How To Put A Patch On A Backpack: The Ultimate Guide! (2023)

As a traveller, one of the best ways to creatively collect and immortalise memories from your travels is by filling your once plain and simple backpack with a multitude of colourful patches! In this blog, we deep dive into how to put a patch on a backpack: The three possible methods of iron-on, bonding and sewing!

For each method, we highlight what you’ll need, the full process, our pros and cons of each and conclude with our epic hand-picked collection of travel backpack patches to browse and buy!

What you’ll need to iron on patches:

▢⠀⠀A backpack made of non-synthetic material.

▢⠀⠀A hand-held flat plate iron.

▢⠀⠀A heat resistant pressing cloth.

▢⠀⠀Iron-on patches of your choice!

The step-by-step process to iron on patches:

•⠀⠀Step 1: Before you do anything, check the label / description of your backpack to make sure it is made of a non-synthetic material that can be ironed and will not melt with the heat! The best materials for heat-resistance are denim, cotton, polyester or a cotton-polyester blend.

If however your backpack is made up of a synthetic material (e.g. Nylon) which cannot withstand the heat, immediately skip down to Method 2: Bonding or Method 3-4: Sewing.

•⠀⠀Step 2: Lay your backpack down onto a clear, heat-resistant surface. Ensure the area that you are applying the patch on your backpack is flat and not scrunched up or wrinkled.

•⠀⠀Step 3: Turn on your iron and allow it to heat up to your desired temperature. Top tip: Never use steam when applying the patch, it must only be the dry heat from the iron’s heated flat plate. The water created from the steam will greatly diminish the patch’s ability to stick.

First, use the iron to warm up the area where you are putting the patch. This will allow the patch to attach to the backpack much better for Step 4.

•⠀⠀Step 4: Now, place your patch down onto the now warm area. Lay your pressing cloth on top of your patch to completely cover it and create a protective barrier between it and the iron.

Place your iron flat on top of the cloth and apply heat evenly across the patch below in a circular motion for approximately 30 seconds. Make sure to particularly go over the edges, as these are the most likely areas to begin to peel away over time.

•⠀⠀Step 5: Wait a minute or so to allow the patch to fully cool and bond itself to the backpack. And there you go, one iron-on patch application completed!

Pros of ironing patches onto a backpack: Providing you are comfortable with using an iron, the iron on process is quick, easy and does not require any specific skill to apply.

Cons of ironing patches onto a backpack: Many backpack brands (including Osprey) make their travel backpacks out of durable synthetics such as Nylon, which is not suitable to iron on the high temperatures required to iron on patches. It could really damage your backpack by causing the fabric to literally melt. This vastly narrows down the backpacks you can use for this method.

It is also debatable how long the iron-on patch will remain in place with the constant flex and bulging of an in-use backpack and no secure fixing to hold it in place. Thus, there is a risk of your iron-on patch eventually coming loose and falling off.

What you’ll need to bond on patches:

▢⠀⠀A travel backpack.

▢⠀⠀Travel patches of your choice!

▢⠀⠀A high-quality, strong fabric glue for patches.

▢⠀⠀A suitable heavy object handy with even weight distribution to hold the drying patch in place. A great example is a thick book.

The step-by-step process to bond patches:

•⠀⠀Step 1: Before you apply the glue, first loosely place your patch onto your backpack and decide your preferred location and orientation. Once chosen, use a pencil to lightly mark around all the edges. Draw a few millimetres behind the patch so no drawn lines can be seen when glued down.

•⠀⠀Step 2: Once happy, move your patch out of the way to now apply the fabric glue directly onto your backpack within your marked area. Apply the glue evenly and be generous. Top tip: As you get towards the edges, make sure the glue does not go past your marked lines. As we have already set the lines in a few millimetres from the patch, when the patch is now applied, you shouldn’t see any excess glue.

•⠀⠀Step 3: Take your patch and slowly place down onto the now glued area of your backpack. Once you are happy with the placement, apply a firmer hand to ensure the patch is evenly pressed down in all areas.

