As usual the Sea to Summit guys knew that this fast and easy fix would be well worth the money spent and the frustration of either finding a cheaper solution.

I would not think this would be handy for someone who is not careful when in a crisis situation as the pin is very small and could fall into tall grass and never be found! Or the mud! Be careful and mindful of this. Also the pin is small and may be hard for people with larger hands to handle when the weather conditions are not the best.

Again, a very small Phillips is needed. Not all multitools have one small enough for this repair. Test at home prior to using on the trail. Prepare ahead of time for the correct tool or quick fix and wait to use this repair once you return home.

I was very happy with this purchase and testing it out and now having it in my tool kit for backpacking. Would I recommend? Yes!

Background

Tested at the house on my own backpacking gear. Not in emergency situation.