NoSo Patches was built upon the idea that it’s better to repair your existing gear and apparel than throw it away. It’s better for the environment (because that torn sleeping bag doesn’t end up in a landfill), it’s better for your wallet (because high-quality outdoor gear isn’t cheap), and better for your next adventurer (because you want your down jacket insulated and waterproof).
Every year we hold our Love the One You Have contest, meant to collect YOUR stories about how you use NoSo Patches. And every year, we are delighted by great stories and creative ideas.
So, here they are! Our winners of Love the One You Have 2026.
Dru Sloop
Sadly I wore my favorite Arc'teryx hoody jacket pruning my roses and caught the sleeve on a thorn. The fabric and layers of the jacket were to challenging for my own mending. I researched costly repairs next, then found NoSo! The 3x4 rip was easily covered by a large NoSo patch and I added an extra feather patch for interest. Thank you for saving my favorite jacket! I'm back to enjoying it for riding, skiing, hiking and life!
Colleen Lyon
Teamwork makes the dream work — it’s one of the mantras I have with my now 4 year old son and it sums up how I got these Flylow ski pants 10+ years ago, and also how I got the patch they ended up needing. I had been looking for this model of pant (with reinforced knee) but at the time, Flylow stopped making it for women — I couldn’t find them anywhere in my size in the US. Finally, I found an outdoor store in Germany that had this pair but they didn’t deliver to the United States. So I had them delivered to a friend who lives in Switzerland and then he shipped them to me.
Fast forward to 2024, they had a large tear I was ready to patch. I was texting with a friend in Lake Tahoe about what she uses to patch her gear and she recommended I contact the company to see if they would send a free patch — I did this for the Rab coat shown in the photo. She also texted me a photo of an Indian Paintbrush NoSo patch and said, “If you want to splurge.”
I decided my ski pants deserved some flair, so I went to the NoSo website for the Indian Paintbrush patch. I’m hopelessly thrifty and decided I didn’t want to pay almost as much in shipping as I would on the patch. So I emailed NoSo and asked where I could find their products locally and I got a quick response, pointing me to The Gearage (an outdoor gear exchange shop) in my town, Fort Collins, CO! When I showed up there the next day, I was disappointed they didn’t have Indian Paintbrush in stock but they did have a sweet rainbow pride flag, which was the only patch there big enough to cover my tear. They also had a rainbow trout patch, which I got “for good measure” for my toddler — it was the first fish he ever caught. He hadn’t needed a patch yet, but I’m excited that when he does, I’ll have a special one ready for him. I did get him a rainbow peace NoSo patch for his birthday as an “identifier” for his backpack at preschool — he loves rainbows and loves peace fingers!
Thanks for the patches, NoSo!
Jonny Kaul
The first time was from my insulated shell. I wear my puffy on the inside of my insulated shell on the negative days. I flashed the zipper of the shell down a little too fast and poof a tiny hole with down coming out on the abdomen. Luckily I had my Hotdog NoSo to fix the leak!
The second time I tore the same jacket was when I was splitboarding in the back country and during my transition I was folding up my skins and the tail clip grabbed my arm and poof rip in the arm. Thank god I had my hotdog NoSo patch again! Now I have a one of a kind Burton glizzy puffy. I have another tear but couldn’t find the glizzy patch on the website till now! Thank you Noso for keeping me fly and warm at the same time.
Amy Caverly
I’m an avid thrifter, I live for a deal but also love to buy used for sustainability. I have found some amazing pieces with character marks usually for amazing prices! As an Alaskan I was super drawn to the Fishe wear patches, they augmented my gear fantastically! Since finding NoSo Fishe wear patches I have fallen in love with many of the designs!
Nancy Barnett
I ripped my favorite jacket 18 months ago and placed a patch. then my 7 month old puppy jumped up and ripped another spot. Both patches are holding super and I can still wear my jacket. Now I just hope the puppy is done jumping or I will need to buy more!!!
Congrats to This Year’s Winners!
Congratulations to this year’s winners. And thank you to everyone who submitted their Love the One You Have story. We appreciate how clever, creative, and conscientious you all are, and joining us in patching the planet!
Until next year! Check out our repair patches online or in your favorite retail stores.