•⠀⠀Step 4: Grab your trusty heavy object (i.e. a thick book) and place on top of the patch to apply a firm, constant weight as the patch dries. Leave it and keep it there for as long as you like as you do other tasks, maybe even up to 1 hour, to ensure the glue has had enough time to fully bond.

Pros of bonding patches onto a backpack: This is a great alternative for those not comfortable with use the heat of an iron or using a sewing needle. It is quick, easy and does not require any specific skill to apply.

Fabric glue is also a very low-cost option, with good quality options ranging to as little as £3!

In total contrast to the iron on method, the synthetic Nylon fabric used for a wide range backpacks is the most suitable fabric for this bonding method!

Cons of bonding patches onto a backpack: Similar to that of the iron on method, it is not guaranteed how long a bonded patch will last with the constant flex and bulging of an in-use backpack. In particular, the bonding is susceptible to becoming unstuck if the backpack was to get wet. Thus, there is again a risk of your bonded patch eventually coming loose and falling off.

What you’ll need to hand-sew on patches:

▢⠀⠀A travel backpack.

▢⠀⠀Travel patches of your choice!

▢⠀⠀Hand sewing thread. White and black threads are strong staple thread colours to start you off, but we recommend to get a good bundle of colours to have ready to match your patches!

▢⠀⠀Fabric sewing pins to hold your patch in place as you sew.

▢⠀⠀Protective sewing thimble to help push the needle through thicker fabrics and accidental pricks of the needle!

▢⠀⠀A pair of scissors to cut the thread when needed.

The step-by-step process to hand sewing patches:

•⠀⠀Step 1: Loosely place your patch onto your backpack to decide on your preferred location and orientation.

Once decided, use your fabric sewing pins to secure your patch in the correct place. This will prevent it from moving while you are sewing.

•⠀⠀Step 2: Cut approximately 30cm worth of your chosen thread. Top tip: We recommend the thread colour matches your patch as closely as possible. This will reduce the visibility of the thread when complete, meaning it does not need to be incredibly neat.

On one end, thread through the eye of the needle and pull through by about 15cm. On the other end, tie a double / triple knot to ensure it is thick enough to not pull through the backpack fabric.

•⠀⠀Step 3: The easiest sewing technique is the ‘running stitch’. See the below video tutorial which describes the basics of this stitching method perfectly:

As the video suggests, begin by first threading your needle from inside your backpack to make sure the knot is not visible and is on the inside of your backpack. Top tip: Use your trusty protective sewing thimble on your thumb to push the needle through the thicker material on the backpack to avoid hurting yourself.

•⠀⠀Step 4: When completed, secure the running stitch as shown in tutorial video above.

•⠀⠀Step 5: Cut the remaining thread where required, leaving approximately 1cm.

Lastly, take out all of your holding pins and ta-da! You are done!

Pros of hand-sewing patches onto a backpack: Sewing is the most reliable, durable and secure way of putting a patch onto a backpack, regardless of your backpack material or patch type.

Stitching your patches onto your backpack will secure them firmly in place and will endure the ultimate test of time. No external factors (such as getting wet) will cause the stitches to loosen.

Once you get the hang of it, hand sewing your patches onto your backpack can become a therapeutic ritual to immortalise your most recent trip!

Cons of bonding patches onto a backpack: Dependant on your sewing abilities, you may need to practise your basic ‘running stitch’ sewing and threading technique prior to applying your patch.

You need to have access to or purchase a few sewing staples, such as hand sewing needles, thread and thimble as described above.

Alternatively, you could potentially use a sewing machine to put your patches onto your backpack if you know how to. However, this might prove difficult to achieve on some angles of the backpack, and this method is much more efficient for a clothing / jacket application.

Overall, our recommended and favourite method of how to put a patch onto a backpack is Method 3: Hand-sewing!

Browse our collection of our favourite embroidered travel patches below and their direct product links for you to easily buy.

Let’s start by browsing the classic “travel adventure” collection”: