Patagonia announces autumn 2026 Wetsuit Repair Tour across Europe

American outdoor clothing brand Patagonia is set to launch its “Wetsuit Repair Tour” again this autumn. The mobile repair workshop will travel to cities and surf spots across the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland and Spain. Surfers can have their wetsuits, other garments and equipment repaired for free at each stop, regardless of the brand.

The tour, driven by the company's “Worn Wear” repair team, will make a total of 14 stops. Four of these will be longer, featuring full weekends of workshops, film screenings and surf sessions. The programme includes clinics with the brand's surf ambassadors, meetings with local NGOs and talks. Certain events will host upcycling workshops to give used neoprene a second life. There will also be collection points for wetsuits that have reached the end of their useful life.

In Spain, the tour will make a single stop from September 26 to 28 at Coraza de Orzán, on the Paseo Marítimo in A Coruña, Galicia, before continuing to Portugal.

Last year, Patagonia repaired over 3,000 items from various brands at 50 Worn Wear events across Europe, including festivals and snow and climbing events. During the tour, the team also teaches how to keep wetsuits and clothing in good condition for several seasons. Techniques include patching, re-waterproofing outer layers and fixing zips.

Buddy Pendergast, a Patagonia wetsuit repair technician, recommends rinsing it with water after each use. He also advises against leaving it in the sun for days or storing it folded in a car for weeks to extend the life of the suit.

During the events, surfers can borrow a wetsuit to stay in the water while theirs is being repaired. The company manufactures these suits with natural rubber and states they were developed using knowledge gained from years of repairing neoprene.

“Extending the life of clothing is the most effective way to reduce its impact”

The Worn Wear programme was launched in 2013 to encourage customers to care for and repair their equipment. Patagonia maintains that extending the life of clothing through maintenance and repairs is the most effective way to reduce its environmental impact. This is because, in the long run, it leads to less purchasing and discarding.

The brand cites the British NGO WRAP, which states that wearing a garment for nine more months reduces CO2 emissions, waste and water consumption per item by 20 to 30 percent.

To expand its repair services in Europe, Patagonia has partnered with the United Repair Centre. Together, they have opened centres in Amsterdam and London and aim to repair 100,000 garments annually by 2028. In 2025, it repaired over 35,000 garments in Europe, where it works with 15 repair partners. Globally, the company has more than 110 locations where it repairs its clothing for free or at a low cost.