Tear in mosquito netting

A tear in the mosquito netting on a tent or mesh door is annoying — a single fly or mosquito through the hole is enough to ruin the night. The repair is quick once you have a sewing machine.

Materials

• Sewing machine with a zigzag stitch (can also be done by hand, but a machine is faster and more even)
• Thin thread in a matching colour — ideally polyester
• Pins

How to do it — zigzag stitch straight over

Best for small tears (under 5 cm) where the netting is intact.

1. Open the zip and lay the work flat on the sewing table. Don’t let it hang and pull
2. Bring the tear together so the sides just overlap. Secure with 1–2 pins
3. Set up the sewing machine: straight stitch with zigzag, stitch length 0, width 3–4
4. Pull the netting slowly by hand through the sewing machine — don’t use the pedal in auto mode
5. Result: an even strip of zigzag thread that seals the tear
6. Remove the pins as you sew

Larger holes: glue a patch

If parts of the mosquito netting are missing or damaged:

1. Cut a fabric patch slightly larger than the hole — use mosquito mesh (can be bought by the metre) or another light, transparent fabric
2. Glue it on both sides of the netting with a heat-bonding patch (varmevinyl) or universal spray adhesive
3. If you make the patches the same size on both sides, they hold each other in place via the netting in between

For the glue method: see Gluing holes and tears in outdoor gear for details.

Tips

• A heat-bonding patch gives the best result for a permanent repair — it bonds well and stays invisible
• Spray adhesive works quickly but can come loose over time
• Test the repair before your next trip — especially if you have stuck on a small patch
• For large tears where whole sections are missing: consider replacing the entire mosquito-net panel through the manufacturer’s spare-parts service

Back to Repair → · Gluing holes and tears in outdoor gear → · Tents →

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Text: Lars Peters and Snuitide (2022), revised 2026